Tip #279 - Buy Batteries Online. This doesn't sound like a money-saving tip that will get you rich. But, if your life is filled with digital cameras, MP3 players, books that play music, video cameras, or any other electronic or toy that takes batteries other than the usual AA batteries, it's so worth it to check out eBay.
If you need a button-cell battery or one for your cell phone, head on over to Radio Shack and price the battery. Then log on to eBay and you may find that the battery prices are 1/10 of Radio Shack's prices. Usually on eBay, the batteries are coming from Asia, and you may have to wait a week or two to get them. So, it's best to order them in advance of needing them. I'm not busting on Radio Shack, that just seems to be the most popular place to go to for batteries. But eBay will likely beat other stores' prices, too.
Again, it may not make you wealthy, but with all of the "toys" (adults' and children's alike) that many people have today, the cost of batteries is not inconsequential. Sometimes it's the small things that add up that prevent people from building up wealth, and the cost of batteries would fall into that small things category that people don't give much thought about, but does affect one's bottom line.
In Real Life (IRL) - Several years ago, my daughter had a toy that took a certain button cell battery. We have a Radio Shack within walking distance of our home, and my husband walked up there and priced the battery. He came back and said the cost was $9 for the battery. Ouch. I don't think the toy was worth $9. Then we looked on eBay. For under $2 including shipping, my husband ordered a whole pack of button cell batteries - about 20 of them! Over time we have used most of them for various electronic toys. Had we continued to buy them at Radio Shack, the cost to us would have been over $100! Although, I'm pretty sure we would have gotten rid of some of the toys rather than pay for overpriced batteries.
Over the years, eBay has been the go-to place for these types of batteries. Recently, my husband needed a battery for an electronic do-dad of his. I don't know why, but again he went over to Radio Shack to price the batteries. The cost was $15. Again, he came home and checked eBay. And the price was $1 including shipping! He bought two!
We have never had any problem with the quality of the batteries we have received from Asia. And I doubt they are any different than the ones that Radio Shack (or Best Buy or Wal-Mart) sells. The only difference is the lack of markup. Happy battery shopping! For other frugal ideas, check out Life as Mom.
3 comments:
This is a great idea, I never would have thought to buy batteries off Ebay!
Great idea! I also never would have thought of this.
Just reading the word "button cell" gave me shivers though! My baby swallowed one of those just before her 1st birthday. We had no idea until we found it in her diaper! Even had to do an xray to confirm she hand't gotten any more (since we hadn't seen the original ingestion.) I'm sort of laughing thinking she might have gone to town on your 100 ;-)
I battery for a Nitendo game was very expensive here Darwin. So I jumped online for a friend and found one on Ebay. I was able to get it at half the price including postage.
It got here in a week.
Amazing and thrifty.
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