Remember when Amazon reviews were mostly just normal people?

I mean, I was looking at a coffee maker last week and the top review was from someone who got it for free. It's like after 2015 or so, the whole vibe changed from 'this broke after 3 months' to these long, polished posts with a dozen pictures. Makes it hard to trust what's real now. Anyone else feel like they have to dig through 50 reviews just to find a regular person's take?

2 comments

2 Comments

rowanbennett12d ago

The Vine program started in 2007, so the free product reviews have been around way longer than 2015. It just got way more noticeable when everyone started doing it. I filter by critical reviews first now, and even then you have to watch for fake negative ones from competitors. The whole system feels broken because the incentive is to get free stuff, not give an honest opinion.

thompson.brian12d ago

Look at the actual data from review platforms, rowanbennett. Most Vine reviewers maintain their status by giving detailed, verified reviews that other buyers find helpful, or they get kicked out. The free stuff is a perk for the work, not the only goal. The system relies on those honest opinions to function, and it mostly works or Amazon would have shut it down years ago.