Not all deals are created equal. While some are true money-savers, others might include a list of hidden fees which amount to thousands of dollars by the time you finish shopping.
By avoiding these common spending traps, no resources will go to waste and who knows, you might even be able to afford the Nintendo you’ve wanted for so long. Check out the following tips from our professional expert.
Electrical appliances
The maintenance-included television you buy from official websites or large-scale chains can be also purchased at two-third of the original price from reputable authorised agents.
Cleaning and maintenance
At some point, all your home items will have to be cleaned, maintained or even replaced. For items that need to be renovated or installed by professionals, be prepared to pay for scaffolding and refurbishment.
Delivery arrangement
When you order a delivery service for heavy or large items, for example, tiles and doors, always inquire about whether the items will be sent to your doorstep or just at the destination building.
Sometimes the extra distance can cost up to a thousand dollars. At the same time, you should also inquire about the returns processes, including the delivery time, the limit of the amount you can order and the incurred fees.
The unusable Return Guarantee
Some shops offer their customers a 7- or 14-days exchange guarantee starting from the day of purchase. But by the time home owners can start living in their new home, the guarantee has already expired.
Moreover, for some items, you might not be able to find a replacement when things go wrong. For example, if you have ordered your tailor-made kitchen countertop before finding out that your sink has to be replaced, it might not be so easy to find a substitute which fits perfectly in the Formica.
Seasonal sales
Take time to find out when products of your favourite brands go on sale. For example, on the internet you can check out IKEA’s bi-weekly special offers.
Practical differences between models
When you are uncertain about the reason behind drastic price differences, reviews from current users and professional salesmen can help you understand what to look for when purchasing a particular item.
Take the sink as an example, the quality of the protective coating and the angle from which water passes to the drain are more important than the purity of the stainless-steel material.
Unreliable warranty
Take wood flooring as an example.
Under a 25-year warranty, the manufacturer should replace your wooden floor if cupping occurs during the course of those years.
But how can you prove that the damage was not caused by human error?
Even if your floorboard is fully replaced, how about the extra fees incurred by re-installation and pest-control service? Besides, aren’t you worried about the quality of these new floorboards?
For products sold at a very low price, at the event of replacement, the demolition fee and delivery fee incurred already exceed the price of the actual product. Warranty is meaningless for these low-priced products.
Furniture replacement
Furniture should be always be versatile and durable.
If you purchase a furniture set and one of the chairs is broken, finding a replacement in the same style will prove a Herculean task.
To save cost, opt for furniture that is more durable and can be easily replaced.
Make purchases from different places
You can find a range of domestic items from IKEA, Taobao, hardware stores, small local stores, household goods warehouse and electrical appliances chains. Make sure to visit them before your renovation project begins.
Wrong solutions to domestic problems
Some companies pose E0-quality wooden boards as the solution to domestic formaldehyde contamination. In reality, there are more efficient and cheaper ways to de-formaldehyde your home. Besides, E0 material is not an absorber of formaldehyde.
Relative price difference
To illustrate how the price difference by percentage can fool you into misallocating your resources, consider the following:
| Showerhead A | Showerhead B |
| 200 HKD | 1200 HKD |
The big relative price difference between the two showerheads will lead consumers to think B is very expensive.
| Flooring A | Flooring B |
| 10000 HKD | 12000 HKD |
But in this scenario, flooring B does not appear to be much more expensive than A, since there’s only a small relative price difference between the two options of flooring.
Consumers should be aware of these psychological spending traps. Consider how your money can be spent in a way that creates more value.
Comparing efficacies
Take bedroom products as an example.
The effects of bedsheets, duvet covers and pillows on your sleep might be of similar levels, but commercials often lead consumers to buying high-tech mattress and ordinary pillows.
