Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with buy

Happy Feet slippers around Austin?

sentient — Wed, 23 Dec 2009 10:21:42 -0800

Where can I buy Happy Feet slippers in or near Austin, TX? Alternatively, where can I buy other fun/novelty slippers for kids in or near Austin? Hoping to luck out on this one. Is anyone aware of where Happy Feet slippers are for sale in Texas, ideally within an hour by car of Austin, TX?

The slippers look like cartoonish oversized sneakers, and I've seen them in other states in mall kiosks.

The website doesn't list locations, although an article [pdf] about the company says that there are 190 locations in forty states.

I tried the 800 number and got voicemail (large volume of holiday calls, etc.), and I emailed them to ask. No response so far. The website's "Live Chat" feature is offline as of this post.

Has anyone seen them? Any tips? I'd like to get them today!

As a backup, what places in Austin definitely sell fun/novelty slippers in big kid sizes? (Animals, paws/claws, giant-and-fluffy, look like other stuff, that kind of thing.) Thanks!

Where Can I Buy or Rent Goats?

rahnefan — Tue, 18 Aug 2009 19:42:51 -0800

I want to rent or buy goats in Gwinnett county, Georgia, to clear a brushy, ivy-covered half-acre lot (away from the house). I'm a pi degree black belt in Google-fu but can't come up with nothin'!!! You'd think in my area it would be easier than falling off a lawg. But I own no livestock and never had a goat, so I don't know where to look. Found none on Craigslist. It's kindof embarrassing at this point...I need goats and don't know where to buy (or maybe just rent) them!

Several goat houses and a 4.5 - 5' fence are already in place. Also, can you chain them to a tree and just check daily to see if they tangled themselves up? For my unfenced areas, I mean.

From what I read the rest sounds simple enough...food and water daily, trim hooves every 8 weeks, shots annually, provide shelter, check for ticks and lice...any other big things to know before taking the plunge? I take pretty good care of my cats, never had one die prematurely anyway, and they don't contribute a damn thing. My kids seem healthy, happy, intelligent, and ethical too, fwiw.

Any other insight you have like, get a baby goat, or I'll need at least two goats or, one breed is better than another for this purpose or, don't buy such-and-such a breed unless my fence is eight feet high or, for the love of Cthulhu don't buy a goat you suburban idiot, you can't even keep algae out of the pool, would be appreciated.

How do different cultures consume popular media?

MoreForMad — Sun, 16 Aug 2009 13:26:17 -0800

How do different countries of the world consume media (TV, music, movies, etc)? Hi! I'm looking for a site or sites that explains and details how different cultures and countries consume/buy/rent popular media. (As an example, I had a friend recently mention that it was his understanding that the vast majority of people in South Korea didn't download MP3s, but rather had a subscription service that would stream, on demand, all available music as often as they chose for a flat fee each month.)

Please help me find the make/model I want, so I can focus on the next steps. Thanks!

iamkimiam — Fri, 07 Aug 2009 13:56:05 -0800

I need to buy a new, used or certified used car real quickly. I could use some help deciding on a make and model that meets some specific criteria. I have ~$4000 I could put down on either a brand new or certified used car (not to exceed $25k). I could manage about $6000 for a direct-from-seller used car.

I want something fuel efficient and/or hybrid, but I am not currently not keen on buying a hybrid from a individual seller (hybrids are more expensive and if I am going to invest in one for environmental and economic reasons, I would prefer the extra up-front cost to count toward the public financial record of support of this type of innovation – an individual seller has already paid for the car and I might as well buy a fuel-efficient used car for less from them).
It'd be great if I could put >$4k down on a car that is also less than ~$12k. That's a most comfortable loan amount for me.
The newer the better.
I would prefer a hybrid.
Must be able to transport bikes and surfboards (shortboards inside with seats folded down) and longboards (at least three) up top. Cars like Prius's are NOT designed for this...curved roof and significant drag make it not practical.
The smaller the better. I like finding parking and not being a big bohemoth on the road.
Good track record, reliable. I tend to sell cars when I suspect they are going to start causing problems a year or two down the road, and so I don't want to take on something with a short life span, known problems, or high repair cost.

