1) How much of an influence do your fellow posters have on your buying habits?
Perhaps some. It depends on who is saying what. I play with a lot of different products on my own anyway, but if someone I feel is knowledgeable makes a recommendation that I haven' t looked at yet I will certainly take a look at the product when possible.
2) Do you find that your fellow posters good experiences are more often correct than not in your case?
Not always. Again it depends on who that person is. In an environment like this, everyone is an " expert" .
3) Are you more inclined to go with word of mouth advertising (like here on HBBS), commercial advertising (from the manufacturer), or pro-shop recommendation?
I think a lot depends on the product. For example with a bow I can look at the specs and know if I am interested or not. I usually wouldn' t buy one unless I shot it however. Accessories are a little different. Word of mouth, especially from someone I feel knows what they are talking about is very powerful.
4) To what degree are you skeptical of people promoting product who work for the company, are staff shooters, or sell the products for a living? A lot? A little?
Skeptical? Me?!! Are you kidding?
When it comes to making a subjective call I am always skeptical, especially when there is money involved. Whenever I see or hear someone making a claim based on emotion for brand x versus what the facts show, my " skepto-meter" goes off the charts.
5) In relation to number 4: Even if that “biased individual” (cause they sell the product or work with/for the company in some manner) is also making constructive criticisms about said product, are you less likely to dismiss the product? e.g. I used to be on the HCA dealer staff back in the mid 1990’s. If you walked into my shop and in discussing the bows I was mostly positive about the line, but I was also straight-forward enough to make some criticisms, would you be more likely to buy the product or less? (I.e. If the criticisms were minor, would you appreciate the honesty and go ahead w/ the purchase, or would you be scared to buy the product because I didn’t make it out to be the Holy Grail?)
I would be more inclined to at least listen to the person if I felt he or she was presenting both the positives and the negatives of the product.
6) How influential are your hunting buddies on your buying decisions? Do you tend to gravitate towards the same gear that they have or vice-versa? (I see this all the time @ the shop I help out at)
What my buddy likes I might not care for. It is a good thing too, because if I had to have everything they did I would have to many girl friends.
Certainly if one of my friends asks me to try something I normally would. But I still use products that I feel best suit my style. It seems like there is always one person who feels like you should be using everything he is, because of course what he uses is " the best" . How irritating.