For many people buying their first FTA HD receiver is a very frustrating experience. First, there are just too many models to choose between, then you hear people saying that FTA sucks and that you should just stay with a service such as Dish network.

How are you supposed to cut through all the noise and pick a receiver that satisfies your needs?

I will give you my three very best tips I often give on forums on buying just any kind of tech stuff. Especially tech stuff that I don’t really understand or where there are a lot of different opinions.

Tip #1 – Always Check Online Reviews

This is the best way to prevent being frustrated and disappointed with your purchase. I usually go to Amazon.com and read the reviews even if I don’t indent to buy from them.

It’s important to read both the positive ones and the negative ones but don’t be too swayed by the negative ones as people who are disappointed express their thoughts more intense than people who had a positive experience.

Tip #2 – Buy Three, Return Two

You can do this whenever you are not 100% sure what to get or cannot decide between just a handful of gadgets. This one exploits 100% Money Back, No Questions Asked type guarantees.

Okay here it is.

If you’re not sure which FTA satellite receiver to get, buy the three ones that get closest to your needs. Then test them at home and return the two you don’t want, or all three if none matches your criteria.

Tip #3 – Use Knock-Out Criteria

Instead of thinking in terms of wants, think in terms of “Don’t want”. Instead of being paralyzed by all the choices, knock out a lot of options with don’t-want criteria. Then use Tip #2 on the ones that survive the filtering process.

Whenever I tell a friend how I approach buying tech stuff they say I’m a little crazy. But trust me, I almost never end up with a gadget that I didn’t want or that I don’t enjoy.

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