Great Hunt: How far would you go for a great deal?

I went from Aberdeen to Belgium to buy a car. That was some years ago when you could make a huge saving buying cars in Europe.

I have travelled from Scotland to Holland to buy tobacco at a third of UK price.

Eight years ago I travelled from Scotland to Hungary to get a tooth implant at less than half UK cost.

I think a lot would depend on what the value of the item is, compared to how much I would save. My best deal recently was from Freecycle. I travelled further than I normally would, but managed to get a shower chair and a wheelchair for my son. He already has a wheelchair, but once a week I have to take it into school so that he can go out with his class - he doesn't use it indoors. The Freecycle chair is going to stay in school for his use until the end of the year, so it will save me petrol and time taking his own chair in each week, then collecting it the same evening. School transport won't allow a wheelchair on the bus unless the child needs to travel in it, and my sons special school doesn't have a spare wheelchair any more - the last one broke two years ago and hasn't been replaced.

So although not a paid for bargain, I still travelled further than normal for something to benefit my son, and at the same time, it is very MSE because of the petrol saved over the school year

I'm always buying on Ebay and often prefer to go and collect in person (saves the seller the Paypal fees too). I live in Manchester and drove to somewhere outside Shrewsbury and back for a lovely patio set, to York and back for a bargain cello, to Lincoln and back for another lovely cello (no.1 now lives with a friend from work and I see it every week at orchestra!) so 90 -100 miles each way is not unusual for me. I like driving, a longer run is good for the car and I 've met some really nice people over the years plus it means the blinking Post Office can't lose an item or send it to a depo that is only open when I'm at work. If I'm collecting from somewhere a bit more local I often spot places that I'd like to go and visit, base a walk or a bike ride around or whatever and now I know exactly how to get the other newish Ikea store not far away!

Here's an interesting puzzle.

You are in a shop just about to buy a shirt (as an example) for 9.99 when the salesperson advises you that the other branch 200 yards away has a sale on and the identical shirt is only 4.99 there. Would you walk 200 yards to save a fiver. Most people would.

You are in a shop all set to buy a sofa for 999 when you advised by the salesperson that the branch 200 yards away has a sale on and they are 994 there. Would you walk 200 yards to save a fiver? Most people wouldn't.

Strange as both examples save a fiver.

Deanied wrote: »

It's all about percentages and total cost. When you buy the shirt you save 50% of the original cost- a bargain. With the sofa YOU SAVE 5%, not really worth it.

I'm sure if you saved 50% of the sofa and could pay £499.50 instead of £999, everyone would run the 200 yards.

I agree with you 100 per cent. But in both cases you save a fiver. I think that we all tend to think in percentage terms (except MSE folk)

A fiver is a fiver is a fiver.