Before you open your wallet and spend your hard-earned money on that spiffy new gizmo, gadget, or device you have had your eye on for quite some time, it's important to know what you're buying, and confirm it is the right product for you.
This is true irrespective of where you're shopping ( online or off ), but in the case of buying something on the web, it becomes much more critical, because you can't really sit down and test / play with the item in query to make sure. So, all you've got to go on are the technical specifications of the device , its sales description, and whatever reviews you may be able to find.
At about that point, most folks will be content to depend on whatever customer reviews are available right there on the site the product can be ordered from, but I always counsel taking a rather more cautious approach. Not to say that buyer reveiews are not beneficial, and they can definitely be seen as "supporting materials," but there are a few Problems with client reviews.
First, given that you do not know the individuals that wrote the reviews you are reading, you do not know if they may have some other axe to grind. Maybe their sister's cousin's boyfriend 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 might be that some enterprising soul got paid a couple of bucks to draft a glowing review for the product by the company ( it happens, and more frequently than you could think ). Perhaps that person has really utilised the product in query, but more likely he or she has not. They just took the money, spit out a review, and moved onto the following subject.
Naturally, some reviews are written by real, well meaning people, so I am definitely not suggesting that all client reviews are bad. They have their place, but in the final scheme of deciding if a product is best for you, don't depend on strangers you know nothing about!
That's where pro review sites become active. A great review site will have lots of in depth product reviews, offer up details on the benefits and drawbacks of the product, highlight the good, while not scrimping on the details about potential inabilities, and furthermore, many of these sites are either public, meaning you can do a "whois" and figure out who the owner of the site is, or, they have a method of contacting the owners with extra questions.
When you initially start visiting a professional review website, if you aren't sure, or not fully comfortable, don't hesitate to make contact with the owners and raise questions! As the owner of lots of internet sites myself, I can make it clear that I am always thrilled to hear from folks who have found me on the internet, and lots of great friendships have begun in just that way.
The point is, that by doing so, you'll quickly come to trust the site in question, and when you do, you'll have a solid, reliable place you can turn to when doing product research before purchasing. Given the amount of swindle artists operating online today, that is absolutely invaluable!
This is true irrespective of where you're shopping ( online or off ), but in the case of buying something on the web, it becomes much more critical, because you can't really sit down and test / play with the item in query to make sure. So, all you've got to go on are the technical specifications of the device , its sales description, and whatever reviews you may be able to find.
At about that point, most folks will be content to depend on whatever customer reviews are available right there on the site the product can be ordered from, but I always counsel taking a rather more cautious approach. Not to say that buyer reveiews are not beneficial, and they can definitely be seen as "supporting materials," but there are a few Problems with client reviews.
First, given that you do not know the individuals that wrote the reviews you are reading, you do not know if they may have some other axe to grind. Maybe their sister's cousin's boyfriend 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 might be that some enterprising soul got paid a couple of bucks to draft a glowing review for the product by the company ( it happens, and more frequently than you could think ). Perhaps that person has really utilised the product in query, but more likely he or she has not. They just took the money, spit out a review, and moved onto the following subject.
Naturally, some reviews are written by real, well meaning people, so I am definitely not suggesting that all client reviews are bad. They have their place, but in the final scheme of deciding if a product is best for you, don't depend on strangers you know nothing about!
That's where pro review sites become active. A great review site will have lots of in depth product reviews, offer up details on the benefits and drawbacks of the product, highlight the good, while not scrimping on the details about potential inabilities, and furthermore, many of these sites are either public, meaning you can do a "whois" and figure out who the owner of the site is, or, they have a method of contacting the owners with extra questions.
When you initially start visiting a professional review website, if you aren't sure, or not fully comfortable, don't hesitate to make contact with the owners and raise questions! As the owner of lots of internet sites myself, I can make it clear that I am always thrilled to hear from folks who have found me on the internet, and lots of great friendships have begun in just that way.
The point is, that by doing so, you'll quickly come to trust the site in question, and when you do, you'll have a solid, reliable place you can turn to when doing product research before purchasing. Given the amount of swindle artists operating online today, that is absolutely invaluable!
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