Every now and then, I get obsessed with a new gadget and I simply must have it *now*. So I look everywhere online where I can buy it as cheaply as possible in new or like-new condition. Obsessively. eBay. Craigslist. Amazon. Hell, I’ll even use Bing in an attempt to get a good deal.
And I usually have a deadline I’m working against because I want that new thing before I go on a trip or a specific event. Oh, it’s not absolutely critical that I obtain the item before this deadline. I mean, no one’s going to die or anything. Or even get a little maimed. But it’s still incredibly urgent to my gadget-lusting little mind.
These past few days I’ve obsessed with getting a pair of Bowers & Wilkins P5 headphones. They’re relatively high-end wired headphones with low impedance specifically for a mobile device like the iPhone. I have a perfectly serviceable set of earphones, the V-Moda Remix Remotes (which I won from SoundEarphones via a drawing on iLounge) that have sufficed for my undemanding needs so far. But for whatever reason, they simply will not do for an upcoming cross-country trip that will have me spending hours on planes where my iPad and iPhone will be my shields against airplane noise and annoying passengers.
The P5’s cost $300, which is most definitely not cheap to me. If I were patient (which I can be at times, believe it or not), I would simply set up a watch list on eBay and regularly check Amazon and other sites to keep searching until I find it at a price I can live with. And I’d scrounge for online coupon codes while I’m at it. As a matter of fact, I thought I had gotten lucky yesterday with a 10% off coupon for Best Buy but it turns out that it explicitly excludes B&W (and a whole bunch of other brands) products.
Dear Best Buy: I hate you.
Also, B&W makes my deal-sleuthing moot since they will only offer warranty support when their products are purchased from an authorized retailer. Near me, that means Apple or Best Buy, neither of whom offer deals or discounts on B&W products. Bastards.
So, I’m going to make a trip to the Apple store in the next few days to pay full price (minus a couple of Amex gift cards I have laying around) for them. I hate paying full price for non-necessities.
