Large scale review manipulation by other seller - are we all fools?
Hi, this has probably been discussed over and over and probably even pointless to address as Amazon does not seem to care in the slightest, but still I would like to know how a seller can just rock up with a new product that was first available in Jan 2023 and use a totally different (previous ASIN) products’ OVER 700 almost exclusively 5 Star reviews and ratings (come one, seriously?) and become instant best seller due to the high number of 5 star reviews (unlike most other sellers with an average of 4 stars for similar products)?
And even the 6 odd (5star) reviews for the actual product are almost all unverified and very obviously not genuine, as all conveniently describe different great aspects of the product without any negatives.
When you look at most of the earlier reviews they are all from USA or Canada and also almost exclusively 5 stars, but they all obviously refer to a totally unrelated item, not even closely related, and even with customer images showing the other product.
The only genuine review for the actual product actually mentions in the first sentence that most reviews are for a totally different item.
They have done the same thing for all their other listings as well, avg. rating 4.8 stars (showing 5 stars overall), up to 1500 ratings and reviews, 99% of reviews for totally unrelated item.
Amazon does not seem to care, or at least pretend to care for 1 minute, somehow removes all reviews and ratings, 1 hour later ALL reviews and ratings magically reappear as if nothing happened.
I wonder what this seller is doing to get all their reviews back immediately after Amazon deems them as manipulated or as an incorrect variation/changed detail page to represent different item?
Is it just a matter of ticking a box to confirm the reviews are actually for the right product and not manipulated, when they obviously are?
I thought Amazon has gotten very strict with review manipulation, but apparently you can just shop wildly for fake reviews and ratings and become best seller within a matter of hours!
Are we all dumb to do it properly, genuinely and by the book?
I would like to know why Amazon lets this stuff happen still, it’s the highest form of customer manipulation and just harms the whole platform as well as making a mockery of other sellers who start from 0 and have to do well for YEARS to achieve a respectable and decent review count, and even then it’s most likely not going to be exclusively 5 stars, is it!?
@Jessica @Maja_Amazon @Amelia_Amazon
Large scale review manipulation by other seller - are we all fools?
Hi, this has probably been discussed over and over and probably even pointless to address as Amazon does not seem to care in the slightest, but still I would like to know how a seller can just rock up with a new product that was first available in Jan 2023 and use a totally different (previous ASIN) products’ OVER 700 almost exclusively 5 Star reviews and ratings (come one, seriously?) and become instant best seller due to the high number of 5 star reviews (unlike most other sellers with an average of 4 stars for similar products)?
And even the 6 odd (5star) reviews for the actual product are almost all unverified and very obviously not genuine, as all conveniently describe different great aspects of the product without any negatives.
When you look at most of the earlier reviews they are all from USA or Canada and also almost exclusively 5 stars, but they all obviously refer to a totally unrelated item, not even closely related, and even with customer images showing the other product.
The only genuine review for the actual product actually mentions in the first sentence that most reviews are for a totally different item.
They have done the same thing for all their other listings as well, avg. rating 4.8 stars (showing 5 stars overall), up to 1500 ratings and reviews, 99% of reviews for totally unrelated item.
Amazon does not seem to care, or at least pretend to care for 1 minute, somehow removes all reviews and ratings, 1 hour later ALL reviews and ratings magically reappear as if nothing happened.
I wonder what this seller is doing to get all their reviews back immediately after Amazon deems them as manipulated or as an incorrect variation/changed detail page to represent different item?
Is it just a matter of ticking a box to confirm the reviews are actually for the right product and not manipulated, when they obviously are?
I thought Amazon has gotten very strict with review manipulation, but apparently you can just shop wildly for fake reviews and ratings and become best seller within a matter of hours!
Are we all dumb to do it properly, genuinely and by the book?
I would like to know why Amazon lets this stuff happen still, it’s the highest form of customer manipulation and just harms the whole platform as well as making a mockery of other sellers who start from 0 and have to do well for YEARS to achieve a respectable and decent review count, and even then it’s most likely not going to be exclusively 5 stars, is it!?
@Jessica @Maja_Amazon @Amelia_Amazon
30 replies
Seller_ZQyopdiwkUHOZ
Rather than review manipulation, this may be a case of listing hijacking.
