Welcome to Saving Money with Andrew!
Two respondents to my anonymous reader poll (still open, still anonymous!) asked for tips on how to research new purchases and find trustworthy reviews online. This is surprisingly difficult, as many seemingly reputable sites are filled with fake reviews, and the Internet is filled with review sites of varying quality.
So, how do I look for product reviews and recommendations online? Generally, I start with one of one of three sources:
Wirecutter (owned by the NY Times) is a great website, with thorough reviews of almost every major product in a specific category. I often start product searches on Google by typing in “wirecutter [product]” and seeing what comes up. While they make money from referring users to make purchases, I’ve found their recommendations trustworthy in the past, so I don’t mind.
Rtings is another excellent site with a focus on electronics. I’ve found their reviews as helpful as Wirecutter, though the site is a bit more difficult to navigate.
Reddit can also be a great source of recommendations. Typically, I will look for the specific “subreddit” for the product category (e.g., cameras) by Googling “reddit [product]”, which will take you to that forum. Then, you can ask for recommendations or see questions others have posted.
Note that I did not mention Amazon reviews, which I find to be extraordinarily hit or miss, and often entirely untrustworthy, especially as more and more companies either post fake reviews or offer incentives to purchasers to post five-star reviews. But they aren’t useless. When on Amazon, I tend to focus on the worst reviews by clicking on the one or two-star review categories. Those reviews typically flag the most serious issues with the product. If I can live with those issues, or if they seem rare, that’s a good sign.
Finally, a reader sent me a link to her startup, AuthReview, which is trying to build a platform for verified/trustworthy reviews. It seems like a challenging mission, but a worthy goal, and I wish her the best of luck!
And now, Andrew’s pick(s) of the week:
The NYTimes new series on the massive growth of sports betting in the US is a 2023 Pulitzer Prize shoo-in. One of the most devastating revelations is that many of our largest public universities have multi-million dollar deals to promote sports betting to their students. For example, the University of Colorado received $1.6 million plus a $30 bonus for each of their students who signed up with a major sportsbook. From How Colleges and Sports-Betting Companies ‘Caesarized’ Campus Life:
In September 2021, an official in Michigan State University’s athletic department sent an email to his boss with exciting news: An online betting company was willing to pay handsomely for the right to promote gambling at the university. “Alan, if we are willing to take an aggressive position, we have a $1 M/year deal on the table with Caesar’s[.]”
Does anyone remember the controversy and criticism about banks offering credit cards to college students on campus? This sounds about 1000x worse.
Also:
I hope this has been helpful. If you liked it, please share it on social media! Also, please send me your feedback, requests, and success stories.
I’m curious why you didn’t mention Consumer Reports? They have the most thorough reviews and comparisons between products. It’s not free but the annual fee is easily worth the trust you get and if you are buying a medium size appliance you easily get your money back by making the right decision with CR.