Is every gadget purchase tinged with potential regret?

(Credit: Sarah Tew/CNET)

Dateline: November 9, Manhattan. I'm inside B&H Photo, carrying a Nikon D70 SLR camera my dad was kind enough to pass down to me. It doesn't have a lens, or a memory card, or a case. Those are my responsibilities. This is why I'm spending close to an hour staring at various lenses ranging from 18-55 all the way up to 18-200mm, all the while knowing nearly nothing about SLR technology.

November 10: 11 a.m. After a long shower this morning and a fretful commute to work, I'm carrying my D70 with the Tamron 18-200mm lens I bought, and wondering, did I do the right thing? Did I make the right purchase?

I'm an editor at CNET, but I review laptops, not cameras. And still, post-purchase, I'm racked with regret. Consumer second-guessing--should I have gotten a cheaper Nikon kits lens?--is combined with frantic forum-reading, friend-calling, colleague-consulting. I'm told on four separate occasions that, yes, I made a good purchase. Moreover, the Tamron lens only cost $229 after rebate.

The source of my anxiety.

(Credit: CNET)

But I feel like I've bought a Ferrari. I feel slightly ill. And the funny part about the experience is that I'm reading more about the various Nikon SLR lenses after my purchase than before.

Does this happen to you? I've always had a theory (and so does another co-worker) that it's post-purchase when we want to read the most about our laptop, our game, our new accessory. We want extra confirmation of our good judgment, our wise decision. We want positive reinforcement. We want a pat on the back.

I've found solace from our own camera team and their reviews, and from user opinions. How about you? Are all your purchases tinged with a feeling of potential regret, of fear that you chose poorly? One of the few purchases I've ever made with no regrets was my iPhone, but even then I felt bad about spending so much money in the first place. It's not easy, especially with so many options and so many Web sites and threads that endlessly bat around every minute detail.

Plus, there's always the feeling with any consumer electronics purchase that the cheaper route is somehow a compromised route, and the more you learn the more that lingers in the back of your mind (or, at least, mine) like a grinning devil. Spend a little more...just a little more...or, conversely, why didn't you save a few more bucks?

Meanwhile, I'm learning about SLR cameras as I take photos of my ever-more-mobile child, all the while trying to calm pangs of what my friends like to call "Consumer Stein Remorse."

[beefiestben]

Buyer's remorse? It's a Jedi mindtrick. Harvard psychologist Dan Gilbert sheds remarkable insight on your topic:

http://www.ted.com/talks/dan_gilbert_asks_why_are_we_happy.html

[Vonmoldy]

I immediately thought of this same talk.
Fascinating.

I have thought of this same issue before I watched this talk. The deodorant isle is the worst there are just toom many choices why do I need so many?

If I were to sum it up.
He makes the point that if we have so many choices in a product and we choose one and it sucks we blame ourselves after all we made the choice but if there are limited choices we blame the product or say "There isn't any other".

[cvaldes1831]

Buyer's remorse?

Purchasing gadgets is kiddie play. Just wait until you buy real estate.

[beefiestben]

p.s. I would've gotten the Nikon 18-200 (which I own) or the Tamron 18-270. ;-) Last recommendation - it is impossible to regret buying the Nikon 50/1.8 at $100; in my opinion, it should be everyone's first lens (it was mine).

[phuongnwade]

I haven't got the nikon 50, but if you want sharp portraits of cute kids a prime lens is the way to go (I have the canon 50mm 1.8mm) Especially for indoor shots while they're in the crib or playing, the extra speed goes a long way.

In saying that, I'm continually racked with remorse on purchases, partly because I don't want to spend too much but then I want those extra features, so I end up compromising somewhere and usually in the wrong place. (though I love my flip and my Gateway desktop)

[make_or_break]

The Nikkor 50/1.8 is an excellent lens, I agree; it and the 85/1.8 are the ones I probably use the most. But there's nothing like having the flexibility of a zoom for the average shooter, even though for me I rarely use my Nikon 18-200 these days.

