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Amazon Made Changes To Review Policy

TKDTyler

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Not exactly. You can still create the edge in no time regardless of this new policy change. Just order your own product under a new name (same address) every time. Keep ordering. If your product costs $100, order 5. The money will obviously return back to you in your bank account. And you can use that same money to order 5 more. Repeat. Money will always return to you while leaving a beautiful mark of reviews. It's no different. You just need a couple weeks of legwork while setting it up and you'll have a running business in no time. Great, so you've got a ton of reviews. Now all you need to do is shell a few hundreds on advertisement and you'll see the ranks of cash quadrupling.

P:S: You can escape Amazon charges by purchasing $40/month subscription. Build off your reviews in that month and cancel subscription at the end of the month. Win-win.

If you've got no product to sell. Just steal. Go to hot trending products. Let's say you picked up a Portable charger or a wireless earphones. Order it. Take it apart once it ships. Hire a 3D modeller to model you a cool headphone design ($100). 3D print it and stuff in the tech inside it or you can have it professionally done (or just order a bulk, seriously. But make sure it's a profitable category). Now advertise it. And voila! watch as money pours in. If you need a boost, hire a videographer and have your 4k product video created. Simple as that.

Please do not do this. EVER.

Read this whole thread and you should have your answer. Provide amazing products that add value to its users and you will have no problem in the marketplace.

https://www.thefastlaneforum.com/co...-to-do-it-the-easy-way-or-the-hard-way.64808/
 
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Just steal.

You're a real hoot.

You can't get banned by Amazon if you have different IP addresses (with emails and account) every single time you order. I've researched into this to find that Amazon follows a robotic algorithm where it automatically catches and bans members when they repeatedly order the same thing over and over with different accounts BUT with the SAME IP address. So cut off the IP address issue and there won't be more doors to clear. Also, diversifying the delivery address to a friend or two (or family member) wouldn't hurt. I've done this before with 6 straight reviews so far without getting banned at all so I don't know how this is a "horrible advice". You should give this a shot yourself on a test product to see if this will chart. Mine sure did. And I am 100% serious. Try it.

Based on this (and your avatar) it's clear you'd sell your first-born as long as it made you a buck. Guys like you don't last long here.
 

Andy Black

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@StartupMonkey

I've worked for companies that were so busy making money (or so busy spending other people's money) that they forgot to build a business - a business based on creating repeat business and referrals from adding tremendous value to people's lives.

These companies employed great technical specialists, able to solve whatever problem was put in front of them.

Except the moral compass of the business owners was skewed and so the businesses therefore solved the wrong problems.

The employees answered the questions asked of them.

The problem was the business owners asked the wrong questions.


What questions are you asking in your business?

Are they ones that will help you build a sustainable business that adds value to the world?

Will they help you build a business that someone would buy for it's sustainable revenue stream or route to market?



I know nothing of Amazon algorithms, but presume Amazon employs very smart people who try and punish those who are gaming the system, and reward those that provide a good user experience for Amazon users.

You could spend all your brain power and ingenuity to try and stay one step ahead of their team, or you could spend all your brain power and ingenuity to build a better product and a better business that Amazon & other platforms would want to sell.



It's the same with Google.

Go up against 27,000+ smart employees, including 500+ PhDs, and try and sail into that head wind with frantic changes in direction to keep going forward.

Or understand their business objectives and align yourself with them - and get the wind of 27,000+ smart employees, including 500+ PhDs, *behind* you.

If Google thinks you're doing good for their business model then they wheel out all sorts of support and beta programmes ... things the black-hatters haven't even heard of.



I say this in case there's a tiny chance it doesn't fall on deaf ears.

The fact that you'd "just steal" makes us wonder if you're prepared to do it right.

Everything you do or don't do is a reflection of your personal values.

"How you do anything is how you do everything."


Have a think about what questions you're answering, and where that road will take you.
 

StartupMonkey

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FLYnsYj.gif

Like no one has done that ever?

It's clearly against TOS to buy your own product...and you must understand that since you have a detailed process to avoid getting caught...
I'm new to FBA, this forum and the Fastlane mindset but these sort of tactics go against everything they teach. Best of luck to you though! I'll not be trying it.

See you guys are quick to judge. Where did I say not to "create value" and start pilling hordes of reviews for your products? Nowhere did I ever say that. I never talked about fastlane mindset as well, I simply pointed out an undetectable flaw in the Amazon algorithm system which you can infiltrate to give you reviews (only a few). And Yes, creating value is important and yes having a "reputation" is also important. Without reputation + exposure even if you have a product that could wipe someone's memory no one would buy it.

