Amazon is the leading online retailer in the United States. The logo states from A to Z. Whether you're shopping online for a cheap portable charger, eco-friendly cleaning supplies, or headphones for your kids, Amazon is the place to go. Most people rely on user reviews when choosing between similar looking products.
Many Amazon reviews are not real. Some sellers pay for glowing reviews and others offer gift cards or free products in exchange for five-star ratings. False negative reviews are sometimes solicited by sellers. You can reduce the risk of being deceived by knowing the warning signs. There are some tips that can be helpful.
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The reviews are fake.
There is a chance that you will see fake reviews if you shop on Amazon. Most of the people are positive about a product. Five-star reviews are meant to boost a product's ranking and visibility. There are more subtle attempts to convince you to buy, where paid reviewers will go into some detail, share photos, and even include a con with many pros. A product with four out of five stars can be very convincing.
Negative reviews are paid for by some sellers. They are usually one-star reviews that focus on the negatives and will often mention another product that compares favorably to steer you towards it.
Amazon sellers get fake reviews.
Reviews can help sellers increase their sales. Reviewers want to make money. The fake review marketplace is doing well because of that. There are overseas companies that sell blocks of positive reviews, social media groups that organize teams of reviewers, and companies that offer incentives to get buyers to leave a favorable review. Buyers can get refunds or other rewards if they remove or modify negative reviews. There are some common scenarios covered in The Magic Store episode.
There are ways to avoid fake reviews.
We are not talking about big-ticket items and major brands where you can easily find legitimate reviews in the media. Real product recommendations and honest reviews can be found here at WIRED.
Inexpensive items from unknown brands that only have reviews on Amazon are the targets of fake reviews. You can reduce the impact of false reviews on your purchases.
Confirmation of the product review is the first thing to do. There are some listings that have multiple products, but still have older reviews attached. If you want to find out what the latest buyers are saying, you need to switch the reviews list from top to most recent.
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