When Cheaper is Better

There’s a common misconception which has been doing the rounds since currency became widely adopted as a standardised medium of exchange, that being that if you pay a higher price for something, you’ll get better quality or better value for your money. From the value-for-money point of view that way of thinking presents somewhat of a paradox because value for money means getting the most out of every last penny you spend.

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It’s not difficult to see how this notion of more expensive being better is perpetuated though because for the most part with every extra pound you spend you do indeed get what seems to be a better version of whatever it is you’re buying. You get a bigger engine in the same make of your car for instance and you also get more of whatever it is you might be buying in bulk. However, this cost-to-quality ratio doesn’t follow an exponential growth model because at some point the value for money arguments kicks into gear. At some point spending more spills over into getting more value for your money in that you get more for each penny spent, such as when you buy household goods in bulk or if you buy the bigger quantities available.

This presents somewhat of a conundrum because it translates to a matter of still having to spend more in order to enjoy a “cheaper price” — if say you want to buy some red meat, the bigger the chunk of meat you buy, the less expensive it is per unit, but that means you still have to spend more by buying the bigger chunk.

So if you’re on the market for physical and other consumable goods which get cheaper as a factor of the quantity you’re buying, the only way to enjoy a cheaper price and get more value for your money in this way is to buy in bulk or buy big. That may not always be practical however, but you can take full advantage within reason and take it as far as you can, such as perhaps pooling money together with your immediate neighbours to collectively buy goods in bulk and enjoy cheaper prices in that way.

Fortunately though, when we enter into other realms such as digital goods and services, cheaper almost always works out better in a more outright manner. This is because the quoted price you see which is indicative of what you’ll have to pay for those digital goods and services is almost always flexible. You can almost always get a lower price if you look hard enough, such as getting a discount on an online betting site after having read a Betfair promo review and using the signup promo code supplied.

So this is perhaps an indication of a channel one can consistently use to get better stuff — better goods and services at a cheaper price. Buying online as a means through which to buy directly after comparing prices is when buying cheaper proves to be better.