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Richmond Compulsive Buying Scale3

Richmond Compulsive Buying Scale Test

Understand how strongly impulses drive your shopping in about 2 minutes. This quick 6 item screen supports clear next steps for counseling or care planning.

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Questions: 62 minutes

08:30

October 2, 2025

October 2, 2025
Material has been updated

October 2, 2025
Material has been published

20,029 views

1,547 completions

1,244 likes

Verified by Daniel Hall

Psychologist with 25 years of experience

Scale Explorer

How the Scales are Structured

example score

13/21

Impulsivity Index (II)

Measures how strongly impulsive urges drive purchasing behavior and how hard it is to pause or resist buying in the moment.

Normal range

Elevated (yellow zone)

High (red zone)

3 – 11: Normal range | 12 – 16: Elevated (yellow zone) | 17 – 21: High (red zone)

A score of 13 falls in the elevated (yellow zone), suggesting more frequent or stronger impulse-driven buying than typical, though not at the highest range.

example score

9/21

Obsessive-Compulsive Index (OCI)

Measures the intensity of obsessive and compulsive features in shopping behavior, including intrusive urges and difficulty stopping purchases.

Normal range

Yellow zone

Red zone

3 – 11: Normal range | 12 – 16: Yellow zone | 17 – 21: Red zone

A score of 9 falls in the normal range, suggesting obsessive-compulsive shopping tendencies are not pronounced on this scale.

example score

38/42

Compulsive Buying Behavior Scale (CBBS)

Measures the severity of tendencies toward compulsive buying and difficulty controlling purchasing impulses.

No compulsive buying indicated

Moderate tendency

High tendency (oniomania range)

6 – 23: No compulsive buying indicated | 24 – 35: Moderate tendency | 36 – 42: High tendency (oniomania range)

A score of 38 falls in the high tendency range, suggesting pronounced compulsive buying urges and reduced control over purchasing behavior.

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DATA-BASED USER COHORTS

Who Usually Takes This Test?

Impulse shoppers in debt

41%OF USERS

People worried about overspending or growing credit card balances use it to gauge how much their buying feels out of control.

Stress and emotion buyers

34%OF USERS

Those who shop to cope with anxiety, loneliness, or low mood take it to see whether emotions are driving repetitive purchases.

Clients in counseling

25%OF USERS

People already working with a therapist or counselor take it as a quick screening tool to guide next steps and track change.

BASED ON AGGREGATED, ANONYMIZED DATA FROM TENS OF THOUSANDS OF FREUDLY USERS.

Benchmarking

See How You Compare

Once you complete the test, your results are compared with real-world data from people in your country.
Below is a preview of how scores are typically distributed across each scale.

Impulsivity Index (II)

Average

10.8

Normal range

7.8 — 13.8

min.

max.

This curve shows how scores are typically distributed.
Once you complete the test, your result will appear on the scale so you can see how you compare.

Obsessive-Compulsive Index (OI)

Average

14.9

Normal range

12.7 — 17.2

min.

max.

This curve shows how scores are typically distributed.
Once you complete the test, your result will appear on the scale so you can see how you compare.

Compulsive Buying Behavior Scale (CBBS)

Average

31.5

Normal range

24.9 — 38.1

min.

max.

This curve shows how scores are typically distributed.
Once you complete the test, your result will appear on the scale so you can see how you compare.

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SAMPLE QUESTIONS

Example Questions From the Test

- Strongly disagree
- Mostly disagree
- Rather disagree than agree
- Neutral
- Partly agree
- Mostly agree
- Strongly agree
- Strongly disagree
- Mostly disagree
- Disagree somewhat more than agree
- Neutral
- Partly agree
- Mostly agree
- Strongly agree
- Strongly disagree
- Mostly disagree
- More disagree than agree
- Neutral
- Partly agree
- Mostly agree
- Strongly agree

These are 3 of the 6 real questions — the rest appear in the test. No sign-up needed to start.

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WHAT THE TEST MEASURES

About This Assessment

Richmond Scale of Compulsive Buying Behavior Test

Richmond Compulsive Buying Scale Test - Symptoms and Signs

addiction

ocd

consumption

shopaholism

This brief self-report measure is used to screen for problematic buying tendencies and related loss of control. The Richmond Compulsive Buying Scale provides a structured way to quantify compulsive purchasing features that may be associated with distress or impairment. It was developed by Ronald J. Faber and Thomas C. O'Guinn.

The instrument consists of 6 items and typically takes about 2 minutes to complete. Responses are summed to yield an index of compulsive buying severity, which can support clinical interviewing, treatment planning, and monitoring over time. The Richmond Compulsive Buying Scale is not diagnostic on its own and should be interpreted in the context of presenting concerns, functional impact, and relevant differential considerations.

Author: Ronald J. Faber, Thomas C. O'Guinn

Literature: Faber, R. J., & O’Guinn, T. C. A clinical screener for compulsive buying. Journal of Consumer Research. 1992.; Ridgway, N. M., Kukar-Kinney, M., & Monroe, K. B. An expanded conceptualization and a new measure of compulsive buying. Journal of Consumer Research. 2008.