Because the main on-line retailer within the US and the UK, Amazon sells nearly all the things. (Like the emblem says, from A to Z.) Whether or not you might be buying on-line for an inexpensive transportable charger, eco-friendly cleansing provides, or headphones on your children, Amazon is probably going your first cease. And when it’s time to decide on between similar-looking merchandise, most folk depend on consumer critiques.
The difficulty is that many Amazon critiques are pretend. Unscrupulous or determined sellers pay for glowing critiques, and a few supply present playing cards or free merchandise in change for five-star rankings. Often, sellers will even solicit false unfavorable critiques on competing merchandise. It’s robust to establish with certainty what’s actual, however you’ll be able to scale back the danger of being conned when you realize the warning indicators. We’ve compiled some ideas that may assist.
Up to date July 2025: We have up to date this text with latest information, together with the UK’s CMA crackdown on pretend critiques, the adoption of AI summaries, and Fakespot shutting down. We have additionally obtained a information to the very best Amazon Prime Day offers on merchandise our group has examined.
Faux Amazon Evaluations
In case you are buying on Amazon, there’s a good likelihood you’ll see some pretend critiques. A 2023 UK authorities report prompt that 11 to fifteen p.c of client electronics critiques on ecommerce platforms had been pretend. That investigation led to an express ban on pretend critiques within the UK in April 2025, as a part of the Digital Markets, Competitors and Client Act 2024. However pretend critiques should not simple to eradicate.
The bulk are optimistic, extolling the virtues of a product in suspiciously glowing phrases. Quick five-star critiques are probably supposed to recreation the system by boosting a product’s rating and visibility. However there are additionally extra refined makes an attempt to steer you to purchase, the place paid reviewers will go into some element, possibly share images, and even write one thing unfavorable alongside many positives. They could rating a product 4 out of 5 stars, for instance, which will be very convincing.
Some sellers have interaction in paid unfavorable critiques designed to criticize competing merchandise. They’re sometimes one-star critiques that concentrate on cons and can typically point out one other product that compares favorably to attempt to steer you towards it.
Amazon shouldn’t be the one ecommerce web site with a pretend overview drawback. Walmart, Goal, and lots of others have comparable points (the Federal Commerce Fee put greater than 700 companies on discover in 2021 and explored a rule that might set off stiff civil penalties for violators). Many of the ideas we focus on right here will serve you generally, not simply on Amazon.
How Amazon Sellers Get Faux Evaluations
Sellers wish to improve their gross sales, and critiques can do this. The reviewers wish to earn money or free merchandise. That’s why the underground marketplace for pretend critiques is prospering. There are abroad corporations promoting blocks of optimistic critiques, social media teams that arrange groups of reviewers, and corporations that supply all types of incentives to steer real consumers to depart a positive overview. Sellers additionally present refunds or different rewards to persuade consumers to take away or edit unfavorable critiques. Reply All’s “The Magic Retailer” episode covers some frequent situations and is a enjoyable pay attention on the subject.
How Sellers Manipulate Amazon Evaluations
Earlier than we dig into the veracity of particular person Amazon critiques, there are a few dodgy vendor methods to pay attention to. Some sellers abuse the variation system, supposed to allow them to promote variations of a product (for instance, totally different colours of the identical gadget). Amazon’s variation coverage prohibits sellers from including variations which are “essentially totally different” from the unique and that embody new variations or fashions. However it is extremely simple to search out examples of sellers doing precisely that.
Let’s say a vendor has a list with 4,000 optimistic critiques and a median of 4.5 stars. They will add different merchandise with far fewer, principally unfavorable, and even no critiques in any respect as variations, and at a look it seems as if they’ve a number of optimistic critiques. In case you discover a itemizing with a number of variations, you must scroll all the way down to click on See extra critiques after which choose the All codecs drop-down to filter the critiques for the particular product you’re looking at.
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