Who Gets My Dollar?

I’m not going to lie. I’m cheap. I’ve grown up with the Internet and been conditioned that I can get basically anything I want for free on it. Music, movies, applications… anything. I thought it would be interesting to take a look at all of the places online that have converted me – turning me into a customer.

1. Dell

My computer was getting pretty rustic and I needed a new one, so I did a little search online. I was looking at OptiPlex computers, and noticed something a little funny. Dell was selling a 3.8 GHz computer for $800 below resale value. For some reason, they were not including the price of the processor into the computer. So I bought it, they honored the mistake price, and I got a pretty sweet deal. It looks like a below-market price was enough motivation to shell out $1000+ on computer hardware.

2. Apple

I have owned 3 iPods in my life. I bought my first one in first year (and may have starved myself and used food money towards it – but I trust you to keep that between us, ha ha). Two years later, I got bored and bought myself a new one. This year, I bought one of the new shuffles for when I go to the gym. iPods are a big part of my life, and I certainly consider these products well spent. I certainly have spent more on the iPods than I have on any music on them.

3. Godaddy

I am addicted to buying domain names. I get ideas for websites all the time, and the first thing I do – before I put any thought into the website – is buy the domain. I’ve owned at least 10… and never re-sold any of them. Godaddy has successfully converted me. In the past I even explored their other services, such as web hosting… but those didn’t last long. Their web hosting sucks.

4. Amazon.ca and Chapters.indigo.ca

I love buying books, and I used to be a huge fan of Amazon.com. Then one day I realized that returning stuff was a big hassle, and Chapters additional $1 is well worth the comfort knowing that if I have to return a product, all I have to do is go to the store. In terms of internet marketplaces, these are really the only places I go.

5. eBay

When I was 12 I was a big loser and played Magic The Gathering. Ha ha before you make fun of me, playing the game earned me a free trip to Berlin. Yup. All expenses paid. Anyway, the only thing I have ever bought on eBay was Magic Cards. I’m terrified that someone is going to rip me off, and I’ve heard horror stories of trying to claim that “buyers protection” thing. So I don’t use it.

6. Online Payments

From time to time I use the Internet to pay for things I do in “real life”. For example, next week I am going to Northern Voice and I paid my registration fees online. If I bought airline tickets, I would do it this way too. I also pay my bills online, but almost everyone does that now.

7. Couch Surfing

Couch Surfing is a community website where you find people around the world and sleep on their couches. This summer I am going traveling around the world and I plan on using this service. Because I am inevitably going to save hundreds of dollars, I thought I would support the project and pay the suggested $25 donation.

What about you? What services do you regularly give money to?