Again, where did I tell someone to do this? I'm not advising anyone to do this. All I said was "this is possible". And frankly, you need a couple of reviews to kickstart your product. Your product won't do jack shit without having your customer's opinion/remarks about it. You need at least a dozen reviews and people will start start buying your product. So adding a few (6 or 10) fake reviews won't hurt no one. In fact, it will benefit you. I'm not saying to do this repeatedly but only a dozen or two to create "that" edge for you to start selling. And because of those reviews, you'll start getting more and more rather quickly (as we all know how hard it is to get your first buyer, because he would feel being the first one to purchase your product with a long shot of having zero feedback).

[HASHTAG]#landfill[/HASHTAG] bullshit
Too bad we cant landfill individual posts. You're batting .1000 with the garbage

Cool. I got your point, but your "garbage" will still be ahead of my garbage since you've got reputation on your back. Reputation/reviews is the second thing people look after they're fully interested in buying your product. They want to know what other people think of your products. If you've got a say, a wireless mouse with 26+ reviews and the same wireless mouse by the same company with 0 reviews. Which one would you likely to purchase? But perhaps since you're an expert your decision might be different but it's enough for an average customer to buy the one with 26+ reviews, it gives them a sense of satisfaction for their purchase.

Please do not do this. EVER.

Read this whole thread and you should have your answer. Provide amazing products that add value to its users and you will have no problem in the marketplace.

https://www.thefastlaneforum.com/co...-to-do-it-the-easy-way-or-the-hard-way.64808/

I don't plan in doing it. For me personally I'll create a product/service that has excellent value and boost it with 10+ reviews and slowly advance the hype. I don't focus on "reviews" but I do have to keep in mind that I need at LEAST a dozen reviews to kickstart my product to start grabbing some hype and attention so people can jump in or at least be interested in it.

You're a real hoot.

Based on this (and your avatar) it's clear you'd sell your first-born as long as it made you a buck. Guys like you don't last long here.

In that case, so was Bill Gates and Steve Jobs, real hoots. :)

Also, what's the harm in selling your first born if it will give you funds to fund your "most solid business ideas"? I could be wrong, it all depends on the situation really. I do understand as you said in the book we should focus on "long term over short term" however isn't that feasible for only solid business ideas as opposed to ideas that lift off and die just as hard?

“good artists borrow, great artists steal.” - Pablo Picasso.
 
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TKDTyler

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I don't plan in doing it. For me personally I'll create a product/service that has excellent value and boost it with 10+ reviews and slowly advance the hype. I don't focus on "reviews" but I do have to keep in mind that I need at LEAST a dozen reviews to kickstart my product to start grabbing some hype and attention so people can jump in or at least be interested in it.

Hows your business doing? Because I'd much rather take the advise of someone who has been in the game 10+ years, clearing millions in revenue, making his time available for free, and is beginning to coach multiple people on opening their own FBA businesses WITHOUT gaming the system than someone who, one the same day he signed up on the forum, is suggesting to steal.

There are ways to get reviews without cheating the system, its that you have a lack of experience in said area. We improve, not steal. Chinese manufacturers steal. We are in the business of not being a bottom feeder with shady business practices. Learn the culture of the forum, take action, and prove results before suggesting anything to anybody. I'm not one to be rude, but its apparent that the message from the book and the forum has not been interpreted very well. Take some time to read, understand, and apply that understanding so that you can provide help through experience, not just interpretation.
 

biophase

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Again, where did I tell someone to do this? I'm not advising anyone to do this. All I said was "this is possible". And frankly, you need a couple of reviews to kickstart your product.

I could be wrong, it all depends on the situation really.

You do understand that what you post is usually what you recommend right? If I make a long how-to post, isn't it possible that I'm recommending that specific action?

And you are 100% wrong. I think it's clear based on your posts and replies that you have no understanding of how Amazon works.

Go ahead and put in that single review and see what happens. There was another forum member who did not listen to some warnings and guess what happened to his account.
 
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StartupMonkey

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You do understand that what you post is usually what you recommend right? If I make a long how-to post, isn't it possible that I'm recommending that specific action?

And you are 100% wrong. I think it's clear based on your posts and replies that you have no understanding of how Amazon works.

Go ahead and put in that single review and see what happens. There was another forum member who did not listen to some warnings and guess what happened to his account.

