It’s amazing what the web has done to retail sales but more amazing is how my buying decisions are impacted by reviews I read on Amazon.   I’ve been in the market for so many new gadgets and gizmos that I’ve often gone online to read reviews and do some research.   Often, after reading a few reviews I usually make the decision not to buy something because of users opinions.

For example, I wanted to purchase a Kindle at one point but after reading this negative review I opted not to buy it.  “Gadget Queen” makes some serious and valid points that would have really irritated me if I had encountered those same problems.

Next up is a storage solution that I’ve been looking for and this is just one review of a product that convinced me to keep looking.   I am close to finally buying either a Synology or Thecus box and loading it up with 5 to 10 TB worth of drives to store my video, photos and music.

There are plenty of other items which I won’t cover but you get the idea.   It is no longer good enough to read reviews of products as I’ve come to expect actual user feedback on a product.   It’s great to review a product in a laboratory but real world use gives you the real picture.

Ironically, this level of thorough online review is needed because otherwise I wouldn’t be shelling out thousands of dollars for products that I would prefer to buy at a local store in the event that I needed to return it.  Clearly, if the vast majority of users/reviewers have little or no problems with the product then it’s a good indication that it’s a solid product.    I just don’t get why more online retailers don’t get the power of these reviews!