Why I Always Check Reddit Before Making a Major Purchase

If you can dream it, there's a subreddit for it.

One of the most amazing things that Amazon introduced us to way back when was the customer review. You could find dozens, even hundreds of reviews from real people who purchased the products, helping you make more informed purchasing decisions. This wasn't just an evolution of shopping, but of personal finance, too.

Sadly, these days, the reviews you find on Amazon seem just as likely to be fake as not -- or, often worse, they're not even for the item in the listing at all. This, combined with the increasing prevalence of fake or counterfeit goods, has driven many shoppers, myself included, to other retailers.

But what about those reviews? Have we just stopped getting other's opinions? Of course not. However, now, instead of trusting the reviews listed on retailer sites, I've found a new source of user feedback: Reddit.

Real reviews from (mostly) real people

Sure, it's a well-known reality that social media is full of trolls and fake accounts -- and Reddit is no exception. But it also has a huge number of enthusiastic people across hundreds of subreddits dedicated to everything under the sun. In my opinion, if you want real feedback about a product, you can't do much better than asking about it in the right subreddit.

Want to know if those boots will last? A quick question in the r/hikinggear subreddit and you'll get answers from folks who have really put them through their paces. Need to know if the backpack you've been eyeing will fit all your everyday necessities? The r/onebag community has probably already given it a try.

And the advice goes well beyond your typical retail items. Not sure if that new rewards credit card really fits your needs? Someone over at r/creditcards can probably give you the ins and outs of what it's like to own it. Looking for feedback on a piece of design software before you buy? The folks in r/graphic_design will know all the bugs.

Find things you never knew existed

Reddit is also handy for more than just reviews. I've also been introduced to items I didn't know about before -- and now can't live without. I've discovered new brands, new books, and even new products that I never would have found otherwise.

For example, I consider myself to be fairly well-versed when it comes to financial products. It's my job, after all. But every once in a while, r/personalfinance still introduces me to a niche credit card or savings account I never knew existed.

And if you've ever thought, "I'm so sick of buying this thing again and again," it may be a good idea to check out r/buyitforlife. If you can get past the dozens of posts about ancient cast iron pans, there are quite a few gems to be found.

The list goes on. If you can think it up, chances are good someone on Reddit can help you find it.

The proverbial grain of salt

As with anything else on the internet, you can't take everything on Reddit at face value. There's certainly going to be the usual crop of shills dropping fake reviews, and there are the requisite ads overplaying the virtues of this and that.

But so long as you have a bit of common sense -- and take it all with the proverbial grain of salt -- you can find a lot of really helpful folks, many of whom offer a good amount of genuinely useful advice.