When do you have to touch it?
1Do people really buy $2400 handbags or $1000 diamond earrings from woot? How do they not want to see/feel/touch them before spending that much money?
What's the most expensive thing you've bought online? Had you seen it in person first?
- 20 comments, 13 replies
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I've bought a few TVs online from Amazon. Most expensive was about $1,800.
I once bought a car without having ever driven it. 2005 Subaru WRX STi. It was a hot car at the time, and the dealers wouldn't allow test drives without a deposit first. I didn't need a test drive, though. I knew that I wanted it regardless. I signed all the paperwork and drove it for the first time, right off the showroom floor. Crazy.
@jsh139 Similar story, I bought a 2016 Mazda CX-5 about 2 months ago. The color/package/year my wife wanted wasn't anywhere in our area. So, I had to buy the car, sight unseen through a local dealership who was trading with a dealership on the east coast. Wait 1 1/2 weeks for it to get trucked across country before we got to see/drive it. It was a long week and a half.
@Bogie I know that feeling. I factory-ordered a 1998 Mitsubishi Eclipse GS-T. It took about 6 weeks!
@jsh139 Woah. No way I could do that. I'd have been a nervous wreck.
I bought a TV from woot, I think around $800. Came with the bottom 1 1/2" of screen dead, so I got to deal with returning that.
Otherwise, I'm a person who needs to touch/feel what I'm buying before I buy it. Now, that doesn't mean I wont go into a store to try on some shoes, then buy them online for 1/2 price while still in the store.
Bought a platform bed and a mattress on line. Each one ran about a grand each. Overstock.com, it really saved us some coin.
Bought this bed Sleep Innovations 12-Inch SureTemp Memory Foam Mattress 20-Year Warranty, Full $400
(س º⌣º)س gotta touch it
@Lotsofgoats
I've purchased jewelry up to $600 online. I'm disappointed upon arrival almost as a rule, but the recipient always loves it, so I haven't learned my lesson.
I just don't find the same options in stores.
I bought a Canon 1dx for $6,728.99 from Amazon, the 300mm f2.8 lens for $6,800 from B&H Photo, and many smaller L series lenses for a total of about $5,000.
I special ordered my Lexus RX that retails for around $54,000 without seeing it first. It came in and when the dealer was cleaning it, they damaged it so they ordered another one with the same specs. They never let me see the first one before they "got rid of it."
It's not a problem touching the product before you buy it. You can go to any camera store and play with the merchandise and then buy it online. The 1dx was difficult because no stores nearby carries that quality of camera. I had previous models such as the 10d then the 20d and the 1d before buying the 1dx so I knew the benefits of the more expensive 1dx camera.
I was able to test drive a similar car before ordering the one I wanted. So I knew which features were missing from the in-stock model that I wanted added. It was also not my first car and not my first Lexus.
There have been regrets from ordering products online. Many of them were very cheap items that didn't really perform as claimed. The expensive items have never had any issues. Order a cheap item and expect to get a cheap quality product.
Edit: It took me too long to type this message so a couple other people mentioned buying cars without test driving or seeing them first before I submitted mine. I need to type faster next time.
I also bought an Exmark Phaser zero turn mower for around $6,000 without ever seeing one or test driving it. I trusted the dealer because they are friends of mine.
People typically do research when spending that much on an item. Seeing the items has far less impact on my decision than reviews, specs, comparisons, etc. Even when shopping IRL (like I did for my TV), I typically will walk into a store, ask where the specific make/model I want is, take one look and purchase. I essentially have made my decision long before I stepped into the store.
Then again, I have had some hilarious mistaken purchases from amazon, particularly where the images did not include a banana for scale. My favorite is my toolbox, which is about 10"x6" but looks like a scale model of a 3 foot wide toolbox.
My husband has bought his first tractor online. He also ordered implements to be shipped with it. Took three months to get. Over $42,000.
He did his research (a lot of research) before buying it and he bought it from a dealer on the east coast.
It's a Mahindra. He doesn't like the color red. He paid extra for them to paint it blue.
@lisaviolet Did he get free shipping? Did it come with oodles of points/miles/etc from wherever you ordered it from?
@dashcloud Tarheel Tractor in North Carolina (now out of business). Shipping was $1800 to San Diego. No points or miles.
@lisaviolet please tell me they didn't paint it tarhole blue...
@nadroj I believe it's New Holland (another make of tractor) blue. The dealer sold Mahindras and New Hollands.
@lisaviolet Now that is really nice!
@Teripie Thank you. He likes it.
And it led to his new company, making custom hydraulic links. He hated what came with it, made his own and realized there was a need for it. He's the only one who makes the custom side links for almost any tractor. He loves what he does now.
I believe a $500 TV is the most expensive thing I've ever purchased sight unseen. I like to touch things, even if I go buy it online afterwards.
For me it would the 2500 I spent on a 3D printer and the 1500 on a dye sub photo printer without ever having seen one in person. @cengland0 Nice camera, I bought a T2i when the were new, but like you said for camera's they are a pretty know quantity and having used other Canons I knew what to expect out of it.
Most expensive item I bought without seeing was probably my Sony RX100 camera. I quite enjoy it, and it was awesome for my tropical vacation.
My TV, but I did my research and the best p[lace to get it was online (price / warranty) I researched the heck out of it though
Years ago a couple thousand on a PC from Woot.
Do the leases for my current and previous apartments count? If not, probably a used Panasonic plasma TV off of eBay for $1000.
Almost all of our shopping with the exception of food, furniture, and some clothing happens online, though.
I love to touch things. I don't buy much, but I'll be happy to touch most anything.
I have bought computers online since those are really more about the specs anyway, the touchy parts you can buy elsewhere.
In my experience, touching will cost you extra.
On his birthday.
I'm sorry. I kept thinking it every time I saw this thread bump back up. I'll let myself out.
@Thumperchick
Mr. @Thumperchick
It's your birthday
Every day with me
Right before I push it, push it real good.