'I bought $40 wire elf ears. I have worn them zero times': 25+ Times people spent good money on terrible products

Author image for Remy Millisky
Remy Millisky • Writer and Editor
May 2, 2024 3:00 PM EDT

We all make a few big purchases in our lifetime that we end up regretting. Some people do this as teenagers, which makes sense because at that age you're new to budgeting and knowing the price of things. When you get that first paycheck from your retail job, it's hard not to blow it all at once!

The people of r/AskReddit shared their stories of the "absolute worst purchase" they've ever made, and there's a wide variety of items that people regret getting. For some people, buying a new vehicle (or jet ski in one dude's case) was a poor decision. The common wisdom that you shouldn't buy new vehicles since they instantly lose value still holds true. Instead, it's a good investment to purchase a used vehicle. But for people with a bunch of money burning a hole in their pockets, a new vehicle looked irresistible. 

Other people shared that they wasted their money on technology that aged quickly. It's easy to buy the newest gadget… but infuriating to watch it go on sale for 50% off just weeks later. Live and learn! 

Next up, check out these absolutely frightfully flavored pizza pies, like the dude who managed to put 19 toppings on a single pizza pie (for no extra charge!). 

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  • 01
    What is the absolute worst purchase you've ever made? captainslowww A cheap Mercedes. Turns out there's no such thing, once you account for the repairs. 69
    via Alexis AMZ DA CRUZ on Unsplash
  • 02
    What is the absolute worst purchase you've ever made?
    via u/panekroom
  • 03
    VIPERsssss I've posted this before: My vcr/dvd died and I looked up the service manual online. I found a single page pdf with technical specifications and an offical link to purchase what I thought was the full service manual. I paid $16 to get the same page shipped to me that I had already found online.
    via u/VIPERsssss
  • 04
    thatcunhakid I bought the alien blue prime app and then it was free a week later
    via u/thatcunhakid
  • 05
    slendaaa When I was younger I bought a skateboard because I liked to play the Tony Hawk games. Turns out I didn't really enjoy it in real life...
    via u/slendaaa
  • 06
    nkrdbl1 The HD-DVD player for the Xbox 360. Yeah...
    via u/nkrdbl1
  • 07
    Hraesvelg7 A Simpsons magic 8 ball. I keep it on a shelf as a reminder that I can be really stupid and not to be so wasteful.
    via u/Hraesvelg7
  • 08
    captainslowww A cheap Mercedes. Turns out there's no such thing, once you account for the repairs.
    via u/captainslowww
  • 09
    [deleted] I bought a house in 2008
    via u/[deleted]
  • 10
    txplf23 The one and only time I stood outside for Black Friday was two years ago. Went to Target like at 3AM. Had my eye on a vacuum that they were selling for like $50 (I know, I'm lame). Rush in, I'm the only fool running to the vacuums. Get home later, go to plug it in and it doesn't work. Unplugged it and the plug broke off. Returned it, and decided at that moment I was never, ever doing Black Friday again.
    via u/txplf23
  • 11
    After getting out of IET in the Army, I had a few thousand dollars in my bank account. Had no bills, and this was the most money I ever had at once. Decided to purchase a 96, 5 speed Paseo. I paid 1900 in cash for it, and had absolutely no idea what I was doing when I purchased from the two hillbillys I met outside the bank. They signed the title over to me, and I drove the rusty piece of to my duty station, and realized that the brakes were not
    via r/AskReddit
  • 12
    working as well as I initially thought after test driving. I had to use pump the handbrake every time to make a stop. I just didn't even want the burden of it anymore a week later, so I traded the car to a mechanic buddy who wanted to build onto it, so I just traded it for a TV. $1900 for a 15" tv.
    via r/AskReddit
  • 13
    Pays_in_snakes My flying pigeon bicycle was simultaneously the best and worst purchase I've ever made; I've never had a brand-new bicycle disintegrate so quickly - the pedals literally fell off in several pieces while riding it less than a year in - but it's also seemed to hit a level of equilibrium, where despite zero maintenance and living outside it's lasted me about 4-5 years now. The terrible
    via u/Pays_in_snakes
  • 14
    construction, surface rust, seat like a piece of dog-chewed rawhide, and complicated chain guard system make parts impossible to remove to fix, but this is also means you can't steal parts, so no one has messed with the thing after five years on the street in NYC.
