Coming up empty or just using better judgement?

[Big Daddy Audio]

Visited three stores in the last two days and was tempted to buy some bike pedals (not a necessity, but wife has a Cannondale which would benefit from new pedals) and a Marantz SR-7200 AV receiver (had the manual BUT NOT the remote).  The pedals were $9.99 (over priced for what they were, but they had okay toe clips) and the receiver was $39.99.

I had the ubiquitous 20% off coupon, so the pedals would have been $7.99 and the receiver $32.99 (or thereabouts)

Upon returning home, found out I SHOULD have bought the Marantz, as there are some in the just-under-$200 range on craigslist, but they may have had the remotes.

I didn't really NEED the receiver (have better ones sitting idle at home) and didn't pull the trigger.

Anyway, does anyone else ever have those "Should I or Shouldn't I" types of dilemmas?  What types of criteria do you use to check yourself?  Do you dwell on missed opportunities?

I'm not worried about the Marantz, because, like I said, it wasn't something I needed, but it does make me think, maybe I should follow my hunches better.

C'est la vie.

[FleaQueen]

This happens to me all the time. 

Should I wait until it goes on sale for half-price?

Will I be able to resell it quickly?  (I buy mainly for resale.  I rarely have these angsty experiences when buying for myself). 

Is it what I think it is?  i.e. is this something valuable or is it just a piece of junk I've never seen before?

Often I give in and then regret it.

Often I give in, regret it, and then sell it right away and at a price I didn't expect to get, mainly because I underestimated the appeal of the item.

Sometimes I don't buy, and find out later that the item I spurned was actually worth significantly more than what it was priced at. 

It's always a crap shoot, but I think that's part of what keeps things exciting.

www.fullservicebohemian.blogspot.com

[mccoysnina]

I think it is always  something of a crap shoot.  I don't buy for re-sale so can't speal to that.  But I have found I have fallen into dividing tshop goods into 3 catagories.
1) See it, love it, have to have it.  Price doesn't matter because it is a tshop after all and my favorite tshop usually isn't that bad anyway. 
2) See it, like it but think it is too expensive and if it is still there when it is half-price day, it will come home to love with me.
3) See it, it's okay but can live without it, unless maybe it is there on $.50 day and then it might come home with me.  Last Monday for instance I saw a sweater that I thought my son would like, wasn't sure, but heck it was $.50 so wouldn't be out a lot if he hated it.  He loved it and it turned out to be from an outdoor outfitter he liked and was listed online for $80.
It is surprising how often I buy things not sure what I will do with them and find someone who absolutely loved it.  I found for instance a really nice old fashioned brief case that looked unused at a tshop.  I paid $1.50 for it unsure of how I would use it in the future.  But my BIL who is an amateur magician was looking for just such a case for his act.  It was meant to be.
When looking in thrifts if I see something I am debating about, I put it in my cart.  I have learned the hard way not to. I found some great dishes at a tshop and hesitated about getting them.  Then decided for $.60 each I should go ahead.  Went back to get them only to find them going into someone else's cart.  Oh well, lesson learned.  I have learned to trust my reactions and figure if it is cheap enough I just go with it when something screams at me to take it home.
Jeannie

[stewardmmj]

If I am headed to the register and still in doubt, I put the item back. 

[Skip]

I think anyone who is buying to resell gets the "Should I or Shouldn't I" dilemmas. My mother a veteran of 45 years still gets them. I think the rule of thumb is if the item is up to a few bucks then no big loss. Otherwise, think twice or three times.  I just had the dilemma this past Thursday. There was a Sharp photo watch which looked kinda unique but they wanted $15 for it. I past. Checked it out later on eBay and found that it could be had for $10 (including shipping)! On the other hand, I once past on an Italian designer tie for about $4 to find out they go for $25-$50. A couple days later I drove back (15 mins) and it was still there.

Some people carry a Smartphone with them and check it out on the spot. I haven't progressed to that point yet.

[Big Daddy Audio]

See, now here's a case where maybe it would have been better to leave the item there.

Dropped $48 and change on a Denon AVR-2802, no manual, no remote.  The difference is that the manual is available online (already downloaded one) and I own a remote that will operate the features I need.  The remote is mainly used to programming and multiple component operations.  I could use this one at my house with programming the preset radio stations and then just use the receiver as a stereo receiver.  There's one craigslist for $275 - but it might have the remote.  The remote is not mentioned.  I could easily get $125.00 for the unit as is.  So I guess I did okay on this one.

I also scored 4 Archie Double Digests and a brown plastic case which will be cannibalized for repairs on the minivan.  My daughter has the flu, so she appreciated the Archie books.

[Frchgrl]

Are you kidding? All the time! My issue is with furniture. I have no space for it but I see such cool stuff for pretty cheap sometimes. I always regret it.

I buy mostly for resale and have the opposite problem. I go crazy and realize I should have held back.

Oh well............

[azia88]

My husband has an Iphone and checks on the spot if something sells or not..wish we had that a few yrs ago :-)

[Big Daddy Audio]

For the record, I wound up returning the Denon AVR-2802 due to dodgy testing - I couldn't get the thing to work consistently.  It has some protocols that need to be followed when setting it up, and directions have to followed quite closely.  I don't have a spare TV to use as a diagnostic tool, so I decided to return it rather than risk it.
 

[discoveredtreausres]

I google alot of things right there in the store. But if the price is cheap and it appeals to me I usually pick it up anyways.

[Big Daddy Audio]

I have a similar set of internal protocols - If I can use it (not necessarily NEED it) and the price is right, I'll pick it up.

I run into problems when the price is higher than I'd like to go, but it's still somewhat of a good buy.