Am I pretty much forced to use fake amazon reviews at this point?

[RHL]

You can't fake review yourself to success.

This is demonstrably false. You absolutely can fake hype and AstroTurf your way to millions. It's just a lot riskier than having genuine hype and a solid product, because you're gambling not just on your ability to get traction, but for people to be gullible. Any time you're doing magic, there is a danger someone will see the sleight of hand. In cases like Amway or Tai Lopez, no one did.

 

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[MJ DeMarco]

but i DO know the secret of failure : being the honest, nice guy.

Thank you for your honesty: if you ever pay to be an INSIDERS, now I know to promptly cancel, refund, and remove.

 

[JokerCrazyBeatz]

Thank you for your honesty: if you ever pay to be an INSIDERS, now I know to promptly cancel, refund, and remove.

Lmao i like this guy MJ , he's cool

 

[MakeMoreMoves]

Agreed. However, we are not talking about years to develop here. Bio's product had minimum competition because it didn't fit the mold of an ideal amazon product as taught by the amazon courses. He already knew it would sell.

2.5 years ago I created my own version of a product that has been selling since the 1800's. I improved upon it and now sell a ton of it. 4 months time to go from idea through development to first sale. I think I had a total of $1,500 invested.

Well, I guess thats my problem then. I just gotta work on confirming customer demand and making improvements to products. I am trying to use other's amazon reviews as a way to confirm features that customers actually want, but since all reviews are biases, its all flawed data to base product development on

 

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[Deleted35442]

My definition of fake reviews are the "I received this product at a discount in exchange for my unbiased 100% honest review"

I fakespotted all my competitors. All solid F's. My sales are extremely slow.

My choices:

1) Wait out for real reviews and have an A rating on fakespot. Hope that amazon makes grading on the reviews public like restauraunt letter gradings on each product listing. I will get more sales, since I will be the only person with real reviews

2) Just get fake reviews and who cares if I get an F in fakespot.

Honestly, how many people think or have heard of fakespot when buying stuff? Nothing is foolproof and fakespot would be no exception. As I tell everyone, what you aren't willing to do in business, somebody else will. No matter what anybody tells you here.

 

[MakeMoreMoves]

Honestly, how many people think or have heard of fakespot when buying stuff? Nothing is foolproof and fakespot would be no exception. As I tell everyone, what you aren't willing to do in business, somebody else will. No matter what anybody tells you here.

I honestly thought fakespot was really popular. I guess its just me being extra picky when buying stuff.

 

[Lex DeVille]

Honestly, how many people think or have heard of fakespot when buying stuff? Nothing is foolproof and fakespot would be no exception.

Totally agree with this. Never heard of fakespot until this thread.

As I tell everyone, what you aren't willing to do in business, somebody else will. No matter what anybody tells you here.

I also agree with this. Somebody else will do what others won't.

Somebody will build a better product and use real reviews and solid marketing and make money.
Somebody will sell a good product and use fake reviews and shortcuts and make money.
Somebody will sell a shitty product and use fake reviews and use shortcuts and make money.

That said...

Somebody will break into a house today to take what's not theirs and sell it for money.
Somebody will murder someone today and rob them of their cash to make money.
Somebody will run an international scam that makes them a lot of money.

All personal choices. Different routes.

Only OP has to live with his decisions.

From the bottom to the top the definition of shortcuts and where they often lead, doesn't change.

If OP accepts the consequences of his actions, whatever they may be, then sure do whatever it takes.

*To the OP*

FYI as a customer I make a point to skip products with fake reviews.
FYI I don't rape people when I don't get laid, but some people do.

Just throwing it out there since we're throwing things out that will obviously be interpreted certain ways due to the context of this thread. Maybe the example is extreme, but you're standing on the edge of what's known as a "slippery slope." You don't have to believe it's there or that it's real. The slope doesn't care if you don't see it.

Funny thing is, I've never heard of someone slipping up the slope.
They always wind up at the bottom.

 

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[biophase]

You still haven't mentioned anything about your product and its strong points so I am going to assume that it is a cookie cutter copy of a dozen other products on Amazon.

If it is, you are lost in a sea of products and photos that are pretty much the same. I don't think you need fake reviews, you need sales, PPC and search rankings.

The biggest mistake you are making is not sending out emails asking for a review. How did you expect to get real reviews then?

To get better sales rankings you don't need reviews, you need sales. So drop your price and get some sales. This will be cheaper then getting fake reviews anyway.

 

[Cembo]

You still haven't mentioned anything about your product and its strong points so I am going to assume that it is a cookie cutter copy of a dozen other products on Amazon.

If it is, you are lost in a sea of products and photos that are pretty much the same. I don't think you need fake reviews, you need sales, PPC and search rankings.

