The concept of expensive can’t be really considered as such without context. Those who are better off have a completely different understanding of what is expensive than what a person living from paycheck to paycheck would think.
But there is a sense of universalism there too. A fine zone that encompasses things that we all understand as expensive, but only if we also see how much damage has been done to said expense.
#1 Oopsies
Image credits: V0rclaw
#2 In 2003, A Technician Forgot To Log That He Had Removed 24 Bolts During The Maintenance Of The Noaa-19 Satellite, Causing The Satellite To Fall Over And Costing $135,000,000 In Damages
Image credits: here_for_fun_XD
#3 Pro-Tip: When Transporting Paint Makes Sure It Is Properly Secured. Especially If You Are Driving In A $90,000 Maserati
Image credits: Mr_PoodlePants
That Looks Expensive is a subreddit (r/ThatLooksExpensive) that deals in damage to things that quite likely made someone’s wallet wallow in pain.
The subreddit currently has around 7,800 members and is ranked in the top 10th percentile by size. If that seems off, this is not to be confused with That Looked Expensive, another subreddit that’s home to a million members.
#4 Bus Crashed Through A Glass At The Train Station In Hamburg
Image credits: Archsinner
#5 And This Is Why You Call Your Utility Notification Center!
Image credits: KaleMercer
#6 When You Live In Svalbard, Norway And Forget To Close The Window In The Office
Image credits: cyclone866
Anywho, in many cases, those who have pain receptors in their wallets and have a normal understanding of the economy, know how many gallons of water a minute a bursting pipe can spew out and how much of the taxpayer’s money it will take to fix it. Or how much a public transit line bus and structural damage to a house in Seattle cost. Heck, you don’t even need damage—this oven costs $40,000. That alone can cause damage.
#7 A 3 Story Mall That Was Still Under Construction Started Making Some Noises From The Metal Structures.. Everyone Was Evacuated And 5 Minutes Later The Collapse Occurred
Image credits: OneSecondBeforeDisast
#8 Giant Beehive Takes Over Roof. That's A Lot Of Honey
Image credits: Dr-DrillAndFill
#9 Dumb Truck 70mph+ Hits Interstate Bridge
Image credits: vzoomr
However, these are just our perceptions. Sure, a passenger plane is definitely very, very, expensive compared to the average cost of living. But can we truly know how much something costs?
Pricing things is an art in and of itself as there are at least a dozen ways to price products, services and other kinds of traded goods. It can be a flat rate, or a pay as you go, or tiered pricing, or pricing per user, or subscriptions… you get the idea.
#10 Motor Yacht Fire In Torquay, UK 28/5/22
Image credits: SlappyHandstrong
#11 Discovered That My Porcelain Countertop Was Actually Tempered Glass
Image credits: zeomox
#12 Ouch!!
Image credits: reddit.com
But since everyone would ideally want to price things in the most lucrative way possible, does that truly reflect the price of something? Not entirely.
Pricing is just a set of methods to determine what you want for it, so it’s in that sense arbitrary. But they do consider the real costs of stuff within the economic context. Real, as in, how much it ended up costing.
#13 I Think We Need Some Aircraft Tape
Image credits: Tassido
#14 A Mclaren Underwater Due To Hurricane Ian In Miami
Image credits: Ducati0411
#15 A Bmw Wrecked By A Tree
Image credits: spalaXXXX
Take the price of gas as an example. The four main factors that influence the price of gas is the cost of crude oil (the price of which depends on how it was extracted and how scarce it is), refining costs (the price manufacturers pay to turn it into a usable product), distribution (because convenience and practicality), and taxes (duh). All of these have specific numbers attached to them, giving you an idea of how much it realistically costs.
#16 I Found This Gym Floor In Texas While Scouring Google Earth For A Picturegame Round. Part Of Houston Flooding Maybe?
Image credits: SoDakZak
#17 I Like My Yachts Extra Crispy!
Image credits: _Piratical_
#18 Bear Attack In Nc State Park
Image credits: WillTryToBehave
This is where it gets complicated as, if we consider the gas example again, we also have things like gas station upkeep, marketing and other costs that can vary depending on the time and place. Fine, these can also be calculated. OK, so, that leaves us with profit. How much is that? Well, enough to keep the suits happy, however much that is. Sure, it adheres to the laws of economics, supply and demand, among other things, but as long as someone is willing to pay for it, anything goes.
#19 Jetbridge Collides With A Plane
Image credits: ZimBobub
#20 Expensive Mistake
Image credits: KaleMercer
#21 Road In Hatay/Turkey After Earthquake
Image credits: AutoCrosspostBot
Then we also have another arbitrary factor and that is time. How much is time truly worth to someone? Is it a worthwhile trade-off to give money for things that you can make at home, you just need to put in more effort and time? And are those sweatpants worth the time and toil you spend working to get the money to pay for them? What about designer bags? Would you rather DIY things or just buy them?
#22 The Museum Ship Uss Sullivans Has Partially Sunk At The Military Park Pier On Buffalo's (NY, USA) Waterfront
Image credits: harryp333
#23 And I Thought The Car Parking Was Expensive
Image credits: KaleMercer
#24 Back In ‘07, Some Guys Ran The Engines On A Brand-New (Not Even Delivered) Airbus A340 At Full Power Without Wheel Chocks. The Brakes Didn’t Hold It. More Than $100 Million, Written Off. One Of The Engines Kept Running For 9 Hours Afterwards, Until The Fuel Ran Out
Image credits: Gertbengert
Oh, there’s more. There’s this supermarket that shows true prices to people. It’s in downtown Amsterdam and the idea is that folks can see the “regular” price of things, say, tomatoes for €3.75 ($4.09). And then there’s the “real” price, which is €3.97 ($4.34). These show the hidden costs of growing and transporting them—the carbon emissions, worker underpayment, water, land, and all the other jazz that we as consumers ought to consider if we want our purchases to be ethical and sustainable.
#25 Over The Pa "Clean Up On Isle 4"
Image credits: KaleMercer
#26 Seen In The Mojave Desert This Afternoon
Image credits: deen5526
#27 Saw On Facebook - 192nd St Overpass Hwy 1 - Over-Height Load
Image credits: travjhawk
Considering the cost of the materials, the manufacturing, the processing, the marketing, the logistics, the profit margins, the time, the effort, and the moral dilemmas that tie into the price of goods, you begin to see not just the real price, but also the reality of things and how every purchase truly matters in the grand scheme of economics.
#28 Crashed F-35c Fell Off Uss Carl Vinson Flight Deck Into South China Sea. [768×1024]
Image credits: reddit.com
#29 Meanwhile In Livingston Parish, Someone Didn't Check Bridge Clearances Before Taking The Helicopter Out For The Weekend
Image credits: st_hawk
#30 Clutch Change On A Ferrari F50 [586 X 535]
Image credits: Wildcats33
So, let that sink in, and while you’re still pondering all this, why not also share your thoughts, takes, and stories on anything you’ve seen or read here today.
But if you need more expensive stuff being annihilated by physics and human error, check out all these things that also looked expensive once, but then they weren’t.
