• This topic has 110 replies, 78 voices, and was last updated 7 years ago by DezB.
Viewing 40 posts - 1 through 40 (of 111 total)
  • Inexplicably expensive things
  • IHN
    Full Member

    Having just been for my eye test and ordered some new glasses…

    Frames for glasses; how can they be a couple of hundred quid? It’s three bits of bent metal and two hinges.

    (and yes I know you can get dead cheap ones)

    See, also, taps.

    ehrob
    Full Member

    Curtains.

    That is all.

    stumpy01
    Full Member

    Replacement cleats……

    Fresh Goods Friday 696: The Middling Edition

    Fresh Goods Friday 696: The Middlin...
    Latest Singletrack Videos
    Cougar
    Full Member

    Having just been for my eye test and ordered some new glasses…

    Did they see you coming?

    Frames for glasses; how can they be a couple of hundred quid?

    They’re “designer” innit.

    Anything to do with spinning (wool). Recently paid over £500 for a spinning wheel for the OH. She wants a drum carder now – basically a barrel with pins in for separating fibres – they’re the same sort of money. FFS, it’s a wheel and a couple of planks.

    fifeandy
    Free Member

    Bicycles

    Nico
    Free Member

    Pine nuts.

    RobHilton
    Free Member

    Coke & hookers

    Houns
    Full Member

    Even as an Oakley collector I have to agree the cost of glasses (and sunglasses) is ridiculous

    GrahamS
    Full Member

    Frames for glasses; how can they be a couple of hundred quid?

    If you wear glasses you’re not going to like the answer:

    [video]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CAeHuDcy_bY[/video]

    TL;DR; Monopoly and price fixing. Luxottica.

    P-Jay
    Free Member

    Glasses are massively over-priced, but it’s largely because people won’t pay much for eye exams etc so the cost has to be hidden in the glases.

    You can take your prescription and buy online for much less of course, but you’re playing them system really.

    Whilst we’re there – Laser Eye Surgery, perhaps not something you want to scrimp on, but “from £295 per eye” always seems to translate into £3000 please.

    MTB-Idle
    Free Member

    the actual material and cost of manufacturing the frames and lenses are minuscule. you are paying for the brand name and a bit of the opticians expertise/training/qualifications or scarcity value.

    Read the undercover economist

    hammyuk
    Free Member

    Houns – Member
    Even as an Oakley collector I have to agree the cost of glasses (and sunglasses) is ridiculous

    Wanna buy some Romeo II’s 😉

    jekkyl
    Full Member

    Houses!
    Compare the rebuild/insurance value of the property Vs what it’s market value is. Crazy.

    trailwagger
    Free Member

    at around £5000 per gallon – printer ink

    benp1
    Full Member

    Anything niche

    Bikes – anything to do with them. Components, tyres, wheels etc. You could be into stuff with engines for not much more

    Weddings – anything related to this

    Bromptons – expensive, continue to hold their value though

    Coffee – really expensive for what it is

    spawnofyorkshire
    Full Member

    Houses!
    Compare the rebuild/insurance value of the property Vs what it’s market value is. Crazy.

    Mine are within 2% of each other, but then I’m in a terraced house in Huddersfield

    zokes
    Free Member

    Anything for use in a scientific laboratory.

    And weddings.

    MTB-Idle
    Free Member

    a bottle of water. a litre of water is more expensive than a litre of petrol

    MrSmith
    Free Member

    Broad beans.
    by the time you have shelled and split them (and fried with smokey bacon and diced shallots) they work out at something like £35/kilo*. they are piss easy to grow.

    *i actually weighed what was left once i had shelled and split a bag from sainsburys.

    aP
    Free Member

    I’m just waiting to find out how much progressive lenses are going to be….
    For my part, I’m quite happy to buy relatively expensive frames from manufacturers who maintain spares or keep frames in long term production – in case of breakage as the frames actually aren’t the expensive bit.

