Number Crunch

What It Costs to Buy a Five-Star Review on Amazon

The reviews are fake, but the money is very real

€9,000, or $10,950: That’s how much it costs to purchase 1,000 fake Amazon reviews from AMZTigers, one of a number of “review manipulation services” that boost the ratings and sales of third-party merchants on Amazon, according to an investigation by consumer rights group Which, per Business Insider. That’s the bulk pricing — if all you’re looking for is a single fake review, it’ll run you €15 (about $18).

Most merchants who use this service seem to be purchasing positive reviews, but they could conceivably purchase one-star reviews in bulk with the aim of taking down a competitor.

All of this review gaming is bad for Amazon, since boosting substandard products reduces the quality of the site’s shopping experience. It also violates Amazon’s guidelines. Simon Pitt wrote in Debugger last year about how he’s spotted the strategy in action:

“There’s a pattern I’ve come to recognize: hundreds of five-star reviews, very few two-, three-, and four-star reviews, and then a spike of one-star reviews. It is the hallmark of a bad product that has been filled with fake five-star reviews in an attempt to drown out the real one-star reviews.”

Amazon Isn’t Even That Convenient Anymore

Hope you’ll give me a five-star review for my “Box of 1,000 Five-Star Reviews,” available with 2-day shipping on Amazon.

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