Featured What's Been Your Worst Purchase Mistake?

I'm sure we have all decided not to buy something, only to regret it later. But what about the opposite? What about when you've bought something, only to regret it?

Today, I bought what I thought was a limoges cigarette box for $20 at a no-returns resale store. When I came home, I looked up the mark and realized... it was a fake. Still kicking myself over it.

What has been your worst purchase mistake?

 

For amount of dollar loss that would have to be UPS insurance

 

Some Hawaii $1 Silver Certificates. Didn't have time to inspect properly at the beginning of the auction but stupidly bid anyway. Well I get them and the condition is really rough and they are only worth half of what I paid. Good way to throw $50 out the window. I try not to think about it.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hawaii_overprint_note

 

What do you mean?

 

I never heard of those until now. Sorry to hear that.

 

Tell you my worst giveaway, set of silver treasure coins of the Caribbean left in a bag that went to goodwill. So 20 × 1oz siver coins bye bye, somebody got a nice surprise.

 

Ugh

 

Yah, I was sooo. Pissed, i outsmarted my kids, potential burglars and myself. Lol

 

About 10 years ago we had wood floors put in (Oh the black day!) and I had to pack everything up to clear the spaces. As I was going along,I had two boxes for donations and two of my very best stuff to keep.When they FINALLY got finished 3 weeks past the date and I started unpacking things I realized my best stuff had gone to Amvets,all the crap I didnt want stayed .I flew over there,but of course none was left. I literally wept!
Worst buy I ever made was a fake $20 gold piece necklace.It looked right,it felt right,it was well marked,etc. It cost me $350 and was worth $20!

 

Ouch. No good deed goes unpunished. Kidding....

 

Let's set the bar high here....!
( & no, this is no badge of honor...)

A couple of young adults walk in to my Art Gallery.
They are on their way to Greenland and selling off their prized possessions .
They show me a one piece hand carved walrus Ivory Inukshuk , mounted on a prized local rock, signed by a well known local ( 1st Nations ? ) artist.
It's 9 1/2 inches tall.....the ivory is a little over 4 inches tall

They claim that his work of this style goes for $2500 or more up north of the Dempster Highway !
They want $2300.....

I was touched by their plight, & impressed by their manner & demeanor.
I offered them $1000, which they seemed genuinely uncomfortable with, but gracefully accepted.

My heart was in the right place, but I left my head ....somewhere outside on a park bench !!
They needed the money fast ( red flag) , as they had to catch a plane..( nuther red flag) , so I had no time to do my homework.

Ohhh, it's nice...& signed......& did I say nice......& still in the cabinet 3 feet away from me. !!!!

 

Thank you for your service !!

 

I think I'd rewrite your title to read "What has been your most expensive learning opportunity?"

Debora

 

I don't think I can edit the title anymore.

 

Ooo, let's see ... probably the huge lot of about thirty baseball cards sets in binders and boxes I got at an online auction ... then to realize when I got them that there was at least a four or five key cards missing in each one ... some of them weren't even worth the money to buy the missing cards ... live and learn

 

I sent an item via United Parcel Service. I paid extra to them for insurance. They smashed it. They will not pay for their damage to my item. I'm out $1000. I will never ship anything with them again. I would recommend that no one use them.

 

Ugh, I'm sorry to hear that

 

I've bought baseball cards before, but I have no idea how to tell which ones are valuable or not.

 

I never, ever use UPS! it seems every time I get a package from them it is damaged