The biggest mistake you are making is not sending out emails asking for a review. How did you expect to get real reviews then?

To get better sales rankings you don't need reviews, you need sales. So drop your price and get some sales. This will be cheaper then getting fake reviews anyway.

I have a question about that:

When I reduce my price to get more sales and then increase it back up to the normal price, I don't get the buybox anymore, even though it's my product. I think Amazon assumes that my price is too high.

Have you had the same issue?

I now have a product selling for 26.99€ instead of 29.99€ because I don't get the buybox with 29.99€ anymore.

 

[MakeMoreMoves]

You still haven't mentioned anything about your product and its strong points so I am going to assume that it is a cookie cutter copy of a dozen other products on Amazon.

If it is, you are lost in a sea of products and photos that are pretty much the same. I don't think you need fake reviews, you need sales, PPC and search rankings.

The biggest mistake you are making is not sending out emails asking for a review. How did you expect to get real reviews then?

To get better sales rankings you don't need reviews, you need sales. So drop your price and get some sales. This will be cheaper then getting fake reviews anyway.

Alright, changed my mind. Ended up sending feedback requests for the little sales that I do have. Should I drop the price to the point where I am not profitable? Would this destroy my brand name? I don't want this price drop to drop the perception of quality of my products

Working on developing another product, with numerous customizations. It seems that if you send a request to manufacturers that stream far from their template product, you get a lot less responses.

 

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[Runum]

Alright, changed my mind. Ended up sending feedback requests for the little sales that I do have. Should I drop the price to the point where I am no profitable? Would this destroy my brand name?

Working on developing another product, with numerous customizations. It seems that if you send a request to manufacturers that stream far from their template product, you get a lot less responses.

You have to speed your processes up. Find other alternative suppliers. Don't let them slow you down.

I have worked with suppliers in the China, US, and Mexico. Also searched for and communicated with other suppliers world wide. You don't have time to kick back and wait for a supplier to contact you.

You do need to get feedback from your sales as suggested. You need to always be refining and improving, your processes, listing, photos, feedback, product selection etc. As soon as you think you have it made you need to improve something else.

Good luck.

 

[MakeMoreMoves]

You have to speed your processes up. Find other alternative suppliers. Don't let them slow you down.

I have worked with suppliers in the China, US, and Mexico. Also searched for and communicated with other suppliers world wide. You don't have time to kick back and wait for a supplier to contact you.

You do need to get feedback from your sales as suggested. You need to always be refining and improving, your processes, listing, photos, feedback, product selection etc. As soon as you think you have it made you need to improve something else.

Good luck.

I just find it odd all of sudden my suppliers aren't following through anymore...

 

[Envision]

Well I guess Ill chime in and give you the exact answer you're looking for.

I started out with a supplement company on Amazon and went the easy way, I blasted 300+ units and slammed my way to the first page and stayed there moving 5-10 units/day competing with really well established brands and it was completely worth it. 100% no doubt in my mind, I know my product works, I know it can help people, and I know its better than anything else on the market so i didnt really care about my methods of getting there.

Intermission: This was right around the time I was at the Summit and heard Biophase and a bunch of other people discussing their methods and thoughts on this exact subject

Here comes April/May

Amazon changed something in early April, I have still not figured out what exactly it was in regards to PPC and I am not sure why it affected some products and not others but mine was crushed and my sales dwindled to 0-6 and they are still there. I no longer maintain my top spot on those key words I was at and should Amazon choose to revise their policy and punish those who have found a loop hole in the system (which is almost everyone, so Im not judging) that account will be screwed and I have a funny feeling that that is coming.

After I came back from the Summit I wanted to start something new out of supplements and scale on Amazon so in Feb/March I started looking for a new brand to build on there.

I released that brand onto Amazon with my first product last Saturday, I implemented a couple key things that very few people are willing to do and it will grow much slower than it would have if I had chosen easier routes. But I am 100% happier with this brand, the methods Im using, and would not/will not go the route of "honest reviews".

Here is what I think you need to know:
- Drop your actual selling price to your discounted price and get every friend, family member, and animal to purchase one at the full cost and leave you a review on your product. This is far better than discounting a product that you will lose money on hoping that you will get a review. Do not use one of the services marketed to you by a podcast, blog, or guru they are there to make money off of the newbies with methods that are outdated and/or inapplicable to the current state of Amazon FBA.

Biophase has proven that reviews dont matter as much as the quality and value generated by the product. The method above is from him and it is what I did to launch my second brands product and while i didnt blast 50+ units to make it to page 1 and lose money on product and fee's... I did sell 15 at full cost which Amazon recognizes and takes into consideration and Im on page 3 slowly working my way to page 1.

