Because the main on-line retailer within the US and the UK, Amazon sells nearly the whole lot. (Like the brand says, from A to Z.) Whether or not you’re procuring on-line for an inexpensive transportable charger, eco-friendly cleansing provides, or headphones on your youngsters, Amazon is probably going your first cease. And when it’s time to decide on between similar-looking merchandise, most people depend on consumer opinions.
The difficulty is that many Amazon opinions are pretend. Unscrupulous or determined sellers pay for glowing opinions, and a few provide present playing cards or free merchandise in trade for five-star rankings. Sometimes, sellers will even solicit false adverse opinions on competing merchandise. It’s robust to determine 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 suggestions 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 opinions, the adoption of AI summaries, and Fakespot shutting down.
Pretend Amazon Evaluations
In case you are procuring on Amazon, there’s a good probability you’ll see some pretend opinions. A 2023 UK authorities report recommended that 11 to fifteen p.c of shopper electronics opinions on ecommerce platforms have been pretend. That investigation led to an specific ban on pretend opinions within the UK in April 2025, as a part of the Digital Markets, Competitors and Shopper Act 2024. However pretend opinions are usually not simple to eradicate.
The bulk are optimistic, extolling the virtues of a product in suspiciously glowing phrases. Brief five-star opinions are probably supposed to sport the system by boosting a product’s rating and visibility. However there are additionally extra delicate makes an attempt to influence you to purchase, the place paid reviewers will go into some element, perhaps share images, and even write one thing adverse alongside many positives. They may rating a product 4 out of 5 stars, for instance, which might be very convincing.
Some sellers interact in paid adverse opinions designed to criticize competing merchandise. They’re sometimes one-star opinions that target cons and can usually point out one other product that compares favorably to attempt to steer you towards it.
Amazon isn’t the one ecommerce web site with a pretend overview downside. 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 suggestions we focus on right here will serve you generally, not simply on Amazon.
How Amazon Sellers Get Pretend Evaluations
Sellers wish to improve their gross sales, and opinions can try this. The reviewers wish to earn money or free merchandise. That’s why the underground marketplace for pretend opinions is prospering. There are abroad firms promoting blocks of optimistic opinions, social media teams that set up groups of reviewers, and corporations that provide all types of incentives to influence real consumers to go away a good overview. Sellers additionally present refunds or different rewards to persuade consumers to take away or edit adverse opinions. 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 opinions, 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, completely different colours of the identical gadget). Amazon’s variation coverage prohibits sellers from including variations which can be “basically completely different” from the unique and that embody new variations or fashions. However it is vitally simple to search out examples of sellers doing precisely that.
Let’s say a vendor has an inventory with 4,000 optimistic opinions and a mean of 4.5 stars. They will add different merchandise with far fewer, principally adverse, and even no opinions in any respect as variations, and at a look it seems as if they’ve a number of optimistic opinions. For those who discover a itemizing with a number of variations, it’s a must to scroll right down to click on See extra opinions after which choose the All codecs drop-down to filter the opinions for the precise product you’re looking at.
