Have you ever stopped and done a double-take as you look at the price tag on an item? Have you found yourself questioning if the item is even worth it? With prices rising so sharply in the past few years, this is an exercise many have found themselves doing pretty much daily. From small items to larger purchases, some things feel so overpriced, yet you go ahead and buy them anyway.
If this sounds familiar you aren’t alone, as there are many items that people feel this way about and find themselves purchasing. Some may be recurring purchases, whereas others may only be once in a while. Here we’ll take a look at a list of popular overpriced items that people will buy regardless of the cost. Chances are you’ll relate to at least a few of these.
Concert Tickets
Most people have a favorite singer or band that they would love to see in person. The question is, how much are you willing to pay? If it’s the “ultimate dream musician”, more often than not, people are willing to shell out the big bucks.
Just look at the current Taylor Swift-era concert tour that has caused bedlam in every city she has visited so far. There are reports of people reselling tickets for thousands of dollars, and multiple people clamoring to get them. Fans of hers seem to be willing to pay any price asked just to see her perform live.
A concert is a few hours at most, so when you think of it that way, most concert tickets are probably very over-priced.
Internet Provider
The internet is something that everyone needs nowadays and is pretty much a non-negotiable in the home. It’s even more important if you work from home, or are a student who does any classes online. The internet acts as a portal into the virtual world offering productivity tools, access to communication tools, shopping online, entertainment, and more. So how much are you willing to pay for this service?
Because the internet has become a necessity, people don’t often stop and question how much they pay for their home service. Internet providers bank on that, and aren’t quick to give “great deals”.
The Latest Smartphone
Electronics are another category where people are guilty of getting swept up in the moment, believing they need every bell and whistle out there—and likely overpaying for the device. Smartphones can cost a pretty penny, yet no one seems to stop and question if they are worth it.
According to data, the average Android smartphone cost $790 in 2023. That’s not even the top-of-the-line model, that’s just the average people pay. Now factor in what the average price was for Q1 2022—which was $671—and it’s clear it’s climbing at a much higher rate than inflation. But what is a person to do? You probably need your smartphone, so it feels like you have no choice but to buy it anyway.
Smartphone manufacturers also do a great job where marketing and advertising are concerned, convincing people they need to update their devices more often than necessary, and that they need the top-of-the-line features. You can easily spend more than $1,000 on an Apple iPhone, a company which tops its new highest-priced device yearly it seems.
Coffee Shop Coffee
We’ve discussed lots of big-ticket items, but cheaper items can still be overpriced. Coffee is a great example, especially if you’re guilty of buying a cup of joe from the local coffee shop daily. You may be so used to the routine that you don’t even blink at the price. Coffee shops also tend to increase prices in small increments so as not to seem like a big deal, but when they are always being increased it suddenly reaches the point where the price is out of line with the product.
It’s much cheaper to buy grinds you can use at home in a coffee machine—but who has the time and patience for that? We live in an instant gratification type of society where you don’t have to wait for anything.
Vet Bills
Vet bills are an example of toying with a person’s emotions to make them feel as though no price is too high. Vet bills have gotten nothing short of astronomical in the past few years. Even just the regular checkups, wherein your pet doesn’t have anything wrong with them, are expensive. You feel guilty not keeping up with visits, so you do so blindly.
Then there are the times your pet is sick or needs immediate help—these are the really expensive vet visits. If you’ve never had to take an animal to an after-hours emergency clinic, consider yourself lucky. You can expect to pay double, even triple the cost at these clinics. But what are your options here? If your pet is in dire need of help, cost isn’t an issue.
Disney Park Tickets
A trip to Disneyland or Disneyworld is on the bucket list of plenty. It’s a place filled with magic, where dreams come true, but it’s also a place that isn’t for those traveling on a budget. As of 2024, park tickets have once again increased and are based on the time of year, day of the week, and the park you visit. And what’s crummy is that there is no such thing as “cheap times” to visit the park.
The park tickets are just the tip of the iceberg for most travelers. You also have expenses such as:
- Accommodations
- Food
- Lightning Lane passes
- Disney Genie+
- Souvenirs
- Transportation to and from the airport (if applicable)
- Flight (if applicable)
- Parking (if applicable)
- Stroller rental
- Locker rental at the park
Before you know it, that trip to Disney for a family of four with two adults and two kids for one week, staying on-property, is suddenly $5,000-$10,000. With all that said, the parks certainly don’t seem to be hurting for guests as the crowds are always thick and people are always willing to pay the price for park tickets.
Luxury Perfume or Cologne
Where this one may have started as a niche market, luxury perfume and cologne have become incredibly mainstream nowadays. Most designer houses have signature fragrances, and they tend to create a very loyal following. Some great examples include Dior, Chanel, and Gucci. Each of these is known for its incredibly high-priced fragrances that can often be duped in terms of notes.
People just don’t seem to care though, and are willing to pay the high price tag. Much of this can be chalked up to the status symbol of wearing a luxury designer’s perfume or cologne.
High-End Makeup
Makeup is something that has forever been a big market, but high-end makeup has been making its mark in the past few years. According to data from a survey conducted by LendingTree, the average amount Americans spend on beauty products yearly is a whopping $1,754. Considering the prices of drugstore products, you can bet that the high-end brands are getting a large portion of sales. Think of the brands you’d typically find at Sephora, and that’s where money is being spent.
Consumers justify the purchases by rationalizing that the quality of the ingredients used and the performance of the products is what makes them more pricey. Then you have social media platforms like YouTube, Instagram, and Tik Tok with beauty influencers always showcasing the latest and greatest, which can cause some serious FOMO.
High-End Skincare
High-end skincare products are much the same story as makeup—it’s the same principles that apply and the same kind of brands vying for the dollars of consumers. One of the biggest trends right now in the beauty industry is “clean products”, and many high-end skincare products tout these claims.
The problem is that clean beauty isn’t always what it’s cracked up to be, but that’s not what the consumers tend to believe. Some companies aren’t as clean as they like to let on, and the hope is that customers don’t realize and don’t investigate the ingredients too much. The prices continue to rise on these products, and consumers continue to pay.
Sneakers
Then we have sneakers. Sure, sneakers are usually a necessity, as who doesn’t need a pair of comfortable shoes to wear, but it’s the high-end sneakers that we’re focusing on here. Try to remember what you would have paid for a pair of Nike or Adidas shoes 10-15 years ago. It would probably shock you to see how much the prices have gone up. Even for the “cheap” brands, you’re lucky to find something in the $50 range that offers comfort and support.
Consumers don’t seem too bothered though, as these brands keep on pumping out more and more high-end models, and they keep proving to be popular. There are even those who collect sneakers, spending thousands upon thousands on their collection.