Seller_DTufFoxJuMU0M
I’ve seen it a few times on products I have went to buy, I wanted say a phone case cover, but all the reviews are for a charger cable and others were for something completely unrelated (like a necklace or something)
Guessing the seller who made the listing just changes it when he sells out to the new product and keeps the sales history and review stars.
Tried reporting them, Amazon doesn’t seem to care.
Seller_amUAzjvL5uIzu
Anyone remember the Backpack feedback manipulation debacle from a few years ago carried out by an Amazon employee,maybe its still happening.
Seller_7VbclcPFFRTnc
Sounds like a highjacked asin on .com and then using the same asin to create a new asin on uk site
Seller_WDhdcjDfu6Z4g
@TRZ Post the listing, it’s more likely to get took down after someone sees it on here than via SS.
Without seeing it, it sounds like it may be done via variation abuse.
Seller_bi8rGHHcLpoVs
We had a listing which had 100’s of 5 star reviews. It got hijacked to an anti dog barking collar listing, it changed item a few times. All the reviews were for the original item which was totally unrelated.
Reported it numerous times trying to get the listing back to no avail. Amazon just weren’t interested. I moved on in the end, it just wasn’t worth the stress.
Seller_jyyEi5KwhRknw
Agreed - we are facing the same issues with competitors having thousands of reviews and we only have a few in 3 years of selling the same products on Amazon.
Seller_l78koE9kGCu59
I buy a LOT on Amazon and have become a bit of a review fanatic. I see this on a daily basis.
For example looking to buy a syphon for an aquarium.
Reading the reiew on the thousands I notice that all recent reviews are 1 star but the initial visual “5 star” icon at the top of the page suggests it should be almost all 5 star reviews. Then you read the 1 start recent reviews and realise that these are all refering to a a pair of gloves that are teeny and almost always returned or “thrown away” by the unhappy reveiwer.
Often you can see when the swtich was too and almost all of the examples I’ve seen recently show the product was dormant for about a year and then suddenly the product changed and from that point onwards 100% bad reviews.
Many (most) Amazon customers who don;t understand the Amazon system and site wouldn’t even notice this and trust the 7000 reviews and overall 4.9 stars.
I think the wider issue that if Amazon bothered to fix, would sort many other issues with the catalogue and dodgy sellers along with customer dissaisfaction, is covered by one word - BRAND.
These aren’t “brands” they’re mostly hijackers looking for a quick buck until they get busted.
Seller_4fRrU8GOPvnNA
Listing highjacking, fake reviews, Chinese scammers hundreds of (new) seller accounts used until they get banned.
The same product that is sold over 10+ listings from 10+ new chinese burner accounts with 10+ random brand names.
With obviously lots and lots of unverified 5 star reviews.
Chinese scammers use bots lately to highjack ASIN’s. They search for sleeping/dead ASIN’s with positive reviews > then they highjack the ASIN… manipulate the brand name / content / … on a massive scale.
Numerous of our (brand protected) listings have been highjacked over the past 2 months… it took us 50+ hours in calls/escalations/5 weeks to get our ASIN’s back.
Because the brand name was altered we could +/- track what the scammer did on the platform. Hundreds and hundreds of highjacked ASIN’s… that are used to sell garbage on.
We filed numerous infringements claims, trademark claims, abuse claims, listing absue claims, … amazon ignored them all.
We even found numerous situation where the scammer highjacked ASIN’s, altered the contents… and sold the chinese garbage under a big brand name (Coca Cola, Dupont, 3M, etc… )… all fake.
Even in this situation… amazon did not suspend the seller.
Popular youtuber made a video recently about “scamazon”.
His experience is exactly the same. Amazon is well aware of the situation, but does not suspend these sellers.
So believe me amazon will never ever suspend an account for fake reviews.
They don’t even suspend for highjacked ASIN’s on a massive scale, probably done by bots.
And they don’t even suspend seller for selling scam products… like the ones the YouTube person bought.
Amazon only cares about revenue. As long as they make more money on the scammers then they loose… the game continues.
Since the start of 2023 the situation on our ASIN’s escalated completely. ASIN attacks, and fake competition with scam products. Advertised scam products.