I currently have a Mazda Protege5 wagon, which is a pretty great all around car, minus the fact that mine is almost done for, its no longer made, and the gas mileage is 'meh'. I used to have a Mini Cooper, but that thing was too small.

Any suggestions, both car-wise and perspective-wise?

How to buy a car from a person

exceptinsects — Mon, 03 Aug 2009 22:26:59 -0800

I am looking to buy a used car for cash from a local (CA) private party, not a dealer. What do I need to know? I am mainly looking on Craigslist, but other suggestions are welcome. I'm looking for a Toyota Echo, if it matters.

So...what should I look out for in terms of scams? (I am already aware of things like shipping cars from far away, etc.) I will of course get it checked by a mechanic but what else should I be aware of?

How should I actually pay for it? Certified check? Giant wad of cash? Goats? I'm expecting it to be in the $5k range.

I am also going to be selling my old car, which is a 1997 Corolla in "fair" condition. Is it better to try to sell it myself, or should I go to Carmax? If I do sell it myself, how should I ask for payment?

Save on a Prius!

matthelm — Sun, 19 Jul 2009 16:42:49 -0800

So i am in the market to buy a new Prius and I heard someone once say that buying a car online can save you a lot of money. Has anyone done this with a Prius? I want to get this car: http://www.toyota.com/prius-hybrid/trims-prices.html#?view=showroom&vehicle=3

and am just trying to find the best way to get the best deal on it. I had some friends who talked about buying BMWs online and saving thousands of $$$ and I was curious if anyone has done this with the Prius.... I am willing thinking about paying it all off at once in cash also so if there are other ways to get a great deal any help would be great!

thanks

mHelm

Someone bought THAT?

SweetTeaAndABiscuit — Fri, 26 Jun 2009 16:39:11 -0800

Help me find some hidden treasures. With an eye to both decluttering and raising some much-needed cash, I've been looking around my home for things that might be resaleable on Craigslist, eBay, etc. It occurs to me that there are probably things that would be sellable that simply haven't occurred to me. What are some unusual, obscure, or downright off-the-wall things you've bought or sold or heard that someone else has?

Where can I find mead in the Willamette Valley?

nonmerci — Fri, 22 May 2009 11:36:03 -0800

Where can I buy mead in Portland, OR or the Portland metro area? I am on a quest. Searching wine sites and even the higher end supermarkets (New Seasons, Whole Foods) is leaving me empty-handed. Any suggestions for places to check out, numbers to call, or any people that actually KNOW where I can get this stuff?

I'm hoping to avoid online shopping...I'd like to get this at a physical location. But, if you only have suggestions for great mead wineries that ship internationally or domestically, by all means, suggest those, too!

To buy or not to buy...That is my question.

clpage — Mon, 18 May 2009 16:50:18 -0800

How soon in advance should we purchase airline tickets to get the cheapest flights? I already perused the previously asked posts about cheap airfare and most of them were 3-4 years old. Given the change in the economy (and the downturn in the airline industry), I thought I would query the Ask MeFi community once more.

The husband and I are flying from DC to Portland, driving up to Seattle, and then flying back to DC at the beginning of August. When I started checking airfare prices about a month ago, Southwest and Frontier had the most reasonable fares.

However, over the past 4-6 weeks, the prices on those same flights have gone up by almost $200.

The husband read an article on the NY Times which suggests the best time to buy airfare in the current economy is 6-8 weeks out. In your recent experience(s), what are the chances that the prices (on these or any other airlines) will go down if we wait until the 6-8 week mark? Since our travel dates are fixed, should we just suck it up and buy now?

Thanks in advance for your help!

Where can I get NES carts in NYC?

