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What Is the Buyerarchy of Needs?

The Buyerarchy of Needs pyramid guides purchasing decisions for every need that requires a thing. We'll get into details and examples in a moment, but the basic steps for using the Buyerarchy are:

1. Identify the thing you need
2. Start with the exercises at the bottom of the pyramid
3. If you can meet your needs using the exercise at that level, you're done!
4. If your need can't be met at that level of the pyramid, move up one level and repeat Step 3

The Buyerarchy begins with Use What You Have, and for most situations, that’s what we all do naturally and where the decision stays.

Where Did the Buyerarchy Come From?

LEFT: The original Buyerarchy illustration. Credit Sarah Lazarovic/ sarahl.com

 

The term "Buyerarchy of Needs" was coined by Creative Director, Author, and Behavioral Scientist Sarah Lazarovic and dates back to her 2014 book, A Bunch of Pretty Things I Did Not Buy. For a whole year, instead of buying things, she just drew pictures of what she wanted and then wrote about the exercise in minimalism. This wonderfully illustrated book pushes back against consumerism and advocates living with less “stuff.”

The Buyerarchy concept itself blossomed from philosopher Abraham Maslow’s 1943 publication, The Hierarchy of Needs. The pyramid shape suggests that one must first begin at the lowest level, and that is where most people will stay. Maslow’s Hierarchy begins with Physiological needs at the bottom, which are the basic needs of life and the struggle for survival. Many people in the world will work at this level for most if not all of their lives, and there’s no shame or judgment in that – a hefty piece of that is out of our control like where we were born, familial support, and so forth.

Once you have water, shelter and food, you start looking at needs at the next level up. If you have enough food, water, shelter, etc., your goals move up the pyramid to Safety. Maybe you live in an area with a lot of crime, or work a stressful job with high turnover and low pay, or have to spend long periods of time on public transportation to get to work. So you might look at saving for a place closer to work or in a safer area, or a job with better guaranteed pay.

If you can’t get clean water, there is little point in trying to save for a new home: You need water to live, so your resources are going to only that until you have reasonable long-term security that getting clean water is not an issue. If you don't have steady employment (even stressful, low-pay but steady employment), you can't really know if you'll be able to afford to move in the future. And so forth at every level of the Hierarchy of Needs pyramid. 

RIGHT: Illustration of Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs. From Plateresca/ Getty Images, accessed at ThoughtCo.

Moving up is the key difference between the two pyramids. Maslow’s Hierarchy suggests that when a need is met at the lowest level of the pyramid, humans will seek to fulfill the needs at the next level up and so on.

However, to move to the next level up in the Buyerarchy, the need for a thing must be wholly unmet; i.e., if you are unable to use anything you already have to meet a need, then you move up the pyramid.

My Version of the Buyerarchy

Ten years later in 2024, I refreshed the Buyerarchy to reflect the understanding I have of being the most conscientious in making a purchasing decision. I’ll go over my reasoning for the edits I made, but I encourage you to think about whether that makes the most sense vs Lazarovic’s original. Let’s walk through it!

First Stipulation: Your Physiological and Safety Needs Are Met

Imagine you require a thing that’s not right in front of you. The first stipulation is that what you need is above Maslow’s Safety level:

• The thing you require isn’t something to save your life or the life of someone else: Please, please don't ever deprive yourself (or someone else) of medical equipment, medication, emergency supplies, or even necessary temporary emergency items like tourniquets– in the effort to have less "stuff".
• It’s not a health or hygiene item: I know people are hard on themselves (and annoying extremist social media 'influencers' feed into this), but you're 100% NOT A BAD PERSON IF YOU DON'T MAKE YOUR OWN DEODORANT. Hygenically  and even practically speaking, most of the pyramid doesn't even make sense for health and hygeine items. Secondhand dental floss or contact lenses? Absolutely not. Swapping mascara? If you love the person enough to want their eye bacteria. Renting a pair of period underwear? There's a reason no one's offering that service. 
• It’s not something to prevent you from being harmed or attacked
• You wouldn't need it for anything else at Maslow's Safety level:  You need work shoes for your first day tomorrow and can only get to Walmart? Yay, they're open! When you're secure with the job and in need of a better pair later, revisit the pyramid at that time. Going through the pyramid turns out to save you a lot of money and if you have the avenues available can be quite convenient. But I'll be the first to tell you, fixing or updating something can be a huge inconvenience and sometimes pricey, if it makes you feel your life or livelihood is in jeopardy by trying not to buy the thing you need, put yourself first. 

Second Stipulation: You Actually Need It

The second stipulation is the opposite of the first: Check in with yourself that what you’re calling a need is really a need. 

