Common sense would suggest that if something costs more, it must be for a reason. The materials, the expertise, the longevity, all of these things make something that little bit harder to produce. But experience shows that sometimes prices are so disconnected from reality that a wise consumer best does their research first.
People online, netizens, if you will, share their favorite examples of cheaper versions of items that are really just better than their expensive counterparts. So get comfortable as you scroll through, upvote your favorites and list your own examples in the comments section below.
#1
Android.
#2
Most generic over the counter medicines are the same thing as the brand name ones.
#3
Dollar store birthday/thank you cards. No one really cares how much you spent on one or whether it’s an overpriced $3.99 American Greetings one.
#4
I don’t need a BMW, my toyota does just fine.
#5
Acetaminophen/ibuprofen. Advil and Tylenol are so expensive compared to the store brand versions and they’re literally the same chemical make up.
#6
Most Kirkland products.
#7
Tap water. It’s like $2 for 1000 gallons.
Just checked Walmart. Deer Park is $3,149.50 for 1000 gallons. Even the King of Plumbers won’t charge that to put in a whole house filter.
Yes, there is a King of Plumbers. And he has a Privy Council, but they don’t do s**t.
#8
White vinegar for cleaning,
You can buy a giant jug of white vinegar for $5. You can buy a small spray bottle of it for the same amount. One is for general use, the other is advertised to rich hippies as a chemical free, sustainable way to clean your kitchen. It’s the same exact product.
Don’t even get me started on buying spices in the “spice aisle” vs the “Mexican/ethnic” aisle at the grocery store.
#9
Used vs new. I almost prefer a few scratches for 50-60% off
#10
For me, Vaseline works better than any $40 lip-balm Dior can sell me.
#11
Stainless steel thermoses. My $11 Contigo one seals completely (I can throw it in upside-down in my bag and it doesn’t leak) and keeps my coffee hot for hours. I used a relative’s Yeti once and didn’t think it had anything more going for it.
#12
Using vinegar to clean your floors, you don’t need a fancy floor specific cleaner.
#13
Not sure about other parts of the world but this is in Britain.
Medication brands are ridiculous.
In Britain you can buy “proper” brand Paracetamol. Or you can buy Tesco’s own cheap brand of Paracetamol.
They’re literally the same medication, just different packaging and pricing. No ingredient is different in the medication. And it isn’t just Paracetamol either, it’s like a bunch of different medications.
#14
Basically any off brand food from Aldi.
#15
Coffee makers. My $5 french press can do anything a fancy coffeemaker can do besides froth milk. All the silly bells and whistles (not to mention piles of plastic waste) that come with a fancy coffeemaker running on pods/paper filters/batteries/what have you don’t amount to much when all you need for a cup of coffee is hot water and coffee.
#16
Watches
Don’t know why people spend so much money on watches when a cheap one can do the job just fine.
#17
For me, the number-one on the list has to be **phone cases/covers**. I try to get the cheapest one possible without any consideration for brand name. As long as it’s black and it fits, it’s great.
#18
Dutch oven. no regrets on the money spent on the eye candy brand ones but utility-wise there’s truly no difference.
#19
Screw driver is a screw driver is a screw driver.
30 year old hammer is a hammer. No cracks? That s**t is golden.
If you can pick up non rotating tools at a garage sale cheap, that stuff is a great buy.
#20
Bar soap.
#21
Safety razors ( aka double edge razors ) vs cartridge razors. Seriously the shave is great, and the blades are so cheap. 10-30$ / 100.
Once you have the handle you’re good, and for ~30$ you can get a stainless steel razor, none of that plastic c**p like you’ll get with cartridge razors..
#22
Store brand flavored seltzer.
#23
Water.
#24
My cheap blender that I bought when I first moved out on my own is still going strong while the nice cuisinart one with the food processor I got for my wedding died pretty quickly.
#25
I’ve been told that the costco brand vodka (Kirkland Vodka, I think) is extremely cheap for a handle, and is quite good and is comparable to grey goose in quality.
#26
Behringer Model D ($300) versus Moog Minimoog D ($3500). They sound nearly identical across their full ranges of sounds. The Behringer does require an external MIDI keyboard, but those can be had for as little as $100 (and most keyboard players already have one).
EDIT: For the uninitiated . . . these are electronic synthesizers (musical instruments).
#27
Most kinds of cables. HDMI, ethernet – you can get stuff off Amazon or Monoprice that is waaaay cheaper and just as good as Monster or some other big brand.
#28
Clancy’s Baked BBQ Chips. I get mine from Aldi. They’re like half the price and actually taste better than the Lay’s brand.
#29
A fun one at work is otoscopes (the lens with the handle and the light.) The department spent thousands on like 8 of them. They sucked, and the administration even wanted the docs to have to sign them out. A year later most are missing or broken and they bought $30 ones off of Amazon that work just fine.
#30
I found out you can get some really good, high quality, good looking, polarized sunglasses ordered from china that are like around $8 . I stopped paying $70 for something I constantly lose.
Note: this post originally had 65 images. It’s been shortened to the top 30 images based on user votes.