Damn That Television — Mon, 11 May 2009 10:58:13 -0800

Where can I buy original working Nintendo (NES) cartridges in NYC?

sweater!

leotrotsky — Fri, 17 Apr 2009 19:28:30 -0800

Sweaterfilter: Men's side button collar sweater. Buttons from the shoulder to the neck. Saw them everywhere in France. Can't find them ANYWHERE online. Why are they so hard to find?

Buy a house: Yes or No?

CPAGirl — Tue, 14 Apr 2009 14:14:17 -0800

Do I buy a house? I understand this may be an annoying question, but it's a big one, so I'm hoping to hear from people who've gone through this situation as well.

Situation: I'm early 20s, young professional (solid job), living in a great place I can see myself settling into, and certainly someplace I can see myself in for at least 5 years.

But I love to travel and definitely want to see some of the world, live in other cities, before I settle down.

With the tax credit for first-time homebuyers, this would be a great opportunity to build some equity. Costs would be about the same as renting an apartment and I have enough budget wiggle room to cover a minor catastrophe.

You never can tell what the future holds, so I'm not sure how long I'll stay or go for (if I just leave for a couple years, it can be rented or such (I have siblings in the area)), so I'm just not sure to pull the trigger or rent. Spending 40,000 renting for the next five years seems like a waste when 25% of the could be equity. I know it's risky to depend on real estate for future prosperity, so that's not even a given. I just don't want to miss out on a great opportunity.

Again, I know this question isn't exactly Mefi material, but any advice would be much appreciated.

Anybody know where/how to buy 8mm film?

degoao — Wed, 08 Apr 2009 21:57:28 -0800

Anybody know where/how to buy 8mm film? It can be B/W. I just want to buy some film!

Other good gaming laptops under $1000?

wastelands — Wed, 08 Apr 2009 08:14:30 -0800

Under $1000 laptop: I have my eye on a particular model; am I missing any others in my research? I'm finally replacing a Dell desktop that is truly too slow, noisy, etc. I've been doing the research and I like this model: MSI GX620-001US.

Things I like about it / criteria:

It's within my $1000 budget

Decent graphics card so I can use it as a gaming system

Has a fairly trim/thin body

Plain/not overly colorful or curvy body. I love those Lenovo laptops for the same reason; they're minimalist and not flashy. (I don't think Lenovo has gaming capable lappies, though, at least not in my price range.)

Decent reputation/reviews overall. Second-best rating on NewEgg.

15.4" screen size is perfect for me. I need to fit it side-by-side on a table at home that holds a big monitor (I'll be using both displays at once with VGA out) as well as have enough useable screen space for doing stuff like Ableton Live on the go.

I've looked at Dells. They're thicker and more expensive than the MSI on a specs basis. Buuut... they do have that nice LED backlighting.

I took a serious look at Apple stuff. That aluminum unibody is hot. But paying an extra $150 for a even refurb 13" screen model, and getting used to new UI and programs (I'm used to Windows)... meh.

Are there any stores and/or particular laptop models that I'm overlooking that fit my criteria?

I've heard Sager notebooks can be good, I and found I could get a $900 model that has a bigger battery but slower processor compared to the MSI. But there aren't a ton of reviews out there on Sagers, so that plus the slower CPU makes me want to pass.

Forced into the car market: Lease or Buy?

lonemantis — Mon, 23 Mar 2009 18:00:56 -0800

We just lost our car in a garage fire, should we now lease or buy? We live in a condo, and a bunch of us homeowners lost our cars (and other belongings) in a garage fire. My wife and I want to know the hive-mind's opinion on whether we should lease or buy now that we're forced into the market for a new car. Some information: we're "tree-huggers" so we appreciate good gas mileage (and we're enamored with the upcoming 3rd gen Honda Insight). But we also drive the cars a ton, we drive everywhere. We live in Indianapolis, but our parents and families are on the east coast, so we drive to NYC and the D.C. area multiple times a year; not to mention the Chicago area, too. So that would also be a consideration whether we lease or buy... Thanks for anyone's opinion.

