Wednesday, March 21, 2018

Well, That Was Stupid

I think I've lost my shopping mojo.

Stupidly I got sucked into an ad on Facebook - not that they're all bad; I got some really good deals right around Thanksgiving. I saw this video for a very cool looking notebook that is reusable - up to 500 times. And, the pages can be easily scanned and saved online. Or so they say; I guess we'll see.

I clicked the link where they told me the notebook wasn't available anywhere else, was 75% off, and almost sold out - and I stupidly fell for it. Normally I look and research and read reviews, but this time I just went ahead and grabbed one. It wasn't until later that night when I actually got on my computer instead of my phone and started looking for more information. That's when I found the exact same notebook on eBay, for much less. But I figured that was OK because all those were coming from China, and I'd have to wait longer to get it. Jason loves drawing and can quickly fill up a notebook, and since he (and his mom and sister) are coming to visit over spring break, I figured it would be nicer to get it sooner so we can play with it together. So, I didn't try to cancel the order. (not sure I could have anyway)

Then I got notification my order had shipped.  It took a couple days to actually get any info on the tracking, but when the information finally updated I found out that the notebook I ordered is coming from China. Seriously? The site says they ship from the US, unless the stock runs out, and then they may ship from their warehouse in Asia. So, since they told me the notebook I was ordering was in stock (though there were only a few left), it appeared that they were actually in stock and should have been coming from the States. Nope. So now I don't know if it will be here in time for me and Jason to try it out together...

Of course, I could always order one from Amazon (yes, they have them too), pay less, and get it here in two days. But then, I don't want to spend even more before I've even had a chance to try it out.

Oh, and speaking of Amazon - I got a delivery from Amazon today. Except I didn't order anything from Amazon. Nope - I ordered some pens for this new notebook. From eBay. They were lots cheaper than the pens offered on the site - even with that use-within-48-hours special 15% off discount code they sent me after I ordered the notebook. Why do stores do that? A discount code after I just bought something from you does me absolutely no good. So, I ordered the pens after I got the shipment notification for the notebook - but before I realized it was coming all the way from China. Two days later I have pens - shipped straight from Amazon. That's right, they're cheaper on Amazon. Apparently, this seller takes orders for things he or she can get cheaper on Amazon and then has Amazon ship them directly to the buyer - pocketing the price difference. It's a dollar or two, but if you 'sell' enough things I'm sure it adds up.

Have you ever heard of such a thing? Not something that had ever occurred to me, anyway. And apparently, it didn't occur to me to check Amazon for these pens. Yep, I'm losing it.

Hopefully, Jason and I will enjoy the notebook. Eventually...