Thread: Amazon reviews: how reliable are they

Yes, there are many fake reviews, and they have thought of everything to fool the consumer, including deliberately making spelling misteaks.

Reminds me of a podcast I listened to on this subject, it’s an interesting listen:

https://www.npr.org/sections/money/2...-review-hunter

There are all kinds of schemes and tricks involving reviews as the entire Amazon Universe is a wild west show. There are folks making big money advising sellers on the system.

My take on reviews is look for many many reviews on a product and you're pretty safe. Just a few reviews and you never know.

That is what I like about amazon: no quibble money back guarantee. That way I do not lose a penny and they pay the price for their own poor review checks and policies.

We spend thousands every year on Amazon (though I feel kind of cruddy doing it as they treat their employees like garbage, and they've gutted small businesses and brick and mortar stores). That said, half the stuff in my house came from Amazon. If something has hundreds or thousands of great reviews and especially an Amazon's Choice, I am sometimes enough of a sucker to buy it. But always read some of the bad reviews too so you know what to expect in the worst case scenario. Their return infrastructure is so easy, you're not taking much risk.

I got a delivery today (hell,who am I kidding-almost every day) from a pleasant young woman in a mask. Between them, Ebay and Etsy, whew-we've been at home too long (which is when we always spend too much money).

Strange how it seems to be fair game to rag on Amazon for a variety of reasons. Just remember most of the products sold on Amazon are small business folks not Amazon itself. Also remember not long ago when folks ragged on Walmart for being responsible for destoying small towns and causing downtowns to turn into ghost towns. Of course everything you buy at Wallyworld, the profits go into the pockets of the owning family.

If Amazon prime doesn't have it, I probably don't need it.

Lots of fake reviews of Amazon. Fake good reviews, AND fake bad reviews. Got a competitor with better marketing, better service, or better product? Buy his stuff and review it. Truth is optional. 3 or 4 bad reviews on a new product can be enough to kill it, especially if your competing product has a track record of months and months, maybe years, with 20 or 30 good reviews, which you can simply write yourself. Have your employees, friends, or family all order your thing, you write the reviews or let them write them but you edit them before sending. You pay them back for the product and return it to stock. You are out a couple bucks postage, that's it, and you CLOBBERED the competition. Sometimes this is ridiculously obvious. Sometimes not so obvious.

The negative reviews are useful, though, in that they point out the bad issues with a product. Fake or not fake, flaws will get picked on. I always check the reviews, but I look at the actual reviews, not just the stars. I look at the number of reviews, too. And the questions and answers. I never buy something that doesn't have any good reviews at all, or that has only obviously fake reviews written by the same person or all obviously written by someone using English as a second language or using a translator. I am in the U.S. and if it is something foreign made, I want to see some good reviews obviously written by someone who is conversant in American English. That someone is more likely to be a bona fide customer and not an employee in China or India or some place.

Reviews aren't the only thing I look at, and sometimes I will buy something that isn't highly rated and favorably reviewed, but I do read them and consider their authenticity, import and relevance. I am always aware that both bad and good reviews can be fake, and cutthroat business owners will use reviews to create an advantage over the competition.

I got a mail today from amazon they published the review. Looks like negative reviews need more processing time....

Yea, I've done some 1 or 2 star reviews on Amazon and they review those carefully but they do publish them. It just takes a few days.