business twin monitor - what to buy?

sydney54 — Thu, 19 Feb 2009 08:34:17 -0800

Staff member wants a new business PC with twin screens. Just tell me what to buy. They sell stuff but they think they are a FX trader. If it keeps them happy, why not? What business PC do I need to buy? What do i need to look at at the back? two VGAs, two DVIs. We dont have an IT dept (well you are kind of the IT dept and better than one i could hope for). I can install a card but dont want to. Just tell me what to ask or idealy what to buy.

Japan or bust: recommend a camera

doctor.dan — Fri, 30 Jan 2009 14:25:26 -0800

I'm planning on going to Japan later on in the year, and I need a new camera. I don't know much about digital cameras, so I figured I'd use my weekly askMeFi question to get some help.

Basically, I want a camera that isn't too expensive (I was thinking up to about AU$500), takes a decent photo when I point and click, and isn't too chunky. I'll want to be able to lug it around to a lot of places.

I'm liking the look of the geotagging feature in iPhoto 09, so something that incorporates GPS in some way would be awesome.

how to manufacture 1000+ units of new, custom fabric based product?

nolnar — Fri, 23 Jan 2009 05:19:44 -0800

I've made a new fabric product that I hope would sell 5000+ units. For viable efficiency I need to buy manufacturing of the product or its parts. I don't want to reveal my product idea, but let's use a SLR camera bag made in sturdy fabric as an example. My product has similar materials, size and complexity. How do I go from there? background: I lack previous experience from buying manufacturing of a product. (I also don't have business experience but I'll focus on that topic later so leave that for now)

questions:
(1) Are there companies with online services that take blueprints/prototypes/CAD-designs of a fabric camera bag type of product as input and output a number of units (100, 1000 ...) of either the completed product or parts for me to assemble?

(2) Are there for fabric camera bag type of product similar services to to print-on-demand book publishing or what http://www.cafepress.com/ et al offer? That is, I input the design and the company hosts my product page, handles the customers payments and manufactures and sends out the product. I get a portion of the money from each sale.

(3) Are there detailed product catalogs with generic standard parts to buy in bulk for this type of product? Something similar to the extremely detailed catalogs of electronic and mechanical components available from many companies. So for a fabric camera bag type of product there would be standard should straps, side pockets, plastic clip-on joints and so on in various shapes, sizes, colors and materials.

Note: I know that there are various craft communities/websites where custom fabric products can be made on demand from any design by hobbyist crafters, as discussed in this thread http://ask.metafilter.com/111371/How-can-I-design-and-make-a-custom-camera-bag . But that is not viable for the thousands of units in my example.

there's got to be a way to save me money somewhere

kidsleepy — Wed, 07 Jan 2009 08:14:40 -0800

What's the best way to buy a Mac? I want to purchase a $1,500 refurbished MacBook Pro. I have $450 in Apple gift cards, and a credit card with a 9.99% APR. Other options for payment are using the Bill Me Later system, or getting a Juniper Visa Card. I could pay off the remaining $1,000 over about three months - which way of paying is going to be the best deal? Any promotions or penalties I need to be aware of?

How to get a butterfly knife for practice only (i.e., blade quality not necessary)

d. z. wang — Sun, 14 Dec 2008 13:39:20 -0800

How can I buy a butterfly knife cheaply if I just want to practice opening it? The hinge should work well, but the blade itself can be hammered out of somebody's garbage can for all I care. The first thing I do will be to dull it. In fact, since I spend a lot of time in Illinois, New Jersey, and New York City where butterfly knives are illegal to carry, it'd probably buy me some peace of mind if this thing didn't have a blade at all, just some appropriately weighted piece of metal. Anyone know where I can get something like this?

