Before you open your wallet and spend your hard earned money on that spiffy new gizmo, gizmo, or device you've had your eye on for quite a long time, it's important to know what you're purchasing, and ensure it's the right product for you.
This is true no matter where you're shopping ( online or off ), but in the case of buying something online, it becomes all the more critical, because you can't actually sit down and test / play with the item in query to be certain. So, all you have to go on are the technical specifications of the machine its sales description, and whatever reviews you could be capable of finding.
At about that point, most folks will be content to depend on whatever purchaser reviews are available right there on the site the product can be ordered from, but I usually counsel taking a more cautious approach. Not to say that shopper reveiews aren't helpful, and they can actually be seen as "supporting materials," but there are a few issues with purchaser reviews.
First, given that you don't know the men and women that wrote the reviews you are reading, you don't know if they could have some other axe to grind. Perhaps their sister's cousin's lover worked at the company making the product and got fired 2 months back. In a case like that, the review may have less to do about the quality of the product, and more to do about venting against the company in general.
Or, it could be that some enterprising soul got paid a couple of dollars to write an enthusiastic review for the product by the company ( it happens, and more often than you might think ). Maybe that person has actually employed the product in question , but more likely he or she hasn't . They just took the cash, spit out a review, and moved onto the next subject.
Naturally, some reviews are created by real, well meaning folk, so I'm definitely not suggesting that all customer reviews are bad. They have their place, but in the general scheme of deciding if a product is right for you, don't rely on strangers you know nothing about!
That's where pro review sites become active. A great review site will have heaps of in depth product reviews, offer up details on the benefits and drawbacks of the product, highlight the good, while not stinting on the details about potential inabilities, and additionally, the majority of these sites are either public, meaning you can do a "whois" and find out who the owner of the site is, or, they have a way of contacting the owners with extra questions.
When you first start visiting a professional review website, if you're not sure, or not absolutely cosy, don't hesitate to get in contact with the owners and ask questions! As the owner of lots of websites myself, I can make it plain that I'm always excited to hear from folks who have found me on the web, and more than a couple of great friendships have started in just that way.
The point is, that by doing this, you'll quickly come to trust the site in question, and once you do, you will have a solid, trusty place you can turn to when doing product research before you buy. Given the quantity of scam artists operating on the web today, that's absolutely invaluable!
This is true no matter where you're shopping ( online or off ), but in the case of buying something online, it becomes all the more critical, because you can't actually sit down and test / play with the item in query to be certain. So, all you have to go on are the technical specifications of the machine its sales description, and whatever reviews you could be capable of finding.
At about that point, most folks will be content to depend on whatever purchaser reviews are available right there on the site the product can be ordered from, but I usually counsel taking a more cautious approach. Not to say that shopper reveiews aren't helpful, and they can actually be seen as "supporting materials," but there are a few issues with purchaser reviews.
First, given that you don't know the men and women that wrote the reviews you are reading, you don't know if they could have some other axe to grind. Perhaps their sister's cousin's lover worked at the company making the product and got fired 2 months back. In a case like that, the review may have less to do about the quality of the product, and more to do about venting against the company in general.
Or, it could be that some enterprising soul got paid a couple of dollars to write an enthusiastic review for the product by the company ( it happens, and more often than you might think ). Maybe that person has actually employed the product in question , but more likely he or she hasn't . They just took the cash, spit out a review, and moved onto the next subject.
Naturally, some reviews are created by real, well meaning folk, so I'm definitely not suggesting that all customer reviews are bad. They have their place, but in the general scheme of deciding if a product is right for you, don't rely on strangers you know nothing about!
That's where pro review sites become active. A great review site will have heaps of in depth product reviews, offer up details on the benefits and drawbacks of the product, highlight the good, while not stinting on the details about potential inabilities, and additionally, the majority of these sites are either public, meaning you can do a "whois" and find out who the owner of the site is, or, they have a way of contacting the owners with extra questions.
When you first start visiting a professional review website, if you're not sure, or not absolutely cosy, don't hesitate to get in contact with the owners and ask questions! As the owner of lots of websites myself, I can make it plain that I'm always excited to hear from folks who have found me on the web, and more than a couple of great friendships have started in just that way.
The point is, that by doing this, you'll quickly come to trust the site in question, and once you do, you will have a solid, trusty place you can turn to when doing product research before you buy. Given the quantity of scam artists operating on the web today, that's absolutely invaluable!
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