Compulsive buying disorder (CBD) is characterized by excessive shopping of unneeded or unwanted items that leads to distress or impairment. The classification of compulsive buying disorder remains elusive. Some researchers suggest that it should be grouped with behavioral addictions, while others have linked it to mood and to obsessive-compulsive disorders. CBD is relatively common, with prevalence rates in general population varying from 2 percent to 8 percent across different countries. Age of onset typically coincides with the age at which people first establish credit accounts and with emancipation from home. It shares similar clinical characteristics with classical addictive disorders including compulsive preoccupation, craving, loss of control and negative consequences of shopping. CBD tends to run in families and is associated with significant psychiatric comorbidity, particularly mood and anxiety disorders, substance use disorders, eating disorders, and other disorders of impulse control. Little is known about the neurobiological and genetic mechanisms underlying CBD, nor is there standard treatment. Cognitive-behavioral therapy is promising, while medication studies have been disappointing. Future research on CBD should target etiologic mechanisms and both psychological and pharmacological treatments. Beyond treatment, educational (i.e., learning new coping skills, media literacy instruction) and public policy efforts, as well as parental modeling of appropriate buying behavior, could be beneficial to those with CBD.