Does buying local really help the community?

proj — Thu, 04 Dec 2008 09:38:12 -0800

Buying local: Facts and fictions. Help me sort through the arguments about buying local as I get inundated with requests to do so this holiday season. Local businesses have launched an initiative to "buy local" and have started making claims such as "for every $100 spent at a locally-owned business, $45 goes back into the community and local tax base. For every $100 spent at a chain store, only $13 comes back." This seems a) outlandish and b) impossible to actually know.

It's my understanding that money can't "stay" in a community any more than air can "stay" in a community. The products that many of these people are selling are made in other cities, states, and countries. Merchants may or may not live in the community that houses their business and they themselves may not exclusively "buy local" hence the money that you are trying to keep in the community has effectively left the community.

I also know arguments about increasing the size of the "pie", i.e., commerce helps provide jobs in other countries and helps the situation of people outside the community as well.

Is this misguided? Something about the "buy local!" campaign raises my hackles as being insular and based on false assumptions. Am I wrong? Is this doomed to be an ideological question? Please provide arguments one way or the other (citations would be great as well!)

Will CES make the price of this camera drop?

nitsuj — Sun, 30 Nov 2008 13:47:31 -0800

Does it make sense to wait until after CES to buy a new video camera? I've got my eye on the Canon HF100, which has been hovering around the $500-$550 mark for the past few months. It appears to have been released in March, 2008 at an MSRP of $899.

Would it make sense to wait until after CES (January) to buy this? Is there any way to tell whether Canon will be releasing newer, similar models at CES? And if so, would that make the price of this camera go down?

I'm not really in any rush to buy, but if the price is going to stay the same for a while I might as well buy it now. I'd like to own the camera by mid February regardless.

Retails sales are down, so where are the bargains?

abdulf — Fri, 14 Nov 2008 18:06:34 -0800

If retailers are being hit hard with a recession, then why am I not finding bargains? If retail sales are falling, and businesses are posting losses or cutting forecasts, then why am I not finding great bargains?

I guess a "bargain" is a subjective term. But surely there are deals to be had in this economic environment for the people who can spend?

For example - I am looking to buy/rent the following:
1. winter coat, boots (anything suitable an icy/windy winter)
2. point and shoot digital camera (Canon SD 750 or similar)
3. blackberry/smartphone/new cell service (currently with Sprint)
4. new apartment (Amarillo, TX)
5. car maintenance (timing belt/waterpump for 2000 Camry)

None of these good or services seem significantly discounted compared to when I saw them years ago. I've casually looked through sites like slickdeals.net and Black Friday ads. It looks like the same kind of stuff I've seen before.

So maybe I'm not buying the right kinds of goods and services in this economy?

Perhaps the discounts I seek don't come from business cycles but from events like seasonal changes and clearing old inventory.

Or maybe the items I'm buying have prices built in from before the financial crisis?

What concrete benefits does the new 13in MacBook offer over the white $999 model?

j0hnpaul — Mon, 03 Nov 2008 12:56:05 -0800

What concrete benefits does the new 13in MacBook offer over the white $999 model?

NerdFilter: Should I buy the 4th Edition D&D Rules Books?

chunking express — Mon, 03 Nov 2008 06:28:29 -0800

NerdFilter: Should I buy the 4th Edition D&D Rules Books? Has anyone here played 4th edition? Is it any good? Reviews are mixed, but I find with anything remotely dorky people are fucking crazy. ("They got rid of THAC0? I will kill you Wizards of the Coast!")

I haven't played D&D in a very long time. I have the 2nd edition books, so I don't really have an emotional attachment to the 3rd edition rules. I'm also not entirely sure I'll be able to get anyone to play the game again, or if I'm actually interested in playing D&D again. There is a part of me that feels inexplicably drawn to the game all of a sudden. The 3 core books are on Amazon for $75, which would have been a crap load of money when I was 14, but isn't going to break the bank now that I am older and gainfully employed. That said, I really don't want to buy these books if they are a big pile of suck.

This is pretty rambling as questions go.