While 3rd-party lenses like those made by Tamron, Sigma and others offer better up-front value than comparable OEM glass at often equal performance, they do tend to get less love in the secondary market when and if the time comes to sell. But if the buyer doesn't care about that then just enjoy your purchase, the great shots that you'll take with the lens and move on.

[beefiestben]

p.s. I would've gotten the Nikon 18-200 (which I own) or the Tamron 18-270. ;-) Last recommendation - it is impossible to regret buying the Nikon 50/1.8 at $100; in my opinion, it should be everyone's first lens (it was mine).

[beefiestben]

p.s. I would've gotten the Nikon 18-200 (which I own) or the Tamron 18-270. ;-) Last recommendation - it is impossible to regret buying the Nikon 50/1.8 at $100; in my opinion, it should be everyone's first lens (it was mine).

[Roy2115]

I'm still trying to decide between the Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS3 and the ZR1. I do have post buyers remorse, mostly when I don't do any research prior to buying (a rarity). But with the iPhone, I was very remorseful over the additional $30 a monht.

[heulenwolf]

I too fight buyer's remorse with gadgets. The only way I've found to beat it is to stick to my priorities and go with my gut. Reviews give you a taste of the writer's priorities or their imaginings of what your priorities may be based on a generalized user class, but maybe not really your own. One man's throw-away feature is another's killer app.

My most recent example was purchasing a netbook in Best Buy of all places. As a computer enthusiast, how could I possibly be happy with Atom performance and 1024x600 screen resolution? As a self-respecting techie, how could I possibly be getting a good deal on what I want in Best Buy? It turns out, BB came through with a model I hadn't read any reviews on with just the right mix of features (EEEPC 1005HAB) that were important to me. I couldn't find that particular mix anywhere online at the time. It had the great, high-contrast screen of the upscale 1005HA model I saw reviewed with the lower price point of the downscale models. It turned out to be a killer mixture of features for the price. I started using it right away on a vacation I went on and I have no regrets on the purchase even if it wasn't a purchase I had planned to make.

At the same time, don't be afraid to take something back when it doesn't live up to your needs or even your expectations for its price. Lost sales and return costs are the only real feedback vendors and manufacturers can trust. People complain about missing features in forums or request niche features in surveys all the time but no vote is as loud as the one you make with your wallet. Unless you've bought from a fly-by-night operation, you've already paid for the right to return. I remember taking back a 5th gen iPod after using it for the entire return period less one day and just not being impressed. It was nice, but not enough for the price. I'd rather have my $280 (or whatever it was) back. A few months later, the iPod Touch came out and I was glad I hadn't caved. It addressed my priorities much more directly and, thus, was worth to me its even higher price.

[Mikeybabes]

I rarely impulse buy, I typically try and read up about gadgets and features and I still get buyers remorse quite often. As an example I have bought 3 different routers over the last 12 months. It's only when I get it home and play with it I find out, well that feature was important to me. Here in Asia, if it isn't broken, there is no returns policy.
Sometimes when I get into the shop, I seem to have forgotten all the reasons I decided on getting the specific model I went into buy, and get derailed quite easily by salespeople who think they are helping.
When I got my Windows Mobile smartphone I started rueing that I didn't go iPhone. Had I bought the iPhone I would be rueing the fact that I didn't wait for the HTC Hero.

[amit2505]

Beyond the camera discussion, stepping back into the real theme of this article about the post purchase remorse syndrome, I actually spend a lot of time researching the product (CNET is of course the starting point..) before a purchase including at times visit to a specialty store to get a feel of the product. By this time you are so comfortable with the purchase that there is no need to go back to read about it.

[futureman123]

Boy, i thought i was the only one who had mega-buyers remorse when buying things... the next step it counting down the days on the calendar to when you can no longer return it, that 30 days is pure agony for me, but then on the 31st day its like a weight has been lifted...

