Source: https://www.linkedin.com/feed/update/urn%3Ali%3Ashare%3A6523774190867271680
5-star phonies: Inside the fake Amazon review complex: I spent two weeks in the underbelly of Amazon’s fake review economy — and emerged questioning our collective trust in the stars. Fake reviews have been an issue for Amazon since its inception, but the problem appears to have intensified in 2015, when Amazon.com began to court Chinese sellers. The decision has led to a flood of new products — a 33% increase, by some accounts — sold by hundreds of thousands of new sellers. Rooted in manufacturing hubs like Guangzhou and Shenzhen, they use Amazon’s fulfillment program, FBA, to send large shipments of electronic goods directly to Amazon warehouses in the US. But the ensuing rush to the marketplace has spawned thousands of indistinguishable goods (chargers, cables, batteries, etc.). And it has prompted sellers to game the system. The fake Amazon review economy is a thriving market, ripe with underground forums, “How To Game The Rankings!” tutorials. But the favored hunting grounds for sellers on the prowl is Amazon’s fellow tech behemoth, Facebook. In a recent two-week period, I identified more than 150 private Facebook groups where sellers openly exchange free products (and, in many cases, commissions) for 5-star reviews, sans disclosures.
