When it's time to make a big purchase, most of us rush to the internet in search of reviews and comparisons, so we can spend our money wisely... but then we rush out and buy one without actually trying it. Here's what I've started doing instead. 需要购买贵重物品时，为了能够理性消费，很多人都会直接跑到网上去查商品评价或比较。随后，往往试也不试就直接买下来。我却不是这么做的。
My Experience: Last year, I was on the hunt for a nice pair of headphones. I wanted something in the $200 price range with a good amount of bass, so I started hunting online. I found a lot of good contenders, but it seemed like the entire internet was enamored with the Audio Technica ATH-M 50, and everything I read led me to believe I didn't need to look any further. 我的经历：去年，我想买一幅好耳机，重低音， 200刀以内。于是我开始在网上搜罗信息。网上有很多不错的耳机，但似乎铁三角 ATH-m 50这款特别火。在看了它所有的详情和评价之后，我坚信自己不用费神再找了，就买它了。
Instead of just picking up that pair, though, I actually bought three different pairs of headphones and tried them all out. I found that despite their rave reviews, I couldn't stand the ATH-M 50— it just didn't fit with my personal preferences and music taste, and I ended up with a much lesser-known pair that I absolutely adore( the Shure SRH 750 DJ, for those curious). That's not to say the M 50 isn't a great headphone— it is— I just couldn't have known what it would sound like just by reading reviews, especially since I'd never owned a good pair of headphones and had no reference point. 但是，我并没有只买这一款，而是同时买了三款不同的耳机一起试用。结果我发现尽管这三款都好评如潮，但 ATH-M 50跟我的个人喜好和音乐口味完全不搭，于是我最终买了一款相对来说很不出名但我自己完全中意的耳机。
The Lesson: Online reviews can be great, but they're only step one if you really want to get the best product out there for you. The best way to get the right product is to try them for yourself, at home, and compare them to one another. This is what I do now:教训：浏览网上的评价固然不错，但如果你真的想买到最适合自己的宝贝，那评价只是第一步。最佳方式是自己先在家试用一番，并与其他类似产品相比较。我是这么做的：
I start by looking at reviews, comparisons, polls( like our Hive Five series), and forum posts and compile a list of two or three items that might fit my needs. 首先，我会浏览商品评价、同类比较、推荐打分、论坛帖子等等，最后列出两三款符合需求的产品。
I then buy all the products on my list, focusing on stores with good return policies. For headphones, HeadRoom is a great choice, and a lot of manufacturers( like Audioengine) have a 30 - day guarantee that is just perfect for this. Shop around and read return policies. Clothing stores like Zappos are also really good about this. 然后，在那些提供无障碍退换货的商家买下列出的所有产品。例如，买耳机的话 HeadRoom是个不错的选择，其他还有很多厂商（如 Audioengine）都提供 30天试用期。你要做的就是多逛逛，多了解退货流程。美捷步购鞋网站这点做得也相当不错。
Once all the items have arrived, I give them each a short trial period. In the case of things like headphones, I try to compare them side-by-side as well, so I can really hear the differences between each model. 一旦入手，就把每一款产品都小小试用一下。再比如耳机，我甚至会把每一款的左右声道分别比较，这样一来我才能真正辨识出每幅耳机的区别。
When I'm done, I return the ones I don't like. Simple as that. 试用过后我就把不喜欢的几款退掉。就这么简单。
So far, this has worked really well: I've gotten headphones, a mechanical keyboard, and even shoes this way. 迄今为止，这个方法还挺奏效：我用它买了一幅耳机，一个机械式键盘，还有几双鞋子。
Obviously this strategy isn't foolproof. If you're buying really expensive items( like laptops), things get a bit dicier, and if you live outside the US, shipping costs make this much less feasible, for example. But the bottom line is that online reviews are great— but reading them isn't the only step to making a big purchase. When you can, try things out for yourself, and you're much more likely to be happy with the final product. 但显然这个方法也并非万无一失。假如你要买的东西真的很贵（像笔记本），那就有点风险了。再假如你不住在美国，运费又会很贵。不过有一个底线：网上的评价虽好，但对于购买贵重物品来说只是第一步。如果可能，一定要亲自试用，这样最终入手的才可能是你最最满意的。