I do agree that entrepreneurs should focus on providing "value" by fixing/solving a new/existing problem OR simplifying/making people's life easier. I do agree on that aspect of fastlane mindset that "once you successfully change how people live their lives" you'll be an instant millionaire. I also understand fastlane mindset is to focus on "value" rather than tossing fake feedbacks on the garbage can. I completely understand. However, my post was regarding creating an "edge" for your product so it's easier to kickstart or get your product "running".

Also, you're taking me really wrong. I don't plan to "put in that every single review", that would be tossing your hands inside a gator's mouth. What I'm trying to say is let's say I have recently launched a product and say it's a pair of trendy wireless headphones. I'll give myself around 6 or so fake reviews just to kickstart it. I'll create 6 different accounts using different country's IP addresses each time (so Amazon doesn't detect it). Then I'll put my mother's address, my brother's address, my grandparents address, my friends address and so forth. This isn't against Amazon because if your friends or family were to buy your product they "absolutely can", but in this case, you're simply managing the orders. Purchase and put reviews in at least 2-3 day margin. 6-10 reviews and that's it! I won't touch that section again. Now I'll just focus on some solid marketing and direct traffic through facebook, youtube or paid marketing agencies. Traffic will come on, and they'll be "LESS" hesitant to purchase your product now since you already have 6 great feedback from live people. They'll purchase and your pile of reviews will start climbing.

If it were to have same marketing done and now they've landed on wireless headphones with zero reviews they'd wonder "If this is such a revolutionary product, why the hell did somebody else not buy it yet?" F*ck it, I'll rather go check out some branded products. And that's it, you've blown it away. It just helps, I'm not talking about putting "every singlereview out there" just a few (6-10) to I have a kickstart to it. It doesn't hurt no body, it actually helps (A LOT).

Everybody is quick to judge, I'm not talking about fastlane mindset. You have a revolutionary product? Toss in a few feedback from people and begin marketing. No one will be hesitant and you'd have to agree it would do much better than revolutionary product with zero feedback on it. It takes a bit longer to get it going with no feedback whatsoever (since your audience will MOST likely prefer a similar product in the genre with over 100+ reviews, because they have reputation to back it up). Most would trust the 100+ reviews one and not be hesitant to click on "order" as they would with a featherless product.

Who_do_people_trust.png
 
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StartupMonkey

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People fall for it easily. You wouldn't. But an average person would. You got some shady popups that claim "watch this video and you'll turn into a millionaire in 6 weeks" OH "watch my free money system and you'll be a millionaire every 29 days" OH "Invest in our binary stock and you'll be a millionaire by investing in 2 weeks". If you notice correctly, you'll see 5-6 fake a$$ testimonials before it begins to give you that surety and credibility of the system. "Oh I absolutely became a millionaire in 29 days (that explains the ripped couch you're sitting on). "Oh I am a single mother and paying for my son's college fee now is not a problem at all, thanks to the free money system, I'm a millionaire". Would YOU fall for it? NO. Would an average sidewalker fall for it? YES. THEY WILL. And they always have and they always will. And their rivalries have made a ton of cash using this technique. Didn't MJ said the art of selling these systems are "Fastlane"? Even though they don't actually provide value? It's camouflaged to be seen as "value" to sidewalkers but isn't really.

Fake testimonials are very EASY to spot. You can easily spot bad acting however it's NOT SO EASY to spot them on online platforms such as Amazon, ebay, etc. So most people see a review such as:

"Great product, my wife LOVES IT. I bought it 4 weeks ago, have zero problems so far, works amazing, the sound quality is amazing, just one flaw in it, I don't really like how the speakers are shaped and sometimes they fall from ears, but overall great product" - 4.5 stars.


You're giving 90% of great feedback here and 10% negativity so it doesn't look like it's a fake feedback. Criticism is a great tactic to make it even harder for someone to detect a fake feedback. However that's all just bullshit, I'm not planning to overdose reviews, just a few as I said to have a "running momentum". Just so first time buyers aren't "hesitant" in buying my products. That's it. Most of you have failed to understand what I'm actually trying to say. But I get it, I'm here to learn, so I don't mind helpful advice, keep it coming, Cheers.
 
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biophase

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Also, you're taking me really wrong. I don't plan to "put in that every single review", that would be tossing your hands inside a gator's mouth.