- Customers will get smarter, I am starting to see it on some of the negative reviews (complaints about the reviews are huge if you scroll through the 3 stars and below). This behavior will tarnish your brand, future products, and lifetime customer value.

- The long game will become the short game. I might have less reviews and I might get less sales, and I honestly might lose money. But in 1 month... 6 months... 2 or 5 years when Amazon turns around and shuts down or penalizes every account with possible fake reviews Ill get to stand there with more reviews, more sales, and more money. Be patient.

Good luck man!

P.S: Read Bio's thread that was recommended here.

 

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[The-J]

Well I guess Ill chime in and give you the exact answer you're looking for.

I started out with a supplement company on Amazon and went the easy way, I blasted 300+ units and slammed my way to the first page and stayed there moving 5-10 units/day competing with really well established brands and it was completely worth it. 100% no doubt in my mind, I know my product works, I know it can help people, and I know its better than anything else on the market so i didnt really care about my methods of getting there.

Intermission: This was right around the time I was at the Summit and heard Biophase and a bunch of other people discussing their methods and thoughts on this exact subject

Here comes April/May

Amazon changed something in early April, I have still not figured out what exactly it was in regards to PPC and I am not sure why it affected some products and not others but mine was crushed and my sales dwindled to 0-6 and they are still there. I no longer maintain my top spot on those key words I was at and should Amazon choose to revise their policy and punish those who have found a loop hole in the system (which is almost everyone, so Im not judging) that account will be screwed and I have a funny feeling that that is coming.

After I came back from the Summit I wanted to start something new out of supplements and scale on Amazon so in Feb/March I started looking for a new brand to build on there.

I released that brand onto Amazon with my first product last Saturday, I implemented a couple key things that very few people are willing to do and it will grow much slower than it would have if I had chosen easier routes. But I am 100% happier with this brand, the methods Im using, and would not/will not go the route of "honest reviews".

Here is what I think you need to know:
- Drop your actual selling price to your discounted price and get every friend, family member, and animal to purchase one at the full cost and leave you a review on your product. This is far better than discounting a product that you will lose money on hoping that you will get a review. Do not use one of the services marketed to you by a podcast, blog, or guru they are there to make money off of the newbies with methods that are outdated and/or inapplicable to the current state of Amazon FBA.

Biophase has proven that reviews dont matter as much as the quality and value generated by the product. The method above is from him and it is what I did to launch my second brands product and while i didnt blast 50+ units to make it to page 1 and lose money on product and fee's... I did sell 15 at full cost which Amazon recognizes and takes into consideration and Im on page 3 slowly working my way to page 1.

- Customers will get smarter, I am starting to see it on some of the negative reviews (complaints about the reviews are huge if you scroll through the 3 stars and below). This behavior will tarnish your brand, future products, and lifetime customer value.

- The long game will become the short game. I might have less reviews and I might get less sales, and I honestly might lose money. But in 1 month... 6 months... 2 or 5 years when Amazon turns around and shuts down or penalizes every account with possible fake reviews Ill get to stand there with more reviews, more sales, and more money. Be patient.

Good luck man!

P.S: Read Bio's thread that was recommended here.

Rep+ for taking action and reporting on it

 

[GuestUserX09]

@ABetterLifeNow My buddy works for an company that sells primarily through Amazon. They do 50k+/mo. consistently for years. They posted about 15 fake reviews over that time period. Last week they got permanently banned. Seems they are indeed cracking down.

 

[Envision]

@ABetterLifeNow My buddy works for an company that sells primarily through Amazon. They do 50k+/mo. consistently for years. They posted about 15 fake reviews over that time period. Last week they got permanently banned. Seems they are indeed cracking down.

Here is your answer.

..And that sucks.

 

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[Tony I]

"If you don't have a competitive advantage, don't compete."

what is yours? If you don't have one, I'd pick a different niche.

if your entire business's success is dependent on using fake reviews, a few things could be the issue:

1. Your product is the same as everyone elses.
2. Your marketing isn't good enough (ads, etc)
3. The niche is too competitive and you aren't differentiating.

While you might have made some quick money by having a product that everyone else is selling, it usually doesn't last. People copy and drive price down. That's why @biophase approach works so well. If you think longer term, you can blow competition away.

 

[MakeMoreMoves]

@ABetterLifeNow My buddy works for an company that sells primarily through Amazon. They do 50k+/mo. consistently for years. They posted about 15 fake reviews over that time period. Last week they got permanently banned. Seems they are indeed cracking down.

Are you sure the reason they got shut down was fake reviews? 15 fake reviews over years and just getting shut down last week? I have decided though, not going to use any fake reviews.

