History Main / YouGetWhatYouPayFor

* Tazuna the bridgemaker deliberately downplays the risk his village is facing because he doesn't have enough to pay for high-grades ninjas for protection. The result is rather than skilled and experienced fighters who would treat his situation with the risk it deserves, he gets ''Manga/{{Naruto}}'', Sakura and Sasuke, three ninja apprentices, Kakashi their teacher, and they are woefully underprepared when [[MasterSwordsman Zabuza]] arrives, all of them nearly dying in the ordeal.

* In the Franchise/MarvelCinematicUniverse/''Film/ManOfSteel'' crossover ''Fanfic/AvengerOfSteel'', Jessica Jones basically adopts this philosophy at least once; when she's hired to find out if her client's girlfriend is working as a stripper, she soon confirms that the girl is just working as a bartender at a strip club, but Jessica doesn't bother to mention that the girl is cheating as she wasn't hired to tell her client ''that''.
* In ''[[Fanfic/WhatYouKneadNaruto What You Knead]]'', Tazuna deliberately omits critical details about the dangers his village is facing, in order to keep the cost of paying Konoha for protection down. Since they aren't aware of the risks, they give the assignment to the inexperienced Team Seven. When the truth comes out, Kakashi is ''furious'', coldly outlining how Tazuna put everyone involved at risk with his lies and may have doomed his village with the deception.

[[folder:Film - Live Action]]
* In ''Film/ASoundOfThunder'', the boss of the safari company shutting down a key component of the time machine to save power contributed to the catastrophe at hand.

* The "Captain Samuel Vimes 'Boots' theory of socio-economic unfairness", as outlined in the Literature/{{Discworld}} novel ''Literature/MenAtArms''[[note]]composed after noting that his rich girlfriend lives in luxury but spends much less money than he does[[/note]]:

* In ''[[Literature/TheCallistaTrilogy Darksaber]]'', Durga the hutt plans on building a weapon that's the Death Star's main cannon, minus the rest of the station. He cuts corners on every aspect of the construction, though; An easily-distracted HiveMind workforce, substandard parts... It's no surprise to Bevel Lemelisk that it doesn't work when first fired.

* ''Literature/TheMurderbotDiaries'''s main character is a robot who was manufactured by a company that buys and maintains its property as cheaply as possible. It's considered a reasonable theory that [[spoiler: a glitch in Murderbot's governor module led it to kill fifty-seven people]], and equipment rented from them fails regularly, even though the story is about a survey team on a largely-uncharted planet where the equipment can be vital to not dying.

[[folder:Live Action TV]]
* ''Series/CowboyBebop2021''. In "Binary Two Step", a WrenchWench hired to fix the ''Bebop'' tries to convince Jet to pay for proper parts. He's convinced she's just trying to scam him, especially after finding a cheaper part on the BlackMarket, which she then has to modify literally on the fly because it's the wrong model and won't fit.
* In an episode of ''Series/TheKingOfQueens'', Doug decides to give Carrie eye surgery for her birthday so that she no longer needs glasses. However, she ends up going through a much longer than usual adjusting period almost completely blind. Turns out that Doug decided to not go to the surgeon Carrie's boss recommended but another one due to the fact that the latter had coupons. Carrie is understandably upset and forces Doug to take her to the other one.
* On ''Series/TheRedGreenShow'', this is the general attitude of Possum Lodge toward the idea of hippie "free love".
* In the ''Series/OnlyFoolsAndHorses'' episode "Who's a Pretty Boy?" Denzil hires Del and Rodney to paint his kitchen because they're so much cheaper than a professional painter. HilarityEnsues.

* A RunningGag in ''Series/FawltyTowers'', where Basil Fawlty insists on hiring the incompetent handyman O'Reily specifically because he is much cheaper than his wife's choice, the pricier but actually competent Stubbs. When Basil hires O'Reily under Sybils nose to install a door, Stubbs later points out that the door is in a load-bearing wall, and O'Reily [[OhCrap used a wood frame support instead of a concrete one]], essentially turning the hotel into an even bigger deathtrap than normal.
* During ''Series/BattleBots 2018,'' two surprisingly experienced teams (The Robotic Death Company and Team [=RioBotz=]) who you'd think would know better found themselves on the receiving end of shocking defeats when they used crucial parts that were [[MadeInCountryX made in China]] by a company that apparently did beautiful metal work for a really economical price, but unfortunately used cheap crap material to do so (and, to be fair to the teams, [[BlatantLies lied about it]]). Gigabyte was humiliated in its fight against reigning champion Tombstone when the securing bolt that held its spinning shell in place shattered and the shell flew off and bounced around the battlebox like a spinning top, while Minotaur's failure wasn't ''quite'' as dramatic, with their side armour panel giving way under the force of their opponent's weapon... ''[[OhCrap in the middle of the Grand Final battle!]]''

