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Excessive Buying Scale

Do impulse buying and compulsive shopping control your life? Take this test to find out.

Mark Travers, Ph.D.

By Mark Travers, Ph.D.

August 2, 2024

Mark Travers, Ph.D., is the lead psychologist at Awake Therapy, responsible for new client intake and placement. Mark received his B.A. in psychology, magna cum laude, from Cornell University and his M.A. and Ph.D. from the University of Colorado Boulder. His academic research has been published in leading psychology journals and has been featured in The New York Times and The New Yorker, among other popular publications. He is a regular contributor for Forbes and Psychology Today, where he writes about psycho-educational topics such as happiness, relationships, personality, and life meaning. Click here to schedule an initial consultation with Mark or another member of the Awake Therapy team. Or, you can drop him a note here.

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Buying-shopping disorder is marked by an irresistible urge to shop excessively. While the recently released International Classification of Diseases (ICD-11) has not included excessive buying as a formal mental health disorder, the effects can still be debilitating. Characterized by compulsive and excessive shopping and spending, BSD can significantly impact sufferers' financial stability, mental health and overall quality of life.

Individuals with BSD may experience a range of symptoms—including an obsession with acquiring new items, feeling gratification when buying and a persistent need to shop even when it negatively affects their lives. This behavior is not just about having a bad shopping habit, but rather a compulsive need that can stop the sufferer from living a normal life.

This excessive buying scale measures the severity and impact of excessive buying behavior. It is effective in evaluating how serious the buying behavior is. The Excessive Buying Scale can help individuals and professionals gain insights into the extent of the problem. By identifying critical areas of concern, it allows for more targeted interventions.

You can take this test here. Follow all of the steps to receive your results.

References: Kyrios, M., Fassnacht, D. B., Ali, K., Maclean, B., & Moulding, R. (2020). Predicting the severity of excessive buying using the Excessive Buying Rating Scale and Compulsive Buying Scale. Journal of Obsessive-Compulsive and Related Disorders, 25, 100509. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jocrd.2020.100509

Step 1: Rate the following statements based on how much you agree with them on a scale of strongly disagree to strongly agree.

1. To what extent do you experience thoughts about buying or shopping that interfere with your daily activities?

2. To what extent do you experience irresistible impulses or urges to buy items you do not necessarily need or that go unused?

3. How much difficulty do you experience in being able to stop your shopping?

4. To what extent do you have a problem going on unnecessary shopping trips?

5. To what extent do you spend excessive time shopping?

6. To what extent do you currently have a problem buying items you do not need or cannot afford?

7. To what extent do you experience emotional distress from buying preoccupations, impulses, or behaviors?

8. How severe are the financial difficulties that your uncontrolled buying behavior in financial problems (e.g., indebtedness or bankruptcy) causes you?

9. To what extent do you experience impairment in your life (e.g., daily routine, job/school, social activities, family activities, financial difficulties) because of problems with buying preoccupations, impulses, or behaviors?

0 of 0 questions answered

Step 2: Enter your age, gender, region, and first name so we can provide you with a detailed report that compares your test scores with people similar to you.

What is your age?

What is your gender?

What region of the world do you live in?

What is your first name?

Step 3: Check to make sure you've provided answers to all of the statements/questions above. Once you've done that, click the button below to send your responses to Awake Therapy's Lead Psychologist, Mark Travers, Ph.D. He will provide you with an overview of how you scored relative to others (all answers are anonymized and confidential to protect users' privacy). He can also answer any follow-up questions you may have.