 

[GuestUserX09]

Are you sure the reason they got shut down was fake reviews? 15 fake reviews over years and just getting shut down last week? I have decided though, not going to use any fake reviews.

Yes, the message was indeed directly stating their fake reviews they were leaving.

 

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[RisingStars]

Here is what I think you need to know:
- Drop your actual selling price to your discounted price and get every friend, family member, and animal to purchase one at the full cost and leave you a review on your product. This is far better than discounting a product that you will lose money on hoping that you will get a review. Do not use one of the services marketed to you by a podcast, blog, or guru they are there to make money off of the newbies with methods that are outdated and/or inapplicable to the current state of Amazon FBA.

Please dont take this personally because I love your GOLD thread and learnt a lot from it but letting family members and friends buy the product is even more morally incorrect then doing a giveaway in exchange of a review.
I did the family/friends thing myself once but here are some reasons against it:
-A friend/family member will NEVER give a bad review. Most likely they will not even open the package and just leave a 5 star rating for you. - isn't that unfair?
-Doing a giveaway for reviews is maybe morally not right but it is ALLOWED - friends/family is not.
-I heard that if you log into your sellers account at your friends computer (who left a review for you) your account might get banned.

It seems like people mix 3 different definitions of fake reviews here:
1. The "real" fake - bought reviews in exchange of cash. Not allowed in amazons terms. Will get your account closed and maybe even into legal trouble.
2. The "friends/family" - account might get closed but you wont get into legal trouble.
3. The "review in exchange for free product" - no legal trouble and NO trouble with amazon. They encourage it.

Nontheless you should not use any of these 3 methods to get reviews.

 

[Envision]

Please dont take this personally because I love your GOLD thread and learnt a lot from it but letting family members and friends buy the product is even more morally incorrect then doing a giveaway in exchange of a review.
I did the family/friends thing myself once but here are some reasons against it:
-A friend/family member will NEVER give a bad review. Most likely they will not even open the package and just leave a 5 star rating for you. - isn't that unfair?
-Doing a giveaway for reviews is maybe morally not right but it is ALLOWED - friends/family is not.
-I heard that if you log into your sellers account at your friends computer (who left a review for you) your account might get banned.

It seems like people mix 3 different definitions of fake reviews here:
1. The "real" fake - bought reviews in exchange of cash. Not allowed in amazons terms. Will get your account closed and maybe even into legal trouble.
2. The "friends/family" - account might get closed but you wont get into legal trouble.
3. The "review in exchange for free product" - no legal trouble and NO trouble with amazon. They encourage it.

Nontheless you should not use any of these 3 methods to get reviews.

Thanks man, and I appreciate the feed back Ill clarify a few things.
- I had 3-5 people that I know buy my product and only 2 have left good reviews. I asked over 30. This probably says more about my friends than it does about my product.
- I didnt discount or giveaway my product at all - not even to friends and family, I just told them to go buy it and the only ones that bought it (the 3-5) will actually use the product.
- Ive never had experience with that but its good to know.

----------------

-You're completely right there and its unethical.
-I agree, if you discounted the product to $1 and hit everyone up.. but the only people that bought from me bought at full price.
- I dont think Amazon encourages the "review in exchange for free product". I think they allow the " i received this product at a discount in exchange for my honest review" but if it were to be free then there would be conflict of interest in your review.

And to clarify what I did above was not for reviews, it was for sales velocity to increase my page ranking. Another thing I should mention is I had an email list built up and social media with 15k+ followers so I did not launch cold which would have skewed my results.

 

[DrkSide]

Companies have been offering discounted products/services for feedback and review forever. You don't have to blast all the review groups (in fact you shouldn't use any group) but you can get your product in the hands of actual customers and ask them to leave a review. If you have a problem with that or if you have a problem asking for a review I think you might want to look at if you really want to be in the product business.

Asking for feedback is done in any business and you need to get comfortable with it especially when negative feedback is given. I have customers leave negative reviews and email me negative feedback and I gladly thank them for their time and keep track of it. Some are a one off issue but you need to look at the most commonly occurring things and address them.

FYI. I wouldn't put too much thought into the fakespot results. Obviously some are blasting out product to get reviews but some aren't. I just checked on two of my products and one has a B (80% genuine) and one has a C (less than 80% genuine). Both of these have had less than 10% of the reviews from giveaways and all giveaways were done of my own list.

My advice - Run an ad campaign on Facebook that leads to a landing page offering a discount on the product in order to test it. Get 5 or so reviews and then go heavy on PPC and aggressive on price. You must set up a feedback software to email customers asking for reviews. You are leaving money on the table if you do not.

 

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