-->'''Legasov:''' ''"Why?"'' <[[{{Beat}} long pause]]> For the same reason our reactors do not have containment buildings around them like those in the West, for the same reason we don't use properly-enriched fuel in our cores. For the same reason we are the only nation that builds water-cooled, graphite-moderated reactors with a positive void coefficient. ''It's cheaper.''

* ''TabletopGame/DarkHeresy'' and related games have Craftsmanship rules laying out four qualities of gear: Poor, Common, Good, and Best. Poor-quality items can be obtained more cheaply and are easier to find, but weapons are less accurate and [[ReliablyUnreliableGuns more prone to jamming]], armor is less protective, and other gear doesn't work as well. Conversely, the more expensive and rare Good- and Best-quality items are more accurate, immune to jamming, more protective, and generally work better as well as being [[BlingOfWar visually more impressive]].
* ''Bleeding Edge'' has a variety of equipment grades, there's the usual Scrounged, Inferior, Superior, and Luxury grades in rising order of cost and bonuses/penalties. But there's also "Bootleg" grade gear that is slightly pricier illegal copies of military gear, "Cracked" gear that is untraceable and even more expensive, "Decoys" that are dirt cheap but don't work at all, and finally Undetectable gear that is extremely expensive.
* The fluff in ''TabletopGame/BattleTech'' provides the example of [=QuickScell=], whose products are generally HonestJohnsDealership, ShurFineGuns ''and'' TheAllegedCar all at once. Accounts of their wares, such as the ''Hetzer'' self-propelled anti-armor gun, are replete with complaints of equipment not installed, delivered defective or just plain missing. It got so bad that the Federated Suns, before taking possession of a [=QuickScell=] vehicle, performs a complete inspection and if any faults are found, repair them, charging the time, parts and labor to [=QuickScell=].

* In ''VideoGame/{{Psychonauts}}'', during the Brain Tumbler experiment Raz will tell Sasha about seeing "very weird things". Sasha exclaims "Ack! Why did I have to buy the CHEAP Brain Tumbler?". Turns out cheapness has nothing to do with it, as the "interference" is from [[spoiler:Coach Oleander accidentally broadcasting his thoughts to the entire camp via the camp's loudspeakers]].
* In ''VideoGame/UnchartedDrakesFortune'', Gabriel Roman expresses his frustration in dealing with Eddie Raja:
-->'''Roman''': Remind me again why we hired this superstitious idiot?
-->'''Navarro''': You wanted someone cheap.
-->'''Roman''': Ah, yes. Well, you get what you pay for, I suppose.

* In ''VideoGame/Doom3'', in one section of the Lost Mission, a construction supervisor got in a feud with a coworker due to demands that he use more up to standard windows and seals for an area of the base on Mars, where the atmosphere is hostile to humans. Instead, the supervisor uses a cheaply made variant of the windows under the justification of saving money and is so blind to the potential drop of quality and so confident that they will hold up that he even boasts that he will take a rocket launcher to them if need be. And of course, when the Player reaches that section, a Revenant exploits this by simply shooting at the windows with rockets of its own, easily shattering them and exposing the player to the outside atmosphere, forcing them into a race against time to close the emergency shutters.
* In ''VideoGame/TheAdventuresOfWillyBeamish'', Willy and friends get a free pizza with a coupon. Unfortunately, it doesn't come with ''their'' choice of topping, and it gives Willy a bad case of gas that gets him in trouble with the school bully sitting at a nearby table. The girl sums up the situation with "you get exactly what you pay for..."
* ''VideoGame/MaxPayne3'' has Max explaining the concept (in his trademark sarcastic after-commentary) "to" a guy who threw a grenade too early in the intro sequence:
-->'''Max''': So in the end I guess I had become what they wanted me to be: some rent-a-clown with a gun who puts holes in other bad guys. Well, that's what they had paid for, so in the end, that's what they got. Say what you want about Americans, but we understand capitalism: you buy yourself a product and you get what you pay for. And these [[BullyingADragon chumps]] had paid for some angry gringo without [[BlackAndGrayMorality the sensibilities to know right from wrong]].

