There was a period of time (lasted about 2-3 years) where I wanted to buy, buy, buy. I didn't buy and return but I did a lot of buying and selling.
My big area was home decor. Handbags and clothing were an active but distant second. I stopped for several reasons.
• Buy, buy, buy made me feel physically ill after a while. I don't buy on credit but use my AmEx which has to be paid in full. So after a while, I knew what the AmEx bill would look like each month. That eventually killed the joy of reckless buying.
• I have spendy, non saving friends. Seeing them buy (waste, gamble, etc) - resulting in serious financial difficulties - is eye opening. Especially, when they repeatedly came to me for loans that never got repaid. I told them all a few years ago that the Bank of Sparkle was closed. They still spend and whine about "hard times". It's ridiculous.
• I realized some of my purchases started to be duplicative. For example, I love designer sunglasses. I realized I only like one style (large, rounded, cat eye). And one pair of black sunglasses with shw looks a lot like another. I don't gain any utility from 12 v. 2 pair. So I kept a tight range of sunnies in colors and hardware I love and sold the rest. I have no desire to buy more unless something unique comes out.
• I hate clutter / owning things I don't use. Collections take up room. Unless I'm actively using the thing, it irritates me to have it in my home. I don't keep things for fantasy "maybe I'll need it" reasons. (My family does this and their houses are like swap meets. Clean but every closet, cabinet and shelf crammed.) I go through my house and wardrobe yearly. Anything that wasn't used, is sold or donated. So, to avoid waste, I think hard before buying to make sure things will be used.
• I despise selling. I did a major wardrobe overhaul and sold hundreds of things on sites like eBay. I've been lucky - I've had a few difficult buyers but haven't been scammed. But, it's a pain in the rumpus to photograph, describe, list, package and ship items. So I instituted a personal 100% satisfaction goal. I don't want to have buyers remorse about anything. So, I pause and really consider my purchases.
• I upgraded. Instead of buying 10 items I sorta liked, I now buy the one thing I really want. A beautiful diamond bracelet makes me happier than 10 costume bracelets. And I'll wear the diamond bracelet much more. So even though I still have to have a little variety (one of anything is rarely sufficient) my total items have gone down significantly because I get exactly what I want. Right now I have 33 handbags - mostly premier. I used to have 150 handbags - mostly junk (sub-contemporary, hand me downs, etc.). I'm much happier with a smaller collection of exactly what I want.
• I keep myself busy doing things other than shopping. It's more fun to
wear my clothes / shoes / bags at a fun activity with friends or on vacation with family than it is buying the things.
• I'm addicted to saving and seeing my assets grow. I didn't come from nor marry money. I've worked and saved to get to this point. I have zero desire to keep up with the Jones or anyone else. I happily live under my means.
• I value freedom more than stuff. I know that If I spend money on things I love but don't really need, that's one more day I have to work before I retire. That's one more bit of dependency I have on keeping a job whether I like it or not. That's one less dollar to use for travel or to spoil adult children and future grandkids years down the road. So that keeps me grounded.
So just as why we buy is complex, why I happily restrain my buying is also comolex. Hope this helps.