Hacker News Board Hacker News, browsed like a classic message board
Live data from Hacker News

Amazon disallows pointing out paid reviews

blog.kevmod.com

Post reply on HN
Print view View original

131–140 of 499 posts

Re: Amazon disallows pointing out paid reviews

#131

Post by curryst »

donmcronald wrote: post #63
PaulHoule wrote: post #10

There is a basic problem that if you see an obvious problem with a product listing on AMZN but you didn't buy the product they could care less. Sometimes the listing is obviously a scam, sometimes it is is just something that could be better: somebody is selling a box of assorted TTL ICs for $30 which were ill chosen for any use than testing your logic tester. (e.g. with $30 of quad-NANDs you can build a lot) In the…

The thing that absolutely blows my mind is the way other retailers want to be like Amazon, so they've all added 3rd party sellers to their websites. It's impossible to find anything because search results are dominated by absolute garbage on every retailer's site. They've taken the worst part of Amazon and latched onto it like it's the magic sauce that's going to make them relevant again. The other thing that I find…

I'm with you here. I've often tried to update my minimum price to something that cuts out the crap, and half the results are the exact same thing under a slightly different listing.

I've come to the conclusion that the only way to shop for things is to check out suggestions on Reddit (which are starting to feel more astroturf-y) and then search for that exact item.

Re: Amazon disallows pointing out paid reviews

#132

Post by thrwn_frthr_awy »

ilamont wrote: post #16

I purchased the same webcam for my high school sophomore in September 2020, as school restarted (all online for him). The box contained a $20 "gift card" if I emailed proof of my 5-star review. It looks identical to the one I received (including the email address). Only the reward is different. I didn't try to write a review, I notified customer service in an attempt to report the seller. I documented everything incl…

I wrote a negative review for a projector recently. The projector was so bad and had such good reviews I questioned this directly in my review. I later got a direct email (not an amazon message) from the seller asking if I would take down the review if they refunded me and let me keep the projector.

Re: Amazon disallows pointing out paid reviews

#133

Post by jlarocco »

_kst_ wrote: post #12

It's possible they rejected it simply because it didn't review the product. A review that expresses an opinion about the product and also mentions that other reviewers are being paid might be accepted.

Yeah, it seems like a reasonable policy, IMO.

The sellers can change even if the product doesn't, so don't pollute the reviews with that information. Report it to Amazon and let them deal with it.

Re: Amazon disallows pointing out paid reviews

#134

Post by willis936 »

SmokeyHamster wrote: post #88

Yeah, this is a problem for a long time on Amazon, especially with a lot of the cheap Chinese stuff posted on there. When some cheap looking product has a dozen reviews all like "very good super high quality!!!!!" you know it's just astroturfing.

It goes far deeper than that. The last time I trusted amazon, I ended up getting a counterfeit book and having to fight tooth and nail to get a refund. This set me down a path of trying to find out how the reviews lied to me and how widespread the issue is. I would see items that had been listed for years suddenly balloon to thousands of 5-star reviews, then disappear. I would see old reviews of a product that were reviewing a completely different product. There is no oversight. Amazon is the house in a a casino where the only rule is that the house always wins.

The solution: stop using amazon.

Re: Amazon disallows pointing out paid reviews

#135

Post by pmiller2 »

joombaga wrote: post #127
pmiller2 wrote: post #83

Earlier quoted context omitted.

So? That doesn't address the issue I pointed out.

So seller reviews are useful even if buyers can't read them at all.

What kind of twisted logic leads you to believe this? The whole point of reviews is that you can read them and use them to influence your purchasing decision.

Re: Amazon disallows pointing out paid reviews

#136

Post by rzzzt »

Buttons840 wrote: post #80
OJFord wrote: post #72

Earlier quoted context omitted.

And do we use that site to avoid dodgy products/companies, or to 'side hustle' (god I hate that) reviewing and returning?!

Both. Those in on the hustle will do the work to keep the site updated (making money in the process). Everyone else just uses it to spot fake reviews.

A review review site, then.

Re: Amazon disallows pointing out paid reviews

#137

Post by Guest19023892 »

ardy42 wrote: post #56
pc86 wrote: post #47

Earlier quoted context omitted.

You're not saying Amazon needs to spend $20. You're saying Amazon needs to buy one of every product on Amazon that gets a complaint.

> You're not saying Amazon needs to spend $20. You're saying Amazon needs to buy one of every product on Amazon that gets a complaint. Amazon, being one of the largest and most successful companies in the world, can afford to do that and then some. Yeah, it won't be exactly $20, but it will still be a tiny amount for a company that size. I mean, "inspecting the products you sell for compliance" shouldn't be an option…

Even if Amazon orders one of every product, it's easy to beat that system.

I make two fake companies selling the same product. Each of them asks buyers to write a fake review 50% of the time. One of the companies should pass the Amazon inspection.

Well, then you say Amazon can place more than one order for each product. I just keep tweaking the numbers. I'll have 2% of customers for each of my fake companies get asked to write a review. One of them will not get flagged and the fake reviews will help them rise to the top.

Re: Amazon disallows pointing out paid reviews

#138

Post by plorkyeran »

croes wrote: post #76
ilamont wrote: post #16

I purchased the same webcam for my high school sophomore in September 2020, as school restarted (all online for him). The box contained a $20 "gift card" if I emailed proof of my 5-star review. It looks identical to the one I received (including the email address). Only the reward is different. I didn't try to write a review, I notified customer service in an attempt to report the seller. I documented everything incl…

Amazon doesn't really care about customers like the rest of FAANG. It's all about money, data and power. Everything else is just PR and advertising.

It's a strange transition because early on one of the things that made Amazon amazing was their extreme focus on making customers happy. Maybe they've just discovered that fake reviews and counterfeit items don't actually result in unhappy customers.

Re: Amazon disallows pointing out paid reviews

#139

Post by zapzupnz »

The product review is for the product, not the seller. Seller reviews are for the seller, not the product. Not rocket science.

The post title seems needlessly inflammatory and definitive. The content of the blog really is a whinge about an isolated incident, not any real assertions convincing me that Amazon is silencing anything on purpose in the reviews section.

No doubt Amazon has much to answer for, but not this. When half the reviews are something like "I don't know what this is" because of Amazon's confusing email language, it seems to me that properly enforcing the use of a review section would be ideal, no?

Re: Amazon disallows pointing out paid reviews

#140

Post by ballenf »

mikequinlan wrote: post #78
dheera wrote: post #67

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Someone I know made easier money by listing Amazon-available products on eBay and selling them there for higher prices. They didn't even need inventory, they just got them with Prime shipping after a purchase on eBay. People are stupid. On eBay before buying stuff I always ask the seller if they can beat the Amazon price - 5% cashback that I get on Amazon, or deduct CA sales tax in their price if the product is avail…

People do this with Walmart and Amazon -- they list products at higher prices on Amazon and when people order it, they drop ship it from Walmart.

And Home Depot / Lowes. Every small tool I look for is cheaper there than on Amazon. Often by 1/3 or more. Same brand or better in most cases. And also with free shipping.
Post reply on HN