Personally I've had few troubles with fake reviews & ratings. Aggregate ratings and review are just one signal in a purchasing decision. If I'm buying something

Personally I've had few troubles with fake reviews & ratings. Aggregate ratings and review are just one signal in a purchasing decision. If I'm buying something non-disposable, particularly if it costs more than $50, I almost always look at the top 3-4 products to compare features and scrutinize reviews carefully to look at hidden issues and tradeoffs. With this approach, fake reviews almost always fall in the same bucket as real ones that I perceive to be undiscerning or ignorant - I'm much more compelled by detailed reviews that mirror my own perspectives, interests, concerns, and thought processes. On the rare occasions that I wind up with something unsatisfactory, it's hardly an issue to take 3 minutes to get a full refund. I also couldn't disagree with you more on how bad a deal Amazon is. Yes, you pay a premium on many things. On the other hand, that premium pays for itself 100+ times over due to the tremendous amount of time and frustration I save by virtue of not having to physically go somewhere to do the vast majority of my shopping. Furthermore, I also find huge value in being able to make careful, informed decisions about what I buy without time-pressure and other annoyances imposed by the physical world. I hate shopping at most stores and when I'm there the strong desire to leave as soon as I can tends to take precedence over making the smartest purchase. Overall I would say using Amazon for most of my shopping has greatly improved my quality of life due to these factors.