Where Amazon Reviews Really Come From | WSJ

Amazon has a program where reviewers get free products in exchange for legitimate reviews. In other scenarios, vendors give products free to buyers who rate them five stars. WSJ's Joanna Stern caught up with a professional Amazon reviewer to find out how to spot the fakes. Photo illustration: Laura Kammermann / The Wall Street Journal

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[ilikeyoutube]

This lady is clearly a hoarder. She’s just found a method that fuels her insatiable appetite for stuff; reviewing products. She’s even held on to items she gave negative reviews.

Get help. And donate the items after you’ve reviewed them.

[chrislopez]

Amazon is like a box of chocolates. You never know what you're gonna get.

[revaddict]

Why doesn't Amazon promote more of these Vine reviewers..? I would trust them rather than any other review out there..

[nonyabizness.original]

i buy amazon stuff and post reviews the normal, honest way since 2015. last week, i was looking at a space heater with 70 total reviews, all 5 star. i looked closer and there were 10 reviews in a row by the same name, and then ten more, etc, all the way to 70. i took screenshots and notified amazon. a couple days later, the same seller, same product had several hundred reviews- none of the original ones i saw, but all now for a completely different product- a fireplace- under the space heater title. i notified amazon again. two days later i got an emai from "the community team", showing the amazon logo, telling me that "many of my recent posts were found to be outside the guidelines" and that "failure to comply may result in your account being banned". i have no idea if the email is legit, and if it is, what i did, other than report a fake seller listing.

[CalvinHikes]

I never ever trust a review from someone who got the product for free. Ever.

[blueskinblake]

Don't dis Ms. San Martino. She seems trustworthy enough, if you were her neighbor and saw her out and about and she told you about a product she liked or disliked would you believe her then.
I don't understand the cynicism that leads people to the conclusion that they never could believe people that get products free of charge to review (she clearly states that she has to report them as income on a 1099 anyway). But what is her motivation to give innacurate or only positive reviews anyway? She can keep any of it regardless of her rating of it. And in the long run it benefits any company who believes they have a good product to send it to an even handed reviewer because she has already built trust with customers who are familiar with her reviews good and bad.
There may be a some bias do to behavioral economics at play but I wouldn't think any more than any of the rest of us when we act as boosters for things we like. She seems rational enough based on this short interview and now, seeing the person behind the avatar I would be inclined to trust her- but that is a type of bias on my own part right there.
SO KNOW YOUR BIASES BEFORE YOU JUDGE OTHERS ( IF YOU CAN. 😉 )

[aonutube]

So..let's see.. we need to review the reviewers who review the reviews of the reviewers who review the reviews of the reviewed product... sound fun.

[ag]

"Ricky, I'm sort of allergic to you." So cute :)

[xxxxi]

*How do you even get hired to do fake reviews?*

[Jithin_Jose_]

This is only a temporary solution because it can be tricked by improving the reviews to look more genuine because the reviewers are people, they can and WILL adapt.... The only solution is to employ TRUE reviewers like Amazon is doing now.... And they can always remain more authentic as LONG as they can be absolutely trusted, which, by the way, I am ready for 🙂.

[DanielDGordon]

I'm amazed there was room to sit for the interview in this home. Loved the shot of the kitchen with junk all over the counter.

[xPhobophobia]

Why TF does she have the same sweater as me

[IYG-xc]

It's an invite only program and you get only be considered if you already post ton of reviews to Amazon

[diamond]

3:00 very true. Something like this almost happened to me, and the product was BT headphones interestingly enough. I'm now very wary of products with lots of four and five star reviews.

[naturesfriend]

Thank you!!! I have shopped Amazon products for awhile and trusted the positive product reviews in the beginning. After awhile buying Amazon products based on reviews I was baffled why products I purchased were substandard or discount Dollar Store worthy at above grade prices. I would post my reviews of my disappointing experiences. Then my phone rang late into the night from callers representing the China or Asian companies I had purchased my Amazon products from. Emotionally they invariably told me to remove my reviews. Then in exchange for removing reviews offered to refund my money. Sometimes reviewers of Amazon products I wished to buy warned products were knock offs (Yeti and others ), based on their own buying experiences. I went to Yeti website and purchased products there and advised Yeti of the knock offs sold through Amazon. I have been amazed at Amazon for allowing these scam-y practices.

[doomoncharlie]

First time I used Fakespot, I was shocked. The info it shows is amazing.

[azulazheng]

These groups are real trust me. I even joined one to see stuff but NEVER actually do anything in the group. It’s very sketchy.

[johnscanlon]

Amazon has been in a rut for a long time and I think it is in its death throws;. I wrote four negative reviews about products that hadn't arrived or didn't work and Amazon deleted all of them. Trust is the bond between customers and companies and when this evaporates, bankruptcy looms large.

[davekrueger]

In my experience, paid reviewers (including Vine) hand out 5 star reviews like candy. In fact, I rarely even bother reading reviews from their "Top 500 Reviewers". They are little more than advertisements listing the features and adding something like, "I really like the feature". I don't trust a star rating unless the product has a lot of reviews (preferably hundreds). I also use Fakespot quite often. I like reviews from people who bought the product because they appreciate what's really good or bad about it because the product solved a real problem or served a purpose. I also tend to check 1-3 star reviews more than 4 and 5 star reviews. I don't want to have to find out bad news after I bought the product.

[MarquitaHerald]

Interesting. I don't know about now, but there used to be a serious problem with fake reviews for books. Personally, I rarely leave reviews unless I'm seriously impressed with the product and/or the service.