    Houns
    Full Member

    Wanna buy some Romeo II’s

    Nope, don’t like them…. Pop them on eBay and ship worldwide, should fetch you a fair amount

    mudshark
    Free Member

    Compare the rebuild/insurance value of the property Vs what it’s market value is. Crazy.

    So it’s the land that’s expensive then?!

    iainc
    Full Member

    things from yacht chandlers – double the price if not more of the same item from a different shop in most cases !

    maccruiskeen
    Full Member

    See, also, taps.

    The thing with taps is….. how often do you ever buy them. Generic cheap taps sell if fairly big volumes but anything specialist, particular or fashionable has a lot of tooling costs and sells in pretty small numbers up to the point where fashion leaves them behind.

    The small sales volume and the infrequency that people buy them – I’d be surprised if most people buy taps more than two of three times in a lifetime means even even if taps were a 10th of the price they are now people wouldn’t buy more taps than they do.

    (I’m 45 and have yet to buy a tap for my own consumption – each of the 17 houses I’ve lived in so far already had some)

    grim168
    Free Member

    Wife works at an opticians. Mark up on glasses is massive.

    BoardinBob
    Full Member

    12T jockey wheels 😯

    maccruiskeen
    Full Member

    And weddings.

    Just don’t tell anyone its a wedding. My friend got married this summer – hired and outdoor venue, hired marquee, furniture, PA, decorations, flowers, catering, everything. Just never said ‘wedding’ to any of them. Saved thousands.

    GrahamS
    Full Member

    For my part, I’m quite happy to buy relatively expensive frames from manufacturers who maintain spares or keep frames in long term production

    Provided they do.

    My current glasses are “Police” brand. The hinge broke after a couple of years. No spares available online, from manufacturer or in opticians. They wanted me to buy an entire new set of £200+ glasses for the sake of a little metal hinge.

    I ended up having to buy a second-hand pair of identical glasses from eBay for a tenner and salvage the hinge off them myself.

    dooosuk
    Free Member

    30L bin liners – seem way more expensive than other bin liners

    Haze
    Full Member

    Sportives

    ElShalimo
    Full Member

    Macadamias, pecans, decent quality dried fruit
    – baking is expensive nowadays !

    Muesli & granola – ridiculously expensive

    Mowgli
    Free Member

    Wooden curtain poles. Seems it’s either £15.99 for some horrid plasticy looking thing from Homebase, or £200+ for proper solid wood from Copes or John Lewis. I could buy a wood lathe, tools and materials and have enough cash left for the curtains themselves rather than buying a house worth of poles!

    trail_rat
    Free Member

    Grahams try a non fashion rebrand frame next time from someone who specializes In frame design and manufacture .

    Not a relabeler

    mudshark
    Free Member

    Underpants

    mikey74
    Free Member

    +1 for glasses.

    I will add the ticket to London Bridge I’ve just bought that is inexplicably £4 more than a ticket to Victoria. Thank you RMT.

    GrahamS
    Full Member

    I wouldn’t have a clue who that would be though trail_rat.
    I just pick the frames that I think look relatively acceptable on my misshapen face, I don’t research the manufacturing process.

    Plus, as per the video above, it seems most brands are owned by the same company anyway.

    fisha
    Free Member

    Cubic zirconia . . .

    It used to be cheap ass tat , now it’s only a fraction less than diamond

    jekkyl
    Full Member

    Coffee and Tea in cafes.
    Hot water, tea bag and some milk! £3 please…
    in fact any drink in any public establishment, with any drink the main constituent is water so they are all over priced.

    avdave2
    Full Member

    If you think weddings are expensive then you need to try divorce! 🙂

    BigButSlimmerBloke
    Free Member

    Was watching Babylon5 last night. Looked up the series on Amazon and Amazon Prime – renting all the series on Prime is more expensive than buying the box set (which includes the movies)

Viewing 40 posts - 1 through 40 (of 111 total)

The topic ‘Inexplicably expensive things’ is closed to new replies.