![]() ![]() 14 report on Amazon sellers using Facebook chatbots to cheat its review system. ![]() A company spokesperson responded with the same statement it provided for our Oct. In other words, third-party sellers aren’t the only ones paying her to leave fake reviews and superficially boost sales - Amazon is too.īuzzFeed News sent Amazon a detailed list of questions about how it polices inauthentic reviews. The credit card, an Amazon-branded rewards card, gives Jessica an extra bonus for the purchase. She makes purchases from her own Amazon account and credit card, so her reviews are labeled as a “verified purchase.” After the sellers confirm Jessica has left a 5-star review, the payment is made out of Amazon’s view. Jessica’s activity, as far as Amazon is concerned, looks legitimate. After she leaves a 5-star review, the sellers reimburse her via PayPal or an Amazon gift card, and let her keep the items she reviews. Sellers reach out to Jessica through targeted Facebook ads touting free items or dedicated review groups with thousands of members, and give her a specific set of instructions to purchase their products on Amazon. Because of Amazon’s vast scale, inscrutable algorithms, and capricious enforcement of its own rules, unscrupulous sellers and paid shills largely get away with it.Īmazon has banned giving away free products in exchange for reviews, so Jessica requested anonymity out of fear that the company would suspend her account. But attracting genuine customers is tough, so some sellers use a reliable cheat - bribes. Third-party sellers know what it takes to make it on Amazon: Get good reviews and a high search ranking. “I’m just a pawn in their marketing scheme,” she said. It’s entirely fake, but Jessica told BuzzFeed News she doesn’t think she’s gaming the system she’s trying to help brands grow their businesses in Amazon’s massive marketplace. The twentysomething who lives on the East Coast isn’t a bad judge of quality - the companies that sell these products on Amazon reimburse her for the purchases.Īlthough the loot may be free to her, Jessica’s habit does come with a cost - if you’ve considered buying an Instant Pot recently, her 5-star review, complete with photos and a video, might have nudged you toward a knockoff instead of the real thing. And even though most of the products are cheaply made, she’s given each a 5-star review. She's purchased over 700 products, including three vacuum cleaners, six desk chairs, and no fewer than 26 pairs of earbuds. I just didn't expect this from a supposedly Amazon inspected item.Jessica - not her real name - has spent well over $15,000 on Amazon this year, buying everything from Halloween decorations to a queen-size inflatable mattress. Not saying that it's all bad, I'm sure there are good experiences out there. Just a word of caution to anyone considering buying from Amazon's used dept. I'm heading out to drop off at UPS right now. ![]() They immediately apologized and sent a return label. Apparently whoever bought this new kept the RX100 III, attached the mk3 tag to their old, banged up RX100 and returned it as if it was the new one. ![]() That's right, it's a RX100 mk1 with a RX100 mk3 tag. Then I take out the camera, and this is what I find: All accessories are present and undamaged. Item has been tested and is fully functional. I ordered a used RX100 III from Amazon Warehouse Deals with the following description:Ĭondition: Used - Very Good - Item is in original packaging, but packaging will come damaged. ![]()
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