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The Most Regrettable Purchases People Have Ever Made

Man in mall with shopping bags
person walking while carrying a camera and paper bags
Photo by Erik Mclean on Unsplash

Reddit user CelineC6622 asked: 'What's the most regrettable purchase you've ever made?'

Every now and again, we can't help but make an "impulse purchase."

When we see something in a store window, in a catalog, or while surfing online, and think to ourselves, "I must have that!"

Then we waste no time in buying it.

Even if it was more money than we likely wanted to spend.

Of course, down the line, we might realize that doing so probably wasn't the best idea.

Be it an item of clothing that doesn't fit, a gadget that doesn't work, or something that just wasn't at all what it appeared to be, we find ourselves wishing more than anything that we didn't make this purchase.

Or at least kept the receipt.


Redditor CelineC6622 was curious to hear about all the purchases the Reddit community deeply regretted making, leading them to ask:
"What's the most regrettable purchase you've ever made?"

Anything But Luxurious

"When I was in my early 20’s bought a used BMW with 80k miles."

"Everything in that car was crazy expensive to fix."

"Had it for a 1.5 years before I sold it."

"The amount of money I spend on buying+fixing that car I could have bought I brand new BMW."

"Learned my lesson, never buy used luxury cars."- Steve83725

And So Began A Habit They'd Do Anything To Break...

"That first pack of cigarettes."

"Should have never started."- xipisiw577

...BWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA...

"A $300 pogo stick."

"I still don't know what the f*ck I was thinking when I ordered that thing."- xayep54838

bart simpson pogo stick GIFGiphy

You'd Think Science Lovers Would Have Been More Meticulous...

"A shower curtain with the periodic table."

"We couldn't find it here in Denmark so I had to order it from the US which meant a huge shipping fee."

"Then there was added a custums fee making the total price almost $100."

"All of this would not have been so bad if not for the fact that we forgot to check the measurements, as it turned out to be only 180 cm long leaving a big gap at the bottom where water would splash through making the floor soaking wet."- xipisiw577

Not As Advertised

"A remote control car I begged and saved for when I was 9."

"It was terrible and I still haven’t got over the disappointment 30 odd years later."- thencamethethunder

Way To Soon...

"I bought a planner in January 2020."- Dear-Original-675

Typography No Refunds GIF by Abel M'VadaGiphy

Oof...

"2 engagement and wedding rings."- Tawebuse

Planning Ahead Doesn't Always Pay Off

"I was engaged for a little over a year, and since she didn't want to be on the pill, we used condoms."

"One time we ran out, and I bought a great big box of new ones, different flavors and ribbings and what not."

"Then the relationship ended, and I could feel the box lying there in my drawer, mocking me, almost untouched."-nadoba1473

winter olympics lol GIF by Animation Domination High-DefGiphy

Good For One Good Ride?

"Gotrax scooter."

"That company is a joke."

"Their products' life cycle is measured in weeks before your scooter is a piece of plastic going to the landfill."

"I tried going through their customer service for repair parts and got some covered by warranty, only to have those parts break after a few days of light use."

"Even worse, when I asked for a tracking number for the parts, their CSR emailed me a spreadsheet of EVERY part order they had that day, complete with names, addresses, emails, telephone numbers."

"Only thing missing was the CC numbers."- AdWonderful5920

Hopefully They At Least Look Nice

"I bought some running shoes, I enjoy sitting down."- kenow18890

Timing Is Everything

"I bought a KIA two months before the Kiaboyz TikTok challenge went viral."

"Of course some teens tried to steal my car causing $2,500 worth of damage to my ignition and steering column."- Aldous_Hoaxley

car driving GIF by A Magical MessGiphy

Planning Ahead To The Max...

"A grave for me besides my father's grave."

"Bought it for $6.000 +- it was bad because there was a monthly fee $40 +- , after 5 years paying that fee I've had enough so I decided to sell my grave."

"Then i couldn’t sell due to one contract clause wich gives the cemetery practically all the selling money."

"As i result i had to return the grave to the cemetery for nothing."

"Good for them , stupid me lost all that money."- Icy_Cow4578

No Golden Ticket Either...

"When I was about three years old, I was with my family in a store that sold trading cards."

"There were a lot of packs of cards everywhere with different colors and pictures on them."

"All fairly standard trading card size."

"But then there was this one package that was definitely not a pack of cards."

"It was a candy bar."

"I could tell because it was extra long and shaped exactly like a candy bar."

"I asked my parents to buy it, but they didn’t want to."

"They asked why I wanted these cards so bad and I explained that they weren’t cards, but a candy bar."

"I essentially threw a fit until they decided it was just be easier to buy it for me."

"And then with some help, I opened my first and only ever pack of NASCAR trading cards."

"Definitely not a candy bar."

"I was inconsolable at the time, and still think about it to this day."- BillionaireGhost

tom and jerry eating GIF by Boomerang OfficialGiphy

Advertising can be very persuasive, and sometimes all it takes is looking at a picture to make us think we positively need to have something.

Once we unwrap this, possibly expensive, impulse buy though, we are reminded that imagination and fantasy is always more appealing than reality.

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