# What independently-useful items can still be bought for a penny? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [July 22, 2014, 9:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-independently-useful-items-can-still-be-bought-for-a-penny/693776 "2014-07-22T21:25:58Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![filmore](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/7993a0/32.png) [@filmore](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/filmore)\ **Post date:** [July 22, 2014, 9:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-independently-useful-items-can-still-be-bought-for-a-penny/693776/1 "2014-07-22T21:25:58Z")
When I was a kid, a single penny could be used to buy individual pieces of candy like gumballs and jawbreakers. I’m sure there were small toys which could also be purchased with a penny. What things today can still be purchased for a penny and are independently-useful? By that, I mean the typical use is for just one of them (like a gumball). Something like a grain of salt would not count since you typically don’t use just one grain. Things that come in a pack are fine, as long as each one is less than a penny and is typically used all by itself. A bag of 100 gumballs for $1 would be fine, but 100 jelly beans wouldn’t count (since you don’t usually eat only 1 jelly bean). ---
**Author:** ![johnpost](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f17d59/32.png) [@johnpost](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/johnpost)\ **Post date:** [July 22, 2014, 9:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-independently-useful-items-can-still-be-bought-for-a-penny/693776/2 "2014-07-22T21:56:26Z")
washer. ---
**Author:** ![Namkcalb](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/c89c15/32.png) [@Namkcalb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Namkcalb)\ **Post date:** [July 22, 2014, 11:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-independently-useful-items-can-still-be-bought-for-a-penny/693776/3 "2014-07-22T23:00:06Z")
paper. ---
**Author:** ![jtur88](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e9c0ed/32.png) [@jtur88](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jtur88)\ **Post date:** [July 22, 2014, 11:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-independently-useful-items-can-still-be-bought-for-a-penny/693776/4 "2014-07-22T23:20:58Z")
I put one grape on the produce scale at my supermarket recently, and it registered at 4 cents. A decade or two ago, I started looking for a single article that you could buy with the largest coin in common circulation (a quarter), and I was stymied, until I had to buy some syringes at WalMart, where they cost 23c, amazing considering that they were fabricated from two different materials and had moving parts. I also found a garden center that had little papier-mache starter pots, sold by the piece, at I think 6 cents, and I pointed out that if a buyer purchased them separately, there would be no sales tax on a hundred or a thousand of them, since 6c was below the one-cent threshold on the sales tax chart. The post office (I think) still sells one-cent stamps, which are useful each time the postal letter rate rises above your stock of stamps. Depicts a Tiffany Lamp. ---
**Author:** ![Wesley\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wesley_clark/32/20581_2.png) [@Wesley\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wesley_Clark)\ **Post date:** [July 22, 2014, 11:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-independently-useful-items-can-still-be-bought-for-a-penny/693776/5 "2014-07-22T23:36:16Z")
An aspirin tablet. Possibly an APAP or ibuprofen tablet too but I’m not sure if those are that cheap. A nail. ---
**Author:** ![Peter\_Morris](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/peter_morris/32/359_2.png) [@Peter\_Morris](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Peter_Morris)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2014, 2:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-independently-useful-items-can-still-be-bought-for-a-penny/693776/6 "2014-07-23T02:00:18Z")
Nails Staples pins paperclips ---
**Author:** ![jnglmassiv](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f07891/32.png) [@jnglmassiv](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jnglmassiv)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2014, 2:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-independently-useful-items-can-still-be-bought-for-a-penny/693776/7 "2014-07-23T02:16:34Z")
NPR / Planet Money’s recent (May 2014) piece discussing almost the same question: > **[Episode 539: What's A Penny Worth?](https://www.npr.org/sections/money/2014/05/16/312732409/episode-539-whats-a-penny-worth)** > > Today on the show: The penny. And the strange spot it occupies in our economy. It's worth almost nothing, but not quite. TLDL: There’s washers, sequins, website clicks, pre-1982 copper meltdown guys, etc. Worth a listen. ---
**Author:** ![filmore](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/7993a0/32.png) [@filmore](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/filmore)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2014, 3:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-independently-useful-items-can-still-be-bought-for-a-penny/693776/8 "2014-07-23T03:31:09Z")
Paper matches Toothpicks Thanks for the NPR link. I’ll have to give that a listen. I had a gumball recently and it was horrible! Tough, flavorless wax. I remember those penny gumballs as actually being pretty good. ---
**Author:** ![Octarine](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/22d042/32.png) [@Octarine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Octarine)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2014, 4:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-independently-useful-items-can-still-be-bought-for-a-penny/693776/9 "2014-07-23T04:46:07Z")
Amazon has a whole page for [one cent items](http://www.amazon.com/gp/feature.html?ie=UTF8&docId=1000935261). Most of them have been marked down by almost 100% from much higher prices. In reality, they wouldn’t actually cost a penny once you add in shipping. ---
**Author:** ![PastTense](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pasttense/32/14550_2.png) [@PastTense](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PastTense)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2014, 7:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-independently-useful-items-can-still-be-bought-for-a-penny/693776/10 "2014-07-23T07:16:25Z")
Wishes–you can still throw a penny into a wishing well. ---
**Author:** ![Toxylon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/f05b48/32.png) [@Toxylon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Toxylon)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2014, 7:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-independently-useful-items-can-still-be-bought-for-a-penny/693776/11 "2014-07-23T07:40:25Z")
> [@Namkcalb](#): > > paper. Around here, a standard ream of copy paper works down to a penny per sheet, but are they “typically used all by themselves”, as per the OP? Fancy papers for handicrafts etc., sold individually, cost much more than one penny a piece. ---