What I'm trying to say is let's say I have recently launched a product and say it's a pair of trendy wireless headphones. I'll give myself around 6 or so fake reviews just to kickstart it. I'll create 6 different accounts using different country's IP addresses each time (so Amazon doesn't detect it). Then I'll put my mother's address, my brother's address, my grandparents address, my friends address and so forth.

This isn't against Amazon because if your friends or family were to buy your product they "absolutely can", but in this case, you're simply managing the orders. Purchase and put reviews in at least 2-3 day margin.

LOL, you are delusional. This is absolutely against Amazon's TOS. Here I will post it below for you:

"Creating, modifying, or posting content regarding your (or your relative's, close friend's, business associate's, or employer's) products or services."
"Creating, modifying, or posting content in exchange for compensation of any kind (including free or discounted products) or on behalf of anyone else."
 
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MJ DeMarco

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It's camouflaged to be seen as "value" to sidewalkers but isn't really.

So you are justifying being just another marketing douchebag selling perceived value, over actual value. In other words, you're walking the line of deception, schemery, and even fraud.
 

biophase

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People fall for it easily. You wouldn't. But an average person would. You got some shady popups that claim "watch this video and you'll turn into a millionaire in 6 weeks" OH "watch my free money system and you'll be a millionaire every 29 days" OH "Invest in our binary stock and you'll be a millionaire by investing in 2 weeks". If you notice correctly, you'll see 5-6 fake a$$ testimonials before it begins to give you that surety and credibility of the system. "Oh I absolutely became a millionaire in 29 days (that explains the ripped couch you're sitting on). "Oh I am a single mother and paying for my son's college fee now is not a problem at all, thanks to the free money system, I'm a millionaire". Would YOU fall for it? NO. Would an average sidewalker fall for it? YES. THEY WILL. And they always have and they always will. And their rivalries have made a ton of cash using this technique. Didn't MJ said the art of selling these systems are "Fastlane"? Even though they don't actually provide value? It's camouflaged to be seen as "value" to sidewalkers but isn't really.

Fake testimonials are very EASY to spot. You can easily spot bad acting however it's NOT SO EASY to spot them on online platforms such as Amazon, ebay, etc. So most people see a review such as:

"Great product, my wife LOVES IT. I bought it 4 weeks ago, have zero problems so far, works amazing, the sound quality is amazing, just one flaw in it, I don't really like how the speakers are shaped and sometimes they fall from ears, but overall great product" - 4.5 stars.


You're giving 90% of great feedback here and 10% negativity so it doesn't look like it's a fake feedback. Criticism is a great tactic to make it even harder for someone to detect a fake feedback. However that's all just bullshit, I'm not planning to overdose reviews, just a few as I said to have a "running momentum". Just so first time buyers aren't "hesitant" in buying my products. That's it. Most of you have failed to understand what I'm actually trying to say. But I get it, I'm here to learn, so I don't mind helpful advice, keep it coming, Cheers.

You can put whatever you want on your own website. So your argument here doesn't hold water. I can launch and put 1000 fake reviews on my ecommerce store if I wanted. Nobody would care.

But we are talking about doing in on someone else's platform that they have clearly stated is against their TOS. If you want to risk never selling on Amazon again, or getting banned after your making decent money, go ahead. You can absolutely do it what you said.

Just don't come here and tell others that it is ok to do it.

You have lost all credibility here.
 

StartupMonkey

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So you are justifying being just another marketing douchebag selling perceived value, over actual value. In other words, you're walking the line of deception, schemery, and even fraud.

I don't plan on doing that at ANY cost. It's against fastlane fundementals. Also, if they're "just another douchebag border lining deception and schemery", why did you call them "excellent fastlaners?"

You can put whatever you want on your own website. So your argument here doesn't hold water. I can launch and put 1000 fake reviews on my ecommerce store if I wanted. Nobody would care.

But we are talking about doing in on someone else's platform that they have clearly stated is against their TOS. If you want to risk never selling on Amazon again, or getting banned after your making decent money, go ahead. You can absolutely do it what you said.

Just don't come here and tell others that it is ok to do it.

You have lost all credibility here.

I agree. Thank you for your reply.
 

MJ DeMarco

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why did you call them "excellent fastlaners?"

Please stop misquoting me. I said they leverage the Fastlane and its mathematics. Scammers, thieves, and fraud hustlers are not "Fastlane" in its truest definition, but they still know how to leverage its mathematical absolutes.

The "strategies" you describe (above) are not recommended here so I suggest you stop peddling them. They might be better received in another forum which is focused on making money at any cost -- no matter who you screw, fake, and deceive.
 

