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Buyer's remorse is an emotional condition whereby a person feels remorse or regret after the purchase of an item. It is frequently associated with the purchase of higher value items such as property, cars, computers, jewelry, etc. The common condition is brought on by an internal sense of doubt that the correct decision has been made. With high value items such as a property, this is exacerbated by the fear that one may have acted without full and complete information, for example, the property was not fully surveyed or that (perhaps) one harbours doubts about the veracity of the surveyor. An equally common source of disquiet is a sense than one cannot actually afford the item or that it represents more of a want than a need, despite any protestations to the contrary.

Fundamentally, it is a natural human reaction, rising out of a sense of caution. It cannot therefore be considered "bad" although it may also stem from a sense of not wishing to be "wrong". In an extreme situation, an individual who struggles with or cannot accept the possibility that they may have made a mistake, may be suffering from a more serious and severe condition that is truly little to do with "buyer's remorse".

Frequently, the anxiety has its roots in the individual's doubt that they have purchased the right product, purchased it for the best price or that it will be acceptable to significant others in their lives.

Psychologically, in the phase before purchasing, the prospective buyer feels the positive emotions associated with the purchase (desire, a sense of heightened possibilities, and an intimation of the enjoyment that will accompany using the product, for example): afterwards, having made the purchase, he or she is able more fully to experience the negative aspects: all the opportunity costs of the purchase; and the reduced purchasing power remaining.

Before the act, one has the full array of options, including not purchasing; afterwards, one's options have been reduced to two: a) continuing with the purchase, surrendering all alternatives, or b) renouncing it. So that before purchasing, one experiences oneself as acting in a virile way, creating a situation; while afterwards the time of acting has passed: one is deflated and experiences oneself as having been acted on by the former virile self; one feels bound by one's remaining limited choices. In this way, in terms of the sequence of emotions felt, purchasing might be compared to sex and/or the choices involved in marriage or other partnership choices.^{[citation needed]}

Buyer's remorse can be caused or increased by the knowledge that other people will later question the purchase or claim to know better alternatives.

Extreme shopping activity and any associated remorse is, again, probably a sign of some deeper disquiet and normal "buyer's remorse" should not be confused with the complex emotional dynamics of "shopaholic" behaviour, no more than eating too much on special occasions should be confused with a serious eating disorder such as bulimia.

A purchase, unlike many decisions in life, is invariably either reversible or at least recoverable and should not be a source of enormous anxiety.

Buyer's remorse, when evidence exists that it is justified, is a classical example of cognitive dissonance. One will either seek to discount the new evidence, or truly regret and try to renounce the purchase.

• Retail therapy
• Purchase justification reflex