    via u/Pays_in_snakes
  • 15
    Rookworst Expensive mandatory school books that you end up not using for the entire course
    via u/Rookworst
  • 16
    [deleted] This literally happened two days ago. I bought NFL Sunday Pass so I could watch my Vikings game without lag (I don't have cable) and from the comfort of my home instead of at a bar. Too bad it was "America's Game of the Week" which means EVERY STATE IN AMERICA WOULD HAVE ACCESS TO WATCH VIA LOCAL CHANNELS... which means NFL
    via u/[deleted]
  • 17
    Game pass couldn't stream it on the Internet per NFL policy. Which means I spent $100 to watch the Vikings get beat by the Packers at a bar.
    via u/[deleted]
  • 18
    YourMumsPal 15 year old me went paintballing for the first time and shortly afterwards blew about £350 of hard-saved money (we're talking years and years of birthday, christmas and paper-round money) on a pimped-out mask, plastic armour and a paintball gun. I used it all maybe twice before forgetting about all about it and finding some new flavour of the week interest. Never managed to save up that much money again.
    via u/YourMumsPal
  • 19
    I didn't go paintballing again until I was around 25 and it was for a friend's stag do. I was at it.
    via u/YourMumsPal
  • 20
    thebarkin... I bought a jet ski. I signed a short lease on South Beach directly on the water. Thought buying a brand new one would give me some more resell value for when I planned on moving. WRONG.
    via u/thebarkingduck
  • 21
    Had someone try to steal it, only to find out they battery was dead and they jumped ship. Some local marina found it floating in the bay. Let someone ride it, comes back all scratched up (no idea how). On top of that, there's a $250 monthly dock fee. Who wants to buy a jet ski?
    via u/thebarkingduck
  • 22
    slipperylips Remote controlled helicopter(s) for my son. The first one crashed and was unflyible in less than 15 min. Go back to store, next one lasted 1 hr then destroyed. Last one smashed against the wall about same 1 hour time frame. Never buy something that flies for a kid if you want it to last.
    via u/slipperylips
  • 23
    jaredog I bought a set of Sham-Wows. They got the Sham part right. The only "Wow" was me saying: "Wow, these things are hot garbage."
    via u/jaredog
  • 24
    NotMitzi I bought a really good camera and decided I'd improve my photography skills. Used it to take around 10 photos then just relegated it to a cupboard.
    via u/NotMitzi
  • 25
    20 wjbc Membership to a buyer's club. The membership cost $2000 and, although legal, was a very bad deal, I never bought anything and it was money wasted. A word to the wise, they prey on newlyweds. It's a very slick presentation, too, you think you'll get incredible deals furnishing that new house or apartment, but it doesn't work out that way.
    via u/wjbc
  • 26
    A motorized scooter when I was about 14. What the was I thinking? Did I think I was cool?
    via r/AskReddit
  • 27
    [deleted] A computer in the 90s that would NEVER be obsolete!
    via u/[deleted]
  • 28
    [deleted] Asus transformer tablet. Decent tablet, good battery, powerful for the time I bought it. I never freaking use it, and it was expensive. Edit: My transformer was bought some time in late 2012. It was an android and did not automatically come with the keyboard. I am seeing that a lot of people are complaining about other models. Mine works fine, I just have no use. for it over my phone.
    via u/[deleted]
  • 29
    joneSee I finally--after a 30 year wait-- sat down to eat an ordinary meal at a 'treasured' restaurant. Sit back for this slightly long story. Fact one: I'm pretty old. You know the National Lampoon's Vacation movies? I lived that in real life as a kid in the 60s. Driving vacations all over the western US. Fact two: roadside attractions were still ticky tacky weird and there were signs far far in advance of said attractions.
    via u/joneSee
  • 30
    One particular sign I noticed a lot was for a restaurant in Buellton California. Most of the signs noted the distance: Only 132 miles! Only 252 miles! I mean, these signs were very far away from that restaurant. As I kid I thought it must be really good, but sadly Buellton was never on the way for any of our trips.
    via u/joneSee
  • 31
    30 years later. Late 90s. The restaurant is still famous, still in Buellton--and I moved to Santa Barbara. It's a quick 20 minute drive. At the time you could not get their product in the grocery store--so the simple scarcity of the place had kept it on my bucket list. Especially after having seen those signs like hundreds of times. The product was
    via u/joneSee
  • 32