**Author:** ![Wesley\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wesley_clark/32/20581_2.png) [@Wesley\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wesley_Clark)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2014, 12:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-independently-useful-items-can-still-be-bought-for-a-penny/693776/12 "2014-07-23T12:15:24Z")
> [@Octarine](#): > > Amazon has a whole page for [one cent items](http://www.amazon.com/gp/feature.html?ie=UTF8&docId=1000935261). Most of them have been marked down by almost 100% from much higher prices. In reality, they wouldn’t actually cost a penny once you add in shipping. There are a crapton of used DVDs on amazon for $0.01, but they all have $3.99 in shipping. ---
**Author:** ![CookingWithGas](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cookingwithgas/32/485_2.png) [@CookingWithGas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CookingWithGas)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2014, 5:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-independently-useful-items-can-still-be-bought-for-a-penny/693776/13 "2014-07-23T17:31:11Z")
Many of the items above are $0.01 only as unit pricing if you buy the item in bulk. You can’t buy one paper clip. I don’t think I’ve seen a single washer or screw for a penny in a long time. ---
**Author:** ![Peter\_Morris](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/peter_morris/32/359_2.png) [@Peter\_Morris](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Peter_Morris)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2014, 6:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-independently-useful-items-can-still-be-bought-for-a-penny/693776/14 "2014-07-23T18:02:54Z")
> [@CookingWithGas](#): > > Many of the items above are $0.01 only as unit pricing if you buy the item in bulk. You can’t buy one paper clip. I don’t think I’ve seen a single washer or screw for a penny in a long time. This is permissible, as per the OP : \* “Things that come in a pack are fine, as long as each one is less than a penny and is typically used all by itself. \*” ---
**Author:** ![Cheesesteak](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cheesesteak/32/3694_2.png) [@Cheesesteak](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cheesesteak)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2014, 6:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-independently-useful-items-can-still-be-bought-for-a-penny/693776/15 "2014-07-23T18:18:56Z")
> [@Peter\_Morris](#): > > - > > “Things that come in a pack are fine, as long as each one is less than a penny and is typically used all by itself. \*” This is cheating. You can’t actually buy anything in this country for a penny, because there is no transaction worth being involved in that only returns one penny of revenue. Yes, I can go online and buy bulk paperclips for half a cent each, but I can’t buy one paper clip for one penny. Let’s say you have a worker making the Federal Minimum Wage, $7.25/hr. That guy earns a penny every 5 seconds. If you asked him to process a 1 cent transaction for NOTHING, I would lose money paying his labor. “Hi, Mr. Cashier, I found this penny on the floor, would you like to put it back in the register?” Boom, lost money just considering the time he spent listening to you. ---
**Author:** ![filmore](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/7993a0/32.png) [@filmore](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/filmore)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2014, 7:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-independently-useful-items-can-still-be-bought-for-a-penny/693776/16 "2014-07-23T19:21:15Z")
The bulk packaging exception was necessary since, as you said, nothing is actually sold for a penny anymore. I would bet that a gumballs were the last thing which could be purchased singularly with a penny. Maybe around 1980 or so? Even in bulk, gumballs are now 2-3 cents each. ---
**Author:** ![armedmonkey](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/d6d6ee/32.png) [@armedmonkey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/armedmonkey)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2014, 8:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-independently-useful-items-can-still-be-bought-for-a-penny/693776/17 "2014-07-23T20:27:37Z")
> [@Cheesesteak](#): > > You can’t actually buy anything in this country for a penny, because there is no transaction worth being involved in that only returns one penny of revenue. Untrue. You can actually walk into an Ace Hardware and buy a single nail or a single washer, some of which actually are priced as low as 1 cent. They have a whole aisle of various loose hardware that you can buy individually (instead of in a box like Home Depot or Lowes). The idea obviously being that while you are in the store buying that single odd size washer you only want one of, you will also buy something else, like a garden hose or can of spray paint. ---
**Author:** ![SpeedwayRyan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ce7236/32.png) [@SpeedwayRyan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SpeedwayRyan)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2014, 3:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-independently-useful-items-can-still-be-bought-for-a-penny/693776/18 "2014-07-25T15:57:18Z")
> [@Cheesesteak](#): > > “Hi, Mr. Cashier, I found this penny on the floor, would you like to put it back in the register?” Boom, lost money just considering the time he spent listening to you. Is it? Not if you assume that you’re paying the guy to stand there regardless of whether he puts the penny in the register or not. If you somehow only pay him for the time he’s actively working and not pay him for the time he’s waiting for a customer to approach him, then yes…but in the real world, you just made a penny over what you would have made otherwise. ---
**Author:** ![PurpleClogs](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/f04885/32.png) [@PurpleClogs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PurpleClogs)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2014, 6:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-independently-useful-items-can-still-be-bought-for-a-penny/693776/19 "2014-07-25T18:00:03Z")
Much of the penny product on online sites is so the seller can rack up a high volume of either number of items sold or number of reviews, rather than revenue or profit. Especially new sellers. ---
**Author:** ![MrsTime](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d26b3c/32.png) [@MrsTime](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrsTime)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2014, 7:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-independently-useful-items-can-still-be-bought-for-a-penny/693776/20 "2014-07-25T19:46:44Z")
Canada no longer even has a penny. Pricing still uses cents but the pennies are rounded up or down . [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-independently-useful-items-can-still-be-bought-for-a-penny/693776.md?page=2)