Things you could order over 50 years ago that you can't order now !

[stuckmotor]

I remember ordering 110 volt arc welder complete with a carbon arc heat source from Popular Mechanics ad for like $19.99.

I wanted one of those welders but couldn't afford one. Were they worth the money?

 

[JasperFrank]

When ever you needed to do an emergency car exhaust pipe repair, you would buy a can of Foster's Beer and two hose clamps.

 

[Gator6x4]

100 years ago you could order an entire house from SEARS.

Not quite 100 years ago. Look at what you could order. Most importantly look at what the complete house cost. A half brick of two by four will cost almost that today. A lot of cities still have communities of the "Craftsman" houses that are lived in today.

Sears Sold 70,000 Homes From Their Catalog. Are You Living in One?

From 1908 to 1940, you could choose from over 400 styles of homes to purchase through Sears, Roebuck and Co. mail-order catalog.

www.popularmechanics.com

 

[Gale Hawkins]

I remember a friend of dad saying they could be useful welding like thin sheet metal. I read the carbon arc torch was good for heating frozen nuts. I returned it for a full refund. At the time $20 was 50% of my life's savings.

 

[Gale Hawkins]

When ever you needed to do an emergency car exhaust pipe repair, you would buy a can of Foster's Beer and two hose clamps.

You must've been wealthy. I found the can on the side of the road and twisted bailing wire.

 

[bigtiller]

Dial 0 and ask the operator for anyone's number and she would ask you if you wanted her to dial it for you.

 

[JasperFrank]

Does anyone do Postal Money Order Checks anymore? I use to love using these, cause it was a felony, if someone tried to scam you. So if something didn't seem just right, I'd ask for a Postal Money Order, sent through the USPS. It was a good filter.

I remember Traveler's Checks use to be a thing.

 

[JasperFrank]

Fifty years ago, if you got a gas station fill-up, you would get a gift. I remember the little dinosaur figures that Sinclair would give out. As an adult, I find this rather funny, as oil never came from dinosaurs.

 

[crashz]

RIP JC Whitney. I had many sets of crappy "off-road" lights from there. Almost bought a train horn too.

 

[Oaktree]

Does anyone do Postal Money Order Checks anymore? I use to love using these, cause it was a felony, if someone tried to scam you. So if something didn't seem just right, I'd ask for a Postal Money Order, sent through the USPS. It was a good filter.

I remember Traveler's Checks use to be a thing.

I've used them when buying something from a "for sale" post in a forum (mostly vintage car stuff) or other purchases from strangers met online, partly for the reason you mention, and because most of the sellers would accept them. Never got around to setting up a Paypal account.

I think I still have a couple hundred $ in travelers checks somewhere leftover from a road trip I took in the 80s. Probably ought to try and find them...

 

[Jstpssng]

Change from a dollar at McDonalds. I doubt anyone under 65 or so would get that reference to their vintage ad today.

I brought it up in another thread and nobody did. I had to post the old ad.
Of course, back then 10k/year was considered a decent wage...

 

[tallyho8]

I remember ordering stuff from ads that was under a dollar and they said "enclose change or stamps".

 

[jigs_n_fixtures]

A 45 cent hamburger.......

Forty years ago, when I was in my early twenties, coming of age in Vegas, you could get a 12-inch hotdog, and a 12-ounce draft beer for 75-cents.

 

[stuckmotor]

Forty years ago, when I was in my early twenties, coming of age in Vegas, you could get a 12-inch hotdog, and a 12-ounce draft beer for 75-cents.

Now I'm hungry.

 

[Quebecguy]

It has been almost fifty years since we could order a Chargex card!

 

[2LaneCruzer]

 

[Larry Caldwell]

Forty years ago, when I was in my early twenties, coming of age in Vegas, you could get a 12-inch hotdog, and a 12-ounce draft beer for 75-cents.

Forty years ago a 12 ounce beer was 25 cents during happy hour. Bar food like peanuts and popcorn was free as long as you bought beer. There are tiers of liquor licenses, and a tav gets breaks if they sell a lot of food. There was a place called Humpty's Dump that used to sell bag lunches for a buck. My favorite was a 2" thick ham sandwich with a giant dill pickle and 6 oz. of potato salad.

 

[5030]

Purchase a new car for $3500.00 loaded...

 

[Larry Caldwell]

Does anyone do Postal Money Order Checks anymore? I use to love using these, cause it was a felony, if someone tried to scam you. So if something didn't seem just right, I'd ask for a Postal Money Order, sent through the USPS. It was a good filter.

I remember Traveler's Checks use to be a thing.

For international private sales, the International Postal Money Order will get you across the border without currency exchange fees. I think the max amount is $700.

 

[Jstpssng]

Purchase a new car for $3500.00 loaded...

Of course that was over a third of the median income of $9000...
It was also junk from the factory, with a 12,000 mile warranty. Back then 100,000 miles was considered a milestone; in that time you would have changed the oil 30 times. Replaced the plugs, points, condenser, wires, distributer cap, and wires 9 times. At least a couple of batteries, and 5 sets of tires. Plus they rode like an 8N Ford.