Welcome to DU!
The truly grassroots left-of-center political community where regular people, not algorithms, drive the discussions and set the standards.
Join the community:
Create a free account
Support DU (and get rid of ads!):
Become a Star Member
Latest Breaking News
General Discussion
The DU Lounge
All Forums
Issue Forums
Culture Forums
Alliance Forums
Region Forums
Support Forums
Help & Search
How merchants use Facebook to flood Amazon with fake reviews
https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/economy/how-merchants-secretly-use-facebook-to-flood-amazon-with-fake-reviews/2018/04/23/5dad1e30-4392-11e8-8569-26fda6b404c7_story.htmlHow merchants use Facebook to flood Amazon with fake reviews
by Elizabeth Dwoskin and Craig Timberg | April 23 2018 at 1:26 PM
SAN FRANCISCO On Amazon, customer comments can help a product surge in popularity. The online retail giant says that more than 99 percent of its reviews are legitimate because they are written by real shoppers who arent paid for them.
But a Washington Post examination found that for some popular product categories, such as Bluetooth headphones and speakers, the vast majority of reviews appear to violate Amazons prohibition on paid reviews. Such reviews have certain characteristics, such as repetitive wording that people probably cut and paste in.
Many of these fraudulent reviews originate on Facebook, where sellers seek shoppers on dozens of networks, including Amazon Review Club and Amazon Reviewers Group, to give glowing feedback in exchange for money or other compensation. The practice artificially inflates the ranking of thousands of products, experts say, misleading consumers.
Amazon.com banned paying for reviews a year and a half ago because of research it conducted showing that consumers distrust paid reviews. Every once in a while, including this month, Amazon purges shoppers from its site whom it accuses of breaking its policies.
But the ban, sellers and experts say, merely pushed an activity that used to take place openly into dispersed and harder-to-track online communities.
InfoView thread info, including edit history
TrashPut this thread in your Trash Can (My DU » Trash Can)
BookmarkAdd this thread to your Bookmarks (My DU » Bookmarks)
4 replies, 2025 views
ShareGet links to this post and/or share on social media
AlertAlert this post for a rule violation
PowersThere are no powers you can use on this post
EditCannot edit other people's posts
ReplyReply to this post
EditCannot edit other people's posts
Rec (2)
ReplyReply to this post
4 replies
= new reply since forum marked as read
Highlight:
NoneDon't highlight anything
5 newestHighlight 5 most recent replies
How merchants use Facebook to flood Amazon with fake reviews (Original Post)
dalton99a
Apr 2018
OP
Ferrets are Cool
(21,110 posts)1. I might be wrong to do it this way, but I trust
the "verified purchase" reviews. Others, not so much.
And I never JUST use Amazon reviews.
Nitram
(22,913 posts)2. Whether or not I buy a product from Amazon, I always check their reviews.
If there is something wrong with a product, the negative reviews will publicize it. Like everything on the internet, you have to triangulate information, looking for consistencies and inconsistencies to get at the truth of the matter. Detailed reviews are very useful.
ThoughtCriminal
(14,050 posts)3. Maybe throwing out the 5 and 1 star reviews?
I find the most honest and useful reviews to read are often in the 2-4 range.
And crap - I've been looking for blue-tooth headphones.
Nitram
(22,913 posts)4. Sometimes the one star reviews are the best. If a number of reviews describe the same product
defect, that's a red flag.