Can you keep yourself from buying useless items ?

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I can't enter in an auction room without leaving with one or two useless items. Fate is going after me. Sometimes you can make so good deals ! Let me tell you my worst auction story, and please, don't laugh ! I was spending a week of holidays in a sea town and parked my car -- by pure hazard -- near an opened auction room. It was the end of the afternoon, the weather was very hot, and I thought that a seat and some fresh air would be good. I entered. The sale was ending, and the auctioneer was selling lots not listed. People in the room were paying or trying to get their auction lots. -- Now a 18th century bedstead "à la duchesse" in solid oak. We will begin at $50." It was just a headboard and I don't know how the auctioneer was able to say that it was coming from a bed "à la duchesse"... -- Nobody at $50 ? Let's say $20. We will begin at $20. Somebody interested at $20 ?" There was a lot of movement in the auction room, and the usual hurly burly at the end of these sales. The gavel fell furiously several times. "Silence ! Be serious. You can have this authentic 18th century bedstead for only $10 ! And it is in solid oak !" An arm rose. "Sold !" Fatalitas ! I was now the owner of an old headboard in solid oak. I gave a blank check, get in exchange a ticket with the number of my auction lot and when I went to take it, an employee brought me a large closed cardboard box. "What is this ? Where is my bedstead ?" "- I bring it now. This is in the same lot, with the same number, so it is yours." I opened the cardboard : there was maybe an hundred women's hats from the 60's, in straw, felt, tissue... all new, hmmm... at least not used, with their priced labels. The sale was ended. I spoke to the official auctioneer : -- I never bought these hats, just a bedstead." "You are lucky ! I did not remembered these hats. They are yours." -- But..." "Why are you complaining ? Any of these hats is certainly worth the price you paid !" Fatalitas ! I was now the owner of an hundred old-fashioned women's hats. I grumbled, took the cardboard, brought it to my car, and managed to put it in. But the headboard could not fit in ! I came back to the auction room and asked if they could keep it one or two days. "All lots must be removed. It is a sale after death : we can't keep anything." Fatalitas ! I had a very hard time bringing it back to my rented flat under the hot evening sun, with people looking at me like if I escaped from a lunatic asylum. Sure, it was in solid oak and weighted more than 30 kg, and I have to admit that a headboard is less common than a dog for a walk in the streets of a sea town. Once arrived, I had to go back for my car :( I had another hard time to bring this headboard to the nearest junk shop two days later, where I sold it $20... I think that with some more time, my holiday neighbors would have found normal to see me walking with my headboard in solid oak. And for the hats, the auctioneer was not completely wrong : I gave some to friends, and sold later the rest of the cardboard for $100. Do you often buy useless items -- in auction rooms or shops -- ? Do you accept them if somebody wants to give you useless items ? Can you force the hand of fate and keep yourself from buying useless items ? You can share your worst useless item story if you have one.