TKDTyler

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People fall for it easily. You wouldn't. But an average person would. You got some shady popups that claim "watch this video and you'll turn into a millionaire in 6 weeks" OH "watch my free money system and you'll be a millionaire every 29 days" OH "Invest in our binary stock and you'll be a millionaire by investing in 2 weeks". If you notice correctly, you'll see 5-6 fake a$$ testimonials before it begins to give you that surety and credibility of the system. "Oh I absolutely became a millionaire in 29 days (that explains the ripped couch you're sitting on). "Oh I am a single mother and paying for my son's college fee now is not a problem at all, thanks to the free money system, I'm a millionaire". Would YOU fall for it? NO. Would an average sidewalker fall for it? YES. THEY WILL. And they always have and they always will. And their rivalries have made a ton of cash using this technique. Didn't MJ said the art of selling these systems are "Fastlane"? Even though they don't actually provide value? It's camouflaged to be seen as "value" to sidewalkers but isn't really.

Fake testimonials are very EASY to spot. You can easily spot bad acting however it's NOT SO EASY to spot them on online platforms such as Amazon, ebay, etc. So most people see a review such as:

"Great product, my wife LOVES IT. I bought it 4 weeks ago, have zero problems so far, works amazing, the sound quality is amazing, just one flaw in it, I don't really like how the speakers are shaped and sometimes they fall from ears, but overall great product" - 4.5 stars.


You're giving 90% of great feedback here and 10% negativity so it doesn't look like it's a fake feedback. Criticism is a great tactic to make it even harder for someone to detect a fake feedback. However that's all just bullshit, I'm not planning to overdose reviews, just a few as I said to have a "running momentum". Just so first time buyers aren't "hesitant" in buying my products. That's it. Most of you have failed to understand what I'm actually trying to say. But I get it, I'm here to learn, so I don't mind helpful advice, keep it coming, Cheers.

OR you can go with one of the following strategy and forgo any possibility of being banned:

1. Modify/produce a product so good that even Zeus himself would buy one for his life.

2. Price your product at or below the market competition, which may be net negative in the short term, in order to get your initial sales. Low cost will reduce risk for new buyers. Risk vs Value assessment = Make a product and offer so good they can't say no. Bundles, variations, and new additions all add to the equation. If you saw a product you needed to use priced at $1 when it's usually $29.99, I'd be willing to try out the $1 version so long as the pictures and descriptions were of high quality.

3. In the words of Gary V, jab jab jab right hook. It may be a different context than social medial, but give value, give more value, and then give some more value, and ASK for a review regardless of whether it is 1 star or 5 star. This means maybe you will bundle accessories for free, include a pamphlet that teaches the customer about your product/niche and asking. This could be through automated email responses. It could be through the opening every single product you have in order to include a handwritten letter thanking your customer personally for purchasing your product and politely asking for a review as a new company or product. If you have a shitty product, your reviews should reflect it. If your product is phenomenal, you should have no problem getting 10 reviews.

4. This is the part where you don't get banned and you begin to grow organically.

5. Expand your product line and repeat.

100% in line with ToS. 100% Legit reviews. Yes it takes longer to get up and running, but in the end, 1 wrong mistake can cost years of hard work building up listings to vanish and your income being reduced from 20k/month to 0/month. It violates the commandment of control (yes being on amazon violates that as well. Which is why you should be even more hypercritical of your actions).

You're method reeks of cutting corners and laziness. Businesses aren't built in a day and neither are your Amazon listings. Think 24 months ahead instead of 31 days ahead. Give everything you can within reason to your customers and they will do the same for you.


***Note: I am still in the process of learning all these strategies and my advise should be taken with a grain of salt. But some things have been working wonders for me personally***
 
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StartupMonkey

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OR you can go with one of the following strategy and forgo any possibility of being banned:

1. Modify/produce a product so good that even Zeus himself would buy one for his life.

2. Price your product at or below the market competition, which may be net negative in the short term, in order to get your initial sales. Low cost will reduce risk for new buyers. Risk vs Value assessment = Make a product and offer so good they can't say no. Bundles, variations, and new additions all add to the equation. If you saw a product you needed to use priced at $1 when it's usually $29.99, I'd be willing to try out the $1 version so long as the pictures and descriptions were of high quality.