* ''VideoGame/GrandTheftAutoV'': Cheaper heist members aren't as skilled as their more expensive peers. They typically make the heist harder, lose a portion of the loot, and/or die. However, if they survive the heist, they gain experience and can end up just as skilled as the expensive heist members while still costing less.

* What gets the ball rolling in ''Webcomic/{{Erfworld}}'' is a spell to summon "the perfect warlord" that ends up being a SummonEverymanHero spell because the overlord running the show refused to purchase the spell support plan. Possibly [[SubvertedTrope subverted]]: later events suggest that, while Parson is hardly the warlord that Stanley ''wanted'', he is the warlord that Stanley ''needs''.

-->'''Politician:''' What the hell? I gave you money to make a costume like Pythagorean's!
-->'''Actor:''' And I told ''you'' that for [[ComicallySmallBribe ten bucks]] all I could afford is dry-cleaning my show costume.

* ''WesternAnimation/TheSimpsons'':
** In an episode spoofing the story of Moses, Lisa and Milhouse escape a badly designed DeathTrap, [[TheWallsAreClosingIn a room with moving walls]] covered in spikes where the spikes line up to the opposing walls, causing them to stop the whole trap. Lisa notes, "Slave labor. You get what you paid for."
** Also happens in "30 Minutes Over Tokyo", when the Simpsons, in a fit of super-frugality to save money for a vacation, goes grocery shopping at a 33 Cents store. Homer immediately gets poisoned by a can of plankton from Mexico that expired three years before.
* ''WesternAnimation/KimPossible'':
** In one episode [[HarmlessVillain Dr. Drakken]] angrily complains about the [[SurroundedByIdiots shortcomings of his henchmen]]; [[TheDragon Shego]] scoffs at him for being too cheap to hire better ones from [[ArmsDealer Jack]] [[HisNameReallyIsBarkeep Hench]].
** Cheapskate villain Frugal Lucre is even [[HarmlessVillain less intimidating]] than most of the show's villains because of his low-budget operations. For instance, his version of a SharkPool was a kiddie wading pool full of snapping turtles, all of which retreated into their shells before Kim and Ron had to actually do anything about them.

* In the ''WesternAnimation/JusticeLeague'' episode "Injustice For All" ComicBook/LexLuthor gathers a group of villains and says he will pay them after defeating the Justice League. When he berates them for failing in their first attempt, the Shade tells Luthor you get what you pay for. In the end Ultra-Humanite betrays the team- since Batman guaranteed double, then ''triple'', what Luthor offered. And came through with a way to further twist the knife into Luthor: [[spoiler: a major donation to Public Broadcasting in the Ultra-Humanite's name with recognition given at the end of an opera that drives Luthor nuts]].
* On ''WesternAnimation/{{Rugrats}}'', Stu makes a mechanical dragon for a medieval festival but can't control it. The owner sees the resulting chaos and is told he can't fire Stu, because he's a volunteer. This is his response.

* The whole plot of the ''WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagic'' episode "[[Recap/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagicS5E9SliceOfLife Slice of Life]]" is kicked off because Cranky hired Derpy to print the wedding invitations at half the price the other printers would charge, resulting in everyone turning up a day early due to a misprinted date. Derpy later admits the only way she could do it so cheaply was by hiring somepony who didn't know how to work a printing press.

The bane of any DoomItYourself enthusiast, especially when it comes to the DoItYourselfPlumbingProject. CuttingCorners is just another way of invoking this aesop.

[[folder:Web Original]]
* ''Literature/ILikeMonkeys'': The man bought 200 monkeys for five cents a piece, even though they would typically cost a couple thousand dollars a piece. This works about as well as you'd expect since they all quickly drop dead.
[[/folder]]

* "WebOriginal/ILikeMonkeys'': The man bought 200 monkeys for five cents a piece, even though they would typically cost a couple thousand dollars a piece. This works about as well as you'd expect since they all quickly drop dead.

