well. if it looks and feels cheap, i would rather leave the item behind then spend the money on it only to have it fall apart within a few days. look for any cracks, scratches or loose threads. you want your item to look put together not like it is falling apart. otherwise it's just not worth spending the money. wait until something better comes along.
now here is another thought for you. let's say you see something that you really like and the quality seems to be great but you are not sure what you would use it for or what you could make with it; do what i do 