4 ms·

I'm just spitballing, but what do you guys think about this as a fake-resistant review system? To list your product on Amazon as a seller, you pay $500 per yea

by Meekro 6y ago

I'm just spitballing, but what do you guys think about this as a fake-resistant review system? To list your product on Amazon as a seller, you pay $500 per year as a "review incentivization fee." The algorithm randomly selects buyers and emails them 1 month after their purchase. They are offered $10 to write a review. The chance of being randomly selected as a reviewer auto-adjusts to target a goal of 50 reviews per year, and no one except those people is allowed to post reviews. Also, reviewers can update their reviews later if their impression of the product changes. If a seller wanted to keep farming reviews, they would now have to buy up the vast majority of their own inventory in the hopes of being selected. Also, my system prevents people who are experiencing one-in-a-million problems (or who are just habitually disgruntled) from dominating the conversation.

crazypython 6y ago
Sellers already pay people to write reviews– and compensate for the product. How is this system any different? > If a seller wanted to keep farming reviews, they would now have to buy up the vast majority of their own inventory in the hopes of being selected. They already have 100 people buy their product and fully pay for it for a review.
- Meekro 6y ago
  It's different because it has Amazon randomly selecting who gets paid to write a review, and the reviewer doesn't have any incentive to lie since they get the $10 regardless. Sellers are currently paying people (in money and product) for 5 star reviews, which is exactly the problem I'm trying to solve.
  - xxs 6y ago
    The seller merely includes a promotion - leave a good review, receive a gift card (or straight up refund for cheaper products). Your system may have minor chance of success if there was no way for the sellers to contact customers.
ta8645 6y ago
It might reduce the incentive for the seller to deal with post-sales problems after that 1-month period. Once they see a person hasn't been selected, they can ignore any of their support requests without worry of a bad review.
- hattmall 6y ago
  They could still leave seller feedback. Amazon has both seller feedback and product reviews two separate metrics and seller feedback impacts a sellers standing on Amazon where as product reviews only reflect on the product.
ikeboy 6y ago
You're just describing the Early Reviewer Program and suggesting all other reviews be banned.
alasdair_ 6y ago
Many Amazon sellers openly solicit good reviews with a card included with the purchase promising discounts or gifts for good reviews. This method would just increase that. "We'll pay you $100 if you get chosen and write us a 5-star review" would be a reasonable offer for both buyer and seller.
- Meekro 6y ago
  If I got that offer I would post the 5-star review, claim the $100, and then edit my review to say "They tried to bribe me. 1 star. Photos attached as proof." But you're right, I think that's a legitimate issue. I'm not saying my plan is perfect, but I'm pretty sure it improves on the status quo.
  - behringer 6y ago
    Review deleted. Seller feedback should be posted to the seller page.
    - tmp2345 6y ago
      This its a no loose situation for the seller
    - Meekro 6y ago
      In that case, I post the 5-star review, claim the $100, delete my own review, and post negative seller feedback.
    - CRConrad 6y ago
      The GP proposed revamping the review system entirely. What makes you think their revamped system would include a possibility for the seller to delete reviews?
xxs 6y ago
>1 month after their purchase. Way too short time for almost anything that's not a direct consumable. >They are offered $10 to write a review. That's too low (or too low depending on the product), negative experience is a lot more likely to be vented.
lifeformed 6y ago
Sounds similar to sortition: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sortition https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sortition
deleted 6y ago
[deleted]
mFixman 6y ago
The only fake-resistant review system is one read by critical people. The problem the star average is used as the only proxy for quality. Even without fake reviews it's completely meaningless since different people like different things (relevant XKCD: https://xkcd.com/937/ https://xkcd.com/937/). When I buy things I look at what people complain about when they dislike the product. Is this electronic badly grounded and gave you an electric shock? I'll look somewhere else. Did you give this gay bar a 1-star review because they didn't let you in with the rest of your hen party? Awesome!
gandalfian 6y ago
Amazon vine? https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amazon_Vine https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amazon_Vine
WhompingWindows 6y ago
Sounds good, may want to tweak the parameters. $500 is a lot to get skin in the game for a small seller, $10 seems good, but then a month is probably not long enough. I buy a lot of tools and machines and gadgets, those are probably best reviewed after 1-2 years of use.

by Meekro 6y ago

crazypython 6y ago

Sellers already pay people to write reviews– and compensate for the product. How is this system any different? > If a seller wanted to keep farming reviews, they would now have to buy up the vast majority of their own inventory in the hopes of being selected. They already have 100 people buy their product and fully pay for it for a review.

Meekro 6y ago
It's different because it has Amazon randomly selecting who gets paid to write a review, and the reviewer doesn't have any incentive to lie since they get the $10 regardless. Sellers are currently paying people (in money and product) for 5 star reviews, which is exactly the problem I'm trying to solve.
- xxs 6y ago
  The seller merely includes a promotion - leave a good review, receive a gift card (or straight up refund for cheaper products). Your system may have minor chance of success if there was no way for the sellers to contact customers.

ta8645 6y ago

It might reduce the incentive for the seller to deal with post-sales problems after that 1-month period. Once they see a person hasn't been selected, they can ignore any of their support requests without worry of a bad review.

hattmall 6y ago
They could still leave seller feedback. Amazon has both seller feedback and product reviews two separate metrics and seller feedback impacts a sellers standing on Amazon where as product reviews only reflect on the product.

ikeboy 6y ago

You're just describing the Early Reviewer Program and suggesting all other reviews be banned.

alasdair_ 6y ago

Many Amazon sellers openly solicit good reviews with a card included with the purchase promising discounts or gifts for good reviews. This method would just increase that. "We'll pay you $100 if you get chosen and write us a 5-star review" would be a reasonable offer for both buyer and seller.

Meekro 6y ago
If I got that offer I would post the 5-star review, claim the $100, and then edit my review to say "They tried to bribe me. 1 star. Photos attached as proof." But you're right, I think that's a legitimate issue. I'm not saying my plan is perfect, but I'm pretty sure it improves on the status quo.
- behringer 6y ago
  Review deleted. Seller feedback should be posted to the seller page.
  - tmp2345 6y ago
    This its a no loose situation for the seller
  - Meekro 6y ago
    In that case, I post the 5-star review, claim the $100, delete my own review, and post negative seller feedback.
  - CRConrad 6y ago
    The GP proposed revamping the review system entirely. What makes you think their revamped system would include a possibility for the seller to delete reviews?

xxs 6y ago

>1 month after their purchase. Way too short time for almost anything that's not a direct consumable. >They are offered $10 to write a review. That's too low (or too low depending on the product), negative experience is a lot more likely to be vented.

lifeformed 6y ago

Sounds similar to sortition: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sortition https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sortition

deleted 6y ago

[deleted]

mFixman 6y ago

The only fake-resistant review system is one read by critical people. The problem the star average is used as the only proxy for quality. Even without fake reviews it's completely meaningless since different people like different things (relevant XKCD: https://xkcd.com/937/ https://xkcd.com/937/). When I buy things I look at what people complain about when they dislike the product. Is this electronic badly grounded and gave you an electric shock? I'll look somewhere else. Did you give this gay bar a 1-star review because they didn't let you in with the rest of your hen party? Awesome!

gandalfian 6y ago

Amazon vine? https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amazon_Vine https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amazon_Vine

WhompingWindows 6y ago

Sounds good, may want to tweak the parameters. $500 is a lot to get skin in the game for a small seller, $10 seems good, but then a month is probably not long enough. I buy a lot of tools and machines and gadgets, those are probably best reviewed after 1-2 years of use.