* ''Webcomic/TowerOfGod'': On the Floor of Test, food costs money for the examinees. The currency is points earned from the exams, so people generally buy the bad food.

* In one ''Webcomic/ImNotYourFriend'' strip, this is [[SubvertedTrope subverted]]. [[http://imnotyourfriend.thecomicseries.com/comics/224/ Rachel buys an overpriced piece of cardboard that promptly crumbles to dust.]]

* In ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaMajora'sMask'', if you get the free room in the Stock Pot Inn by claiming to be the guest who rented it, Tatl will complain about its poor quality, but then concedes that she can't really complain since they did just get the room for free.

* In ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZelda:Majora'sMask'', if you get the free room in the Stock Pot Inn by claiming to be the guest who rented it, Tatl will complain about its poor quality, but then concedes that she can't really complain since they did just get the room for free.

* In ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZelda:MajorasMask'', if you get the free room in the Stock Pot Inn by claiming to be the guest who rented it, Tatl will complain about its poor quality, but then concedes that she can't really complain since they did just get the room for free.

* In ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZelda: Majora'sMask'', if you get the free room in the Stock Pot Inn by claiming to be the guest who rented it, Tatl will complain about its poor quality, but then concedes that she can't really complain since they did just get the room for free.

* In ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZelda:Majora'sMask'', if you get the free room in the Stock Pot Inn by claiming to be the guest who rented it, Tatl will complain about its poor quality, but then concedes that she can't really complain since they did just get the room for free.

* In one of the later arcs in ''ComicStrip/CalvinAndHobbes'', a pair of aliens buy the Earth from Calvin for fifty alien leaves, which are implied to be worthless on their planet. A few months later, they come back to Calvin to complain about the Earth's tilted axis, to which Calvin replies "let the buyer beware".

* In ''Franchise/StarWars''[='=]s ExpandedUniverse it's noted that the Rebels' fighters are quite more expensive than their Imperial counterparts, with the lion share of the price coming from the Rebel fighters having DeflectorShields and hyperdrives. Precisely because of said shields, Rebel fighters tend to come out on top against the faster and more manouverable Imperial fighters as they can take multiple hits while the enemy ones ''will'' go down with one good hit or a couple glancing ones.

* In the ''WesternAnimation/JusticeLeague'' episode "Injustice For All" ComicBook/LexLuthor gathers a group of villains and says he will pay them after defeating the Justice League. When he berates them for failing in their first attempt, the Shade tells Luthor you get what you pay for. In the end Ultra-Humanite betrays the team- since Batman guaranteed double what Luthor offered. And came through with a way to further twist the knife into Luthor: [[spoiler: a major donation to Public Broadcasting in the Ultra-Humanite's name with recognition given at the end of an opera that drives Luthor nuts]].

[[folder:Fanfic]]

* ''Series/CowboyBebop2021''. In "Binary Two Step", WrenchWench hired to fix the ''Bebop'' tries to convince Jet to pay for proper parts. He's convinced she's just trying to scam him, especially after finding a cheaper part on the BlackMarket, which she then has to modify literally on the fly because it's the wrong model and won't fit.

* In ''Film/Scarface1983'', Tony is complaining about how he has to pay a higher percentage to his banker to launder his money than when he was bringing in half as much. The banker explains that it simply costs more to launder more. He also says that the reason he's so expensive is because he's trustworthy. Manny finds a cheaper option and Tony agrees, even going himself to watch over the exchange. It turns out to be an undercover sting and is caught on camera with millions in undeclared income.

* ''Series/CowboyBebop2021''. A WrenchWench tries to convince Jet to pay for proper parts for the ''Bebop''. He's convinced she's just trying to scam him, especially after finding a cheaper part on the BlackMarket, which she then has to modify literally on the fly because it's the wrong model and won't fit.

* ''Series/CowboyBebop2021''. A WrenchWench tries to convince Jet to pay for proper parts for the ''Bebop''. He's convinced she's just trying to scam him, especially after finding a cheaper part on the BlackMarket, which she then has to modify on the fly because it's the wrong model and won't fit.