I have a specific set of guidelines that I like to follow when I buy technology and video games. Not only did I create these guidelines because tech is the genre of product I buy most, but because I like to tell other people about why I adopted this particular shopping mindset. So, I thought I’d share it with you today.

When I see a new product that catches my eye — and I’m a sucker for innovative new tech, so that happens a lot — I never immediately purchase what I see. I play the waiting game, biding my time as I see the flow of reviews, first impressions and overall product feedback grow steadier. Only when I have seen impressive responses from others will I consider buying the product, and even then there are conditions, one being whether or not the product is the first of its type.

You know how companies always advertise their products as “the world’s first ever (insert product name), brought to you by (insert company name)”? I have never seen the appeal of such commercials. My rationale is this: If I want a brand-new product that is reliable, stable and delivers upon its promises, why would I buy the absolute first version of said product? It turns me away more than excites me.

An excellent example would be the PSP. When it was advertised, the handheld was always heralded as breaking new ground, which it certainly had been, but when it broke that new ground it carried the burden of being the first device to do so. A way that we, the consumers, could not predict what it would define for the future. I was part of the group that bought into the whole “world’s first” scheme, and I paid heavily for it. In the year I had my PSP, which cost me hundreds of dollars new, I only had one game due to its stagnant library selection as well as having just dropped nearly all of my savings on the system itself. I then sold everything PSP-related to GameStop, and I learned a valuable lesson.

You see, the model I bought was a first-generation. It was not a PSP-3000 or any of the bundled models. And it obviously was not the leaps and bounds we later got with the PS Vita, but that’s another story.

Because I was suckered in from the beginning, I bought a product that 1) had next to no games, 2) cost an obscene price and 3) had none of my friends interested in it, resulting in me being the only schmuck in my town with one (or so it felt).

What I established after that experience were these guidelines I’ve been referencing all along. Instead of making a list of steps to do, I’ll sum it up in one sentence:

If you want to be a smart tech shopper, do the research, look for signs of a successor, try before you buy and be 100 percent sure of what you’re doing.

Many times have I seen people go for the first generation of a product and be disappointed later. Take the iPad for instance. When it first came out, I urged and urged everyone I knew who was interested in it to wait. I knew from experience that a new one would be out in under a year and that it would vastly improve upon the original’s flaws, as successors tend to do. Some people listened to me, and some didn’t. That’s fine. I know I’m not always right and that there is something great-feeling about being the first to own a product. But the repercussions can be substantial if you’re not prepared for what you’re getting into.

I am someone who always thinks about what’s ahead instead of what we have now. I researched my tablet, the ASUS Transformer Pad Infinity, for 6 months before I ended up buying it. I had a friend who had the first-gen model, and I loved it so much that I wanted one for myself. I trained myself to wait the six months for the Infinity (the fourth version of the Transformer series), and I’m so glad I did. Had I been impatient and gotten the first model, I would have missed out on some great features.

Everything I have said may be obvious when put differently: “Duh, things get better over time, no kidding.” But that prospect is elevated with technology. Nothing changes faster than technology. Look at what we are living with right now; our phones are obsolete almost as soon as we buy them, new models of computers come out every day, and companies are forced to consistently be working on new versions of products just to keep a place in the extremely competitive market.

It’s not just about the tech itself, but what revolves around it. I’m talking games, add-ons, peripherals and so much more that influences the product. If those are lacking, the product is almost useless. My PSP was a good example for this.

It’s up to you to choose how to buy your tech. You might enjoy being the first to buy everything, and that’s totally okay. These suggestions were how I go about my process, and I thought I would share it with others who buy as much tech as me.