How to Shop for Products in a Category You are Unfamiliar With

Save yourself time up front when researching and when using the product by finding the right one quickly. Also, reduce your frequency of buyer’s remorse with these tips below.

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This also applies to most every product, not just creative field-related items – from digital cameras to running shoes to computer monitors to baby strollers.

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IDENTIFY THE “INDUSTRY STANDARD” PRODUCT, IF APPLICABLE

• I would define an industry standard product as one that:
  
  • Is well-known and has a loyal customer base that will purchase it multiple times and hold on to it for long periods of time.
  • Is often ubiquitous within a category; everything else is compared against it.
  • Has stood the test of time even with competitors trying to knock it down.
  • Its price is relatively stable and (typically, though not always) reasonable.
• This is perhaps the most crucial thing to find when searching for a product in a category you are unfamiliar with. Those products attained that reputation for a reason; best start looking there to get your bearings.
• This allows you to find a key benchmark with which to compare other products and companies. Do the competing products match or exceed this standard? Are they virtually the same for less money? Are there trade-offs that don’t matter that much to you if you go with a less expensive option?
• As an example: For shotgun microphones, an industry standard in film and documentary filmmaking, and even voiceovers, is the Sennheiser MKH-416, and it has been for decades at this point. Most other shotgun mics are pitted against this legendary product.
  
  • When comparing shotgun mics: take note of its features, price point, and all other relevant things like power source, sound pattern pickup, and of course, how it sounds in a variety of settings.
  • Then look for other shotgun microphones from the same manufacturer as well as common competitors to get a grasp on the landscape of what’s available.
  • Determine which product best suits your priorities based on a combination of reviews, samples, and personal experience if possible, and proceed.

If that’s all you’ve read on this blog, that’s honestly all you really need to know. Find the industry standard, find out why it’s the standard, and then compare it to its direct, and perhaps indirect, competition.

However, there is more to consider, so let’s proceed to things like important reminders and suggestions on finding savings.

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DETERMINE YOUR PRIORITIES RELEVANT TO THE PRODUCT

• Is price your number one priority? (normally, it shouldn’t be number one if you want to make the best decision) 
• What is the frequency with which you will use this product? And how tough will you be on it?
  
  • If it is something you will use professionally and multiple times per week, you’ll probably want to invest in higher-end offerings. If you’ll only use it a handful of times in a year, then the cheapest or one of the cheapest options might be the way to go.

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BUY ONCE, CRY ONCE

• This old saying often holds up well. But as mentioned previously, if you’ll only use it a handful of times, cheap may be the way to go.
• If you buy an item that is cheaper than the industry standard, but it breaks or fails when you need it, that causes waste of materials, time, and money, when buying the more expensive option initially would have saved you a lot of grief.
• As alluded to earlier, you may not want to buy a cheap item if you will use it to earn a living or use it often, especially putting it through its paces.

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MORE EXPENSIVE CAN SAVE YOU TIME & MONEY

• Oftentimes, more expensive products are more feature-rich, and some of these features can be a huge time-saver, or at least a quality of life improvement that is worth its weight in gold.
• I like to think of the hourly rate I am typically paid for my own work, and if buying such a product will save me money and time, it’s a no-brainer.

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MOST EXPENSIVE OR WELL-KNOWN IS NOT ALWAYS BEST

• Now, even though I just advocated for looking at more expensive options, it is important to bear in mind that an item that’s expensive simply because of the brand name isn’t always best.
• Sometimes brands coast on brand name and refuse to innovate or simply price things too high, while mid-tier products perform better in a number of crucial categories.
• An example of a brand coasting on its brand name and reputation is how Canon cameras were the mostly un-contested digital cameras on the market for the 2000s to 2010s. Then Sony came along and blew everyone out of the water with the dynamic range of their sensors. Canon took a while to update their sensors, leaving Sony the dynamic range king in the relevant categories, and many people have switched from Canon to Sony because of this. I’m not trying to drag Canon too much here, as they are still excellent and I use them in addition to Sony, but they slowed their innovation, and for a time, it was clear that Sony was a better choice in some regards. Of course, Canon had more first and third party lens options available which is a huge plus, especially on the used market, but that’s getting into the weeds a bit too much for this blog.

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DON’T SPEND ALL YOUR BUDGET ON SMALL ITEMS THAT COULD BE LOST

• If the item is a smaller one, perhaps a pen or a pocket knife, and if you are prone to losing such things, you may not want to get the most expensive option you can afford.
• Instead, look for functionality, durability, and price to replace.

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WATCH AND READ REVIEWS

• This is perhaps one of the most obvious options, but I still included it on the list because reviews can make or break a purchase, especially when somebody suggests another product to pair with it and they offer advice on part compatibility.
• Be aware that some products have fake reviews or there is a financial incentive for the “sponsored” reviewer to give mostly or only positive feedback.
• It is often useful to search for products on relevant forums or social groups to see what others are saying.

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GET HANDS-ON

• This is not always a possibility, but whenever it is, find a brick and mortar store with a couple options you are weighing, and get your hands on them. You can also rent some items for a couple of days to get a good feel for the smaller things that will make life easier or harder.

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BONUS: METHODS OF SAVING MONEY

• Coupons and promotional codes.
  
  • Influencers or content creators (read: YouTubers, Instagramers) often have promotional codes for 5-15% off on products related to the content they produce. Check for these before purchasing for easy savings.
• Check price history to see if you really are getting a deal, or if it’s one of those “Black Friday” deals where it’s just a regular sale price or if it’s the typical price that they slapped a big ‘ole “SALE” tag on. Also with price history, if you are debating what to spend your hard-earned cash on during a holiday sale, you can check for the same product from a particular vendor a year prior and potentially determine the likelihood of a sale happening again this time around.
  
  • Examples of site price checkers and history checkers:
    
    • Camelcamelcamel (for Amazon price history specifically)
    • PC Part Picker (for building computers—you can check part compatibility in addition to price history of a product).
• Bundles
  
  • On occasion, there are bundles that are worthwhile, but often, the items that are bundled are things that you’d typically pass over if you were shopping for specifically. As an example, when buying a DSLR or mirrorless camera, they will often bundle a cheap lens and in other bundle configurations, they’ll add a cheap bag and SDHC cards. The lens, bag, cards, tripods, etc are often terrible, and it is wiser to buy the camera without any accessories, then spend the rest of your budget on a single, high-quality lens.
  • Just do your research, check the individual items included in the bundle, and see if it’s worth it. Sometimes, you can get some amazing deals.
    
    • One such example was a Sony camera I purchased. It was bundled with a camera-mounted shotgun microphone, and due to the bundle, this $200+ microphone was essentially free! Totally worth it.
• Rebates
  
  • Manufacturer rebates often sweeten deals a little by giving you some cash back. Just don’t forget to submit them!
  • Regarding that same Sony camera I just mentioned, a year or so after I purchased the camera, Sony offered what amounted to a post-purchase $50 rebate, all I had to do was send in the item details.
• Buying used or even open box and refurbished
  
  • Sometimes, just the item’s newness can be a huge premium. If somebody already purchased it and used it lightly or treated it well, you can often find great deals on used items.
  • Manufacturers will sometimes have refurbished and used websites or web pages. One great example of this is Canon’s Refurbished & Used camera and lens pages. I purchased a Canon DSLR from there a number of years ago, and it was practically brand new, but I saved several hundred dollars.