P.S. i notice in that picture of you there is a rather pricey microsoft ergo mouse on the desk... how is that working for ya?

[ScottStein8]

The mouse is extremely comfortable...helps my hand from cramping. Sometimes, on that 31st day, I feel a little worse...

[Buick107]

If you bought an Iphone, any guilt you feel about your lens or any gadget is justified. :P

[mobilePCpilot]

I would also highly recommend the $100 Nikon AF(-D) 50mm f/1.8 lens. Buy the lens, put the camera in (A)perture priority mode at f/1.8, Don?t Use Flash, and make pictures that you want to hang on the wall.

Camera gear is a lot like other things in life. The more you know, the less gear you need. I have gone the full gambit with camera gear. Many times I just have the 50mm f/1.4 with me and I never feel I need another lens.

One of the things I always try to remember is: it isn?t just the subject that makes a great picture, but the interaction of light and shadow. That is why I highly recommend everyone get a very fast lens (f/2.8 or less) and takes pictures without an on-camera flash.

[nauj_solrac]

What about choosing an HTC Hero over an iPhone?

Will that relieve one's guilt? :p

[J2Deguzman]

I've had this same feeling before, and it is one of the reasons i go on cnet so much. Any post-purchase feelings can be lessened by some research. However, with lenses and cameras, seeing it in person could be a large factor in the selection process. But back to the post-purchase regret thing, i've always gone with the "get your moneys worth" idea. With any product, once you start using it, wondering if you should have got something else becomes less of an issue.

[DoMoNoMo]

I thought I was the only one. I just bought a 32in LG 720P LCD TV and as soon as I got it I was on the internet looking and reviews and forums etc. Mind you I had spent the past 3 months searching for just the right TV. I looked at every website imaginable and waited to the price was just right. It was my first TV purchase and my first time dealing with a LCD TV outside of my laptop so I did a lot of research. I got over it and now love my TV.

[vabarger]

You're not alone! It's a common phenomenon, referred to in marketing as "cognitive dissonance".

[vabarger]

You're not alone! It's a common phenomenon, referred to in marketing as "cognitive dissonance".

[davidmcelroy_dotmac]

I'm totally the opposite. Once I make a purchase, I honestly don't think any more about whether it was the right choice or not. I just see the money spent as a "sunk cost" at that point, so it's not even relevant whether it was the right decision or not. I think I'm "wired up" weird in that regard, because most people I know do just what the article describes.

[NervClaX]

Dude, you work for friggin' CNET. If YOU don't read the reviews before making a purchase, who will?

I think your other problem is you bought it at a big-box brick n' mortar store. The next time you find yourself spending an hour + looking at different products, you need to take yourself out of that situation. You need to go home, check the web, make sure it's the right product at the right price, and KNOW what you're going to buy BEFORE setting foot in the store. Don't let anyone steer you in another direction. You'll not only save money, but you'll save yourself from buying stuff you don't need. Try going to the store once without cash or a credit card and just look. You'll reduce anxiety and return later with more consumer confidence.

[docstar7]

I do my research before hand, so I rarely ever regret what I bought, just that I got the best price. Twice in the last few weeks I've run into this issue, first buying a replacement Xbox 360, only to have Walmart offer a $100 gift card with purchase a week later, and I got my wife a Canon TI1 a couple weeks ago only to have Best Buy run a much better bundle deal the following week.

[make_or_break]

The only time I have buyer's remorse is when I find myself vacillating between different choices. Most of the time however I tend to fixate on a specific item, and I know well in advance of the actual purchase that this is the widget that I definitely want. At least for me this seems to work pretty well in eliminating the post-purchase anxiety...at least until I do something stupid like accidentally damaging the thing.

[drewu]

Here's what ken rockwell has to say:

http://www.kenrockwell.com/nikon/dx-dream-team.htm