Before even trying the Buyerarchy, if you’re struggling to justify why you ‘require’ the thing, the best decision may be to opt out entirely. If you just like the color, or someone else has it, it catches your eye in the store, or (for real) you feel bored and dream up an item and look for it online, don’t buy it.

There are solutions for every price point and frankly, the lower levels of the Buyerarchy can also be more wallet-friendly. Borrowing, swapping, and many repairs require few additional resources typically. On the flip side, having money or access doesn’t mean you automatically skip to the top of the pyramid and just buy whatever. If going through the Buyerarchy method is of interest to you, taking it seriously is important.

Third Stipulation: You've Broken Down the Item Need to Its Basic Utility

If you're convinced you 'need' a brand new trendy item from a specific brand, break it down and start at the bottom of the pyramid. No one 'needs' the latest brand new style of Louis Vuitton purse. If you have five purses of equal quality and prestige, it's safe to say you can Use What You Have. But if your purse just broke, going through the Buyerarchy pyramid is the perfect exercise.

The Buyerarchy Method: Start at the Bottom

Use What You Have

Need a dress for an event? A table for your outdoor patio? A book to read on the plane? A dog bed?

Whenever you require an item, the first place you should look for a solution is among the items you currently have.

It’s easy, and you might just find yourself with renewed enthusiasm for something you had languishing in the back of your closet!

It’s even easier to use what you have when you keep only those things that bring you joy and that you actively use.

For our examples:

• Dress for an event: I find only a maroon evening gown with black beads in my closet that’s too large. I can’t use it because of the size, so I move up the pyramid.
• Outdoor table: Nothing. The dining table I have is way too heavy and the wood isn’t weatherproof. I move up the Buyerarchy pyramid here, too.
• Book: I have dozens on my shelf that are unread and select one that looks entertaining. My need is met using what I have!
• Dog bed: The dog bed I have has been chewed up and a lot of stuffing is coming out. Other than that, I don’t even have a pillow or cushion a dog could use. This need moves up the Buyerarchy as well.

Fix – Update – Repair – Refresh

If nothing you have will immediately satisfy your need, it’s time to broaden the search. Moving up the pyramid, you’re still looking through what you already have. But now, it’s to see if you can add to or change something you have in a way that fits your need.

To save time, I often move to this step concurrently with Use What You Have.

As I mentioned before, these solutions are often overlooked. You might have exactly what you need on hand, but it needs a little work to get it back into fighting shape. Maybe a new button, a coat of paint, or some cleaning will help.

For high-end items, like purses, appliances, or furniture, getting professional repair or refurbishment is likely worthwhile. If you follow the “buy it for life” rule, chances are good that a little TLC from you and/ or a pro will keep your item in use for many more years, at a fraction of the cost of buying new. AND, well-made items were made with long-term repairs in mind.

For our remaining examples:

• Dress for an event: I measure myself and the dress and decide to take in a few inches at the back seam. My need can be met by fixing what I have!
• Outdoor table: Still nothing. Need to continue moving up the Buyerarchy pyramid.
• Dog bed: I patch up the dog bed, but my dog still chews the sides and rips out the stuffing. So I don’t have a need met here yet, either.

Swap – Borrow – Rent

Of our four examples, half of the needs were met using things I already had. If you have nothing you can use on hand, then it’s time to branch out to see what others might have that you can use.

Women are much more accustomed in our society to borrowing from friends’ closets, and I think it should be normalized for men to do that, too. And for all items, borrowing respectfully from a neighbor, friend, or community member is simple and can substantially broaden the things you have access to, without consuming additional resources.

One caveat: Swapping, borrowing, or renting may be a better solution than updating/ refreshing something you have if you only need the item for a short time and don’t want to permanently change something you have and otherwise use just for one event.

There’s a ghost addendum to this: Receive. If NextDoor, Freecycle, Facebook Marketplace, or another local site has listings for free, and you see what you need, receiving that free item graciously also fits into this level of the Buyerarchy. Free items that are in good condition are usually being gifted by someone who thinks the item is nice enough to stay in use and doesn’t know what else to do with it or doesn’t want to sink time into trying to sell it. So both parties are better off!