    Anderson's Split Pea soup which was originally only available at that single restaurant. That mothrfukn soup is complete Just like this story is you all--now you know my pain. Cheers.
    via u/joneSee
  • 33
    [deleted] every delivery food order ever. So expensive..
    via u/[deleted]
  • 34
    Saintblack 90% of the Early Access titles in my Steam library. Star Forge being the number one, followed by Day Z.
    via u/Saintblack
  • 35
    cynicalaa22 That GameBoy_printer
    via u/cynicalaa22
  • 36
    olepone I payed $3000 for a guy to help me pick up women
    via u/olepone
  • 37
    [deleted] Earphones. Every single time. They always break within a month.
    via u/[deleted]
  • 38
    -eDgAR- A giant set of Rose Art colored pencils.
    via u/-eDgAR-
  • 39
    Beansmash Spending 12$ to watch 10,000 bc in theaters.
    via u/Beansmash
  • 40
    [deleted] Prom dress.
    via u/[deleted]
  • 41
    ChickenPeeps When me and my husband first got married we bought a big L shaped couch. Unfortunately, we didn't measure it before we brought it home and no matter what way we turned it we couldn't get it in the living room. I figure what the heck I will just put it through the bedroom window and leave it until we move (which was
    via u/ChickenPeeps
  • 42
    supposed to be in a couple months). Next thing we know the landlord is there to install new window and it is now trapped... Eventually we had to chop it up to get it out. Yeah...
    via u/ChickenPeeps
  • 43
    [deleted] I paid $65 to talk to a dog psychic over the phone :| I hate myself
    via u/ChickenPeeps
  • 44
    When I was 18, fresh out of high school and trying to find a job at the mall, I kept getting coerced to carts in the middle of the mall. The hair place, the fortune teller, and finally the makeup place. I was younger and timid and didn't so I let her do the want to be makeup demonstration. She basically wouldn't let me get up from the chair until I bought some makeup. I spent my last $20 on eyeshadow.
    via r/AskReddit
  • 45
    I went home and cried my eyes out to my parents. Spent my last dollar and didn't find a job. And I've never touched that eyeshadow because of the bad memory that came with it...
    via r/AskReddit
  • 46
    combatwombat8D Bought some sweet never worn shoes from goodwill. Got them home and tried them on. They were both left shoes. I am a idiot.
    via u/combatwombat8D
  • 47
    Ted_Denslow I bought an LED light for my grill. Was supposed to clip right on the handle. The clip broke the first time I clipped it on there. No big deal right? Just duct tape the in place. That would work, were it not for the fact that when the clip broke the light assembly fell, hit the porch, and exploded into a mess of shards of wafer-thin plastic, springs, and batteries. $19.99 down the _drain.
    via u/Ted_Denslow
  • 48
    [deleted] College. Turns out that I didn't need it to get a great job.
    via u/[deleted]
  • 49
    SkepticShoc Alienware laptop. It's marginally better than your average laptop, way bulkier, and way too expensive. Can't even bring it to class because it's too heavy.
    via u/SkepticShoc
  • 50
    [deleted] I bought my girlfriend a pair of shoes for $50 Never showed up and ebay/PayPal have been absolutely no help in either getting the shoes or money back
    via u/[deleted]
  • 51
    rhymes_with_chicken Just about any non-food item from the everything's-a-dollar store. I got a cheap set of earbud for a 2 hour car trip home. They didn't even make it out of the package in one piece.
    via u/rhymes_with_chicken
  • 52
    grandsla... My husband spent $2000 on a MacBook Pro and failed to buy apple care. Got it home and accidentally dropped it and shattered the screen. edit: for everyone who commented with "helpful suggestions": thanks, but this was two years ago, and it's still sitting shattered in a closet. don't worry, it hurts my feelings, too.
    via u/grandslamwich
  • 53
    TheCenterOfEnnui An entire year's sales bonus to my wife so she and her sister could buy a business. Her sister is the worst businessperson imaginable. They overpaid for it, didn't run it well, and it went under within a year.
    via u/TheCenterOfEnnui
  • 54
    bigjoe65 When I was really little, I saved up for a pack of play money. When I bought it, I found out it was fake and was extremely disappointed. I thought I had figured out investing by the age of three and a half.
    via u/bigjoe65
  • 55
    baevidsbaevids The one and only time I went to the Renaissance faire I bought $40 wire elf ears. I have worn them zero times.
    via u/baevidsbaevids

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opinion ask reddit funny stories askreddit funny opinions regrets jet ski vehicle technology cars clothes video games
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