On Mon, 16 May 2016 21:47:45 -0700, Don Y
wrote:

On 5/16/2016 8:56 PM, Ralph Mowery wrote:
Most things at Amazone are now free shipping if you buy about $ 50

Of course you used to have to spend only $25, and then 39, and now 49.

worth. Just bought about 6 boxes of the K-cups coffee shipped to get
free shipping. Would buy it locally, but none of the stores seem to
carry the type we like. Same price as the stores and I get my 3 % back.

We buy very little on-line -- we live in a large enough metro area
that *most* things are available "today", in a reasonably short drive.
(Costco is 2 miles, Best Buy is closer to 4, many similar vendors in
that same range, etc.)

Electronic components (resistors, capacitors, etc.) are a notable
exception -- only one vendor here, it's a considerable drive and their
prices are lousy!

The drive isn't that far, but same thing about prices.

Some oriental products are also a challenge to acquire. We make a

That's easy here in Baltimore, esp. the west side. I can think of 3
oriental supermarkets. The fish section is the most interesting with
all kinds of ugly non-fish, whose only similarity is that they live in
the water. You won't catch me eating the.

There's even a small oriental strip mall, with several Asian stores,
supermarket, buffet restaurant with actual Chinese eating there, and 2
or 3 other stores.

pilgrimage across town (large oriental supermarket, there) every
6 months and stock up on related goodies. I've even been able to
find some of the imported cheeses that I use (though not aged as
long).

The occasions when I've *had* to go on-line were for *good* nutmeats
(esp pistachios) and popcorn salt (had to buy ~40 pounds of the latter
as the "salt was free" -- shipping charges ate our lunch!)

I've needed inkjet printer ink,
a Casio digital watch (that I didn't see anywhere in town), only
$17. They sell $10 watches at walmart but they only show the time,
with a round dial, and they look like something a delinquent teen-ager
would wear.

Tanglefoot (that I posted about earlier. Very little of it left for
sale anywhere, unless and until the new owners start making it again.
I regretted not being able to get the tube, only the little bucket,
but unlike the people who reviewed it, I was able to put it on without
getting a drop of it on my clothes or hands, so this probably included
more for the money. If it really lasts a month, and the reviews said
it lasted longer, the cherries will all be ripe by June 6, and I'll
have enough of this stuff for 10 or 15 years.)

a nice comb, to go with my brush. The prev. one lasted 20+ years
but is suddently loosing teeth. It was a Speert, from Switzerland.
This is a Kent, from England. They sell nice combs at some
barbershops, but not the ones I go to. I intend to stop by the place
I bought the previous one 25 years ago to see if he still has them and
what he charges, but the other already came in the mail.

A scooter battery, $23. I had to return the one borrowed from my
friend, but it ran for 30 seconds with that one, and I could tell that
the lights and flashers all worked, so it's worth buying one. I think
this was ebay.

I'll probably need a new carbutor ($22) for my scooter, and though
there are lots of them online, and none around here, the one with the
most pictures, about 6, is on Amazon, and because of the pictures it's
the one I'm certain is identical to what's there now. This isn't
shipped by Amazon so it doesn't count to the $49 dollar minimum but I
still don't understand if it counts to the 25 dollar minimum. Probably
not. This one includes a fuel filter but I may buy one first, to
make sure that's not the problem.

An 8" fan. Now they do have this locally, inc. at Bed Bath and
Beyond for only a dollar more, and there if I didn't like it I could
return it, but I didn't divide up the orders right and I need to be
over $25 on this last order for them to include the self-adhesive
laminating vinyl. It's an add-on and if I'm under 25, it
autmatically gets save until some future order. 8" fans are very
hard to find. This is the first fan I've found that will fit nicely
in my laundry chute, to blow cool basement air to the 2nd floor. The
people here said that woudln't work, but I came across someone who had
done it and said it did work.

Paper CD sleeves, only $5, for CD's I burn myself, thinner than
jewel boxes. Also an add-on that requires 25, not counting the
add-ons.

An illuminated keyboard. $17 open box, 27 new. Two weeks and I
haven't really used it, but I got tired of it getting dark while I was
on the computer and having to get up and turn on the light. Now I can
type in the dark. I know where the letters are but other keys aren't
so easy.

A 7-port lighted switched USB hub. Not sure when I'll need it but
only $3.

Earlier, 3 dvd's. Bought used so I didn't have to figure out an
entire Amazon order, but all of them look in perfect condition.

Earlier still, a plastic toilet seat in a style and color that no
one carries locally, to replace the solid wood toilet seat with brass
hardware that keeps turning green. How can these be popular after 100
years of turning green?

A couple years ago a better video card so I can use the flight
simulators two which woudln't work with the one I had.

Once I get all this stuff, I won't need more than a little bit for a
year or so.