For our examples:

• Dress for an event: The dress is maroon, but I discover that the dress code is black only. I’m happy to take it in, but I don’t want to dye it. Fortunately, my friend has an extra black dress I can borrow. If it doesn’t fit, I’ll go to a rental shop.
• Outdoor table: I need a table all summer, so renting or borrowing won’t work. And I’m not sure what I have that someone would swap for a table. Freecycle has one I love and the owner agrees to gift it to me if I pick it up. Need met!
• Book: We’re at the end of vacation and I don’t have access to my own books, but I discover the hotel has a “leave one, take one” bookshelf. I make the swap, and my needs are met! If I wanted to keep my book, I could also try swapping with my friend for the duration of the ride.
• Dog bed: My dog needs a forever bed, so I try to see if someone has a not stuffed one to give away or trade me for the stuffed one. But all I see are stuffed beds my pup will happily destroy, so I move up the Buyerarchy in this case.

Buy Secondhand

There is so much stuff out there. It all took resources to create, and every piece is being put up for sale because the seller believes there is plenty of life still in it. Some secondhand things are actually still brand new, or used once. Most are still in absolutely mint condition.

Shake off the myths that secondhand is for poor people or that it’s second-rate. Secondhand clothes may cost as much as new Shein, but are vastly better for workers and the planet and will last years longer than Shein so are a far better choice. Secondhand vintage designer pieces are considered by experts to be of better quality than what is being produced today. (Check out this Reddit post on designers that are still worth buying new and vintage- and note the comment about getting a relationship with a tailor.)

Photo by cottonbro studio on Pexels.com

Outside of the clothing realm, the same rule applies: Secondhand is definitely not always worse than new. Real wood furniture purchased secondhand is of much better quality than say, IKEA or whatever they have at Target, and sometimes still more expensive because of the comparatively high durability and lifetime value. Studies like the Vestaire Collective Circularity Report show without doubt that you’ll get a lot more years of high-quality use from the better piece purchased secondhand, and without the environmental impact.

BTW that report showed that buying high-quality secondhand costs a whopping 33% less in the long run than low-quality new items.

For our examples:

• Dress for an event: In this example, I probably wouldn’t ever get to this level of the Buyerarchy. Even if I needed a dress for events regularly, I have one I can fix. And if it needed to be black, I could dye it. Or I could swap with someone. Or I could see about borrowing from my friend every time because I don’t want another dress otherwise lying around in my closet. Or maybe she will swap me for the maroon one. But let’s say I’m without a black dress and I’ll need one every quarter and my friend needs hers for Wedding Season. Dyeing the one I have is too difficult with the beading, I find, so instead of renting every time, I head to a consignment shop. I find the perfect “forever” dress and get it tailored before the event. Need met!
• Outdoor table: It seems now that outdoor tables are getting snapped up quickly on Freecycle whenever there is one, and the one I scored turns out to be an hour away so I have to pass. A vintage furniture store close by has a perfect 70’s style table displayed outside and I am excited to buy it! Need met.
• Book: I’m all for used bookstores, the rare and dying breed. So in this specific instance, if you see a used bookstore and want to go on a buying spree, I highly encourage it. Then you’ll have more books when you shop your own shelf next time!
• Dog bed: I just can’t find many that aren’t stuffed, and the smell of other dogs is still on one that looks like a blanket with ridges (I can’t smell anything but pup is growling at it in the store). It just isn’t going to work out. Will have to keep moving up the Buyerarchy in this example.

Make

This option uses a lot of time and resources, so it’s really for hobbyists or specialists. I think the intention behind it is for upcycling, aka, using a bunch of materials you have on hand or could source for free/ secondhand to create exactly what you are looking for. In most instances, buying all the materials new (including any necessary tools) and then creating the item is absolutely impractical, probably more expensive than buying secondhand, and in many cases not likely to turn out well.

This is near the top of the pyramid because of the resource use. Frankly, if you have the skills and tools to make whatever it is you need, that will probably be the choice after using or fixing what you have.

See! The Buyerarchy isn’t an exact science, it’s meant as a guide for responsible consumption.

Forget our examples for this one. In these examples, I don’t have the time, knowledge or tools to make a gown, dog bed, or table. I could write a story on the plane ride, which would fill the ‘entertainment’ need, but if reading was the only thing that would help with vertigo (which for many people it is!), writing wouldn’t help that need either.

Buy New

If you’ve arrived here after truly considering and/ or trying other options, it’s clearly out of necessity. The gist of buying new is to do so as responsibly as you can. For example:

• Minimal packaging, recycled/ recyclable packaging if packaging is necessary
• Recycled/ reused/ upcycled materials
• Low-impact materials
• Fair trade production
• Ethical treatment of workers
• Responsible sourcing

In our examples, the only need that absolutely couldn’t be met another way was for the dog bed. I opt to go to a local pet shop, where I find a lovely non-stuffed option made of woven blankets and waterproof padding. It looks durable and was made in the U.S.A., so although I bought it new, I know I won’t ever need to buy again and did so responsibly.