3. In the words of Gary V, jab jab jab right hook. It may be a different context than social medial, but give value, give more value, and then give some more value, and ASK for a review regardless of whether it is 1 star or 5 star. This means maybe you will bundle accessories for free, include a pamphlet that teaches the customer about your product/niche and asking. This could be through automated email responses. It could be through the opening every single product you have in order to include a handwritten letter thanking your customer personally for purchasing your product and politely asking for a review as a new company or product. If you have a shitty product, your reviews should reflect it. If your product is phenomenal, you should have no problem getting 10 reviews.

4. This is the part where you don't get banned and you begin to grow organically.

5. Expand your product line and repeat.

100% in line with ToS. 100% Legit reviews. Yes it takes longer to get up and running, but in the end, 1 wrong mistake can cost years of hard work building up listings to vanish and your income being reduced from 20k/month to 0/month. It violates the commandment of control (yes being on amazon violates that as well. Which is why you should be even more hypercritical of your actions).

You're method reeks of cutting corners and laziness. Businesses aren't built in a day and neither are your Amazon listings. Think 24 months ahead instead of 31 days ahead. Give everything you can within reason to your customers and they will do the same for you.


***Note: I am still in the process of learning all these strategies and my advise should be taken with a grain of salt. But some things have been working wonders for me personally***

Excellent reply, Thank you.
 

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OR you can go with one of the following strategy and forgo any possibility of being banned:

100% in line with ToS. 100% Legit reviews. Yes it takes longer to get up and running, but in the end, 1 wrong mistake can cost years of hard work building up listings to vanish and your income being reduced from 20k/month to 0/month. It violates the commandment of control (yes being on amazon violates that as well. Which is why you should be even more hypercritical of your actions).

While going the legit route might make less in the short term, those of us on the legit path and providing real value will outlast the people taking short cuts and earn more in the end.

A person can sell a product that meets a need, reviews or not. I started as an Amazon merchant just a couple years ago, launching with less than 2 dozen related products. I had no reviews on those products. I had no reviews on my seller account. It even said "Just Launched" right by my store name. Within about 40 days I was doing $1k+/month still with no reviews and no advertising and no social media. Because I was selling a product people wanted. Then I started advertising and built it up into something real.

When Amazon changed their policy, I didn't lose any of my reviews, because they were all 100% legit. An added benefit was being relieved of the near daily customer inquiries I was receiving from fake reviewer assholes who wanted a product code so they could do me the great honor of leaving a fake review. I marked them all as suspicious and was pissed I had to spend time doing this every day and can't even imagine the life of the person who sits around, messaging individual sellers all day long, hoping someone sends them shit for free.
 

Kevin Farney

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While going the legit route might make less in the short term, those of us on the legit path and providing real value will outlast the people taking short cuts and earn more in the end.

A person can sell a product that meets a need, reviews or not. I started as an Amazon merchant just a couple years ago, launching with less than 2 dozen related products. I had no reviews on those products. I had no reviews on my seller account. It even said "Just Launched" right by my store name. Within about 40 days I was doing $1k+/month still with no reviews and no advertising and no social media. Because I was selling a product people wanted. Then I started advertising and built it up into something real.

When Amazon changed their policy, I didn't lose any of my reviews, because they were all 100% legit. An added benefit was being relieved of the near daily customer inquiries I was receiving from fake reviewer assholes who wanted a product code so they could do me the great honor of leaving a fake review. I marked them all as suspicious and was pissed I had to spend time doing this every day and can't even imagine the life of the person who sits around, messaging individual sellers all day long, hoping someone sends them shit for free.
I'm just now starting on Amazon. Can you or have you elsewhere elaborated on your launch process? I'm surprised you started with so many products. Were they variations or all different (but related) products? Did you private label? I just launched my first product and it is not doing that well honestly. Working on a new iteration that will be better value and bring differentiation from my competition for round two. But it has taken a long time and $$$ to get even this one product up. How did you start with nearly 2 dozen? Thanks in advance.
 

Bananas

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I'm just now starting on Amazon. Can you or have you elsewhere elaborated on your launch process? I'm surprised you started with so many products. Were they variations or all different (but related) products? Did you private label? I just launched my first product and it is not doing that well honestly. Working on a new iteration that will be better value and bring differentiation from my competition for round two. But it has taken a long time and $$$ to get even this one product up. How did you start with nearly 2 dozen? Thanks in advance.

Were they variations or all different (but related) products?
Different but related products.

Did you private label?
I created my own products, that were never created before. As opposed to re-doing something already done and slapping my own label on it, like putting my name on some Chinese sunglasses that every other person has with their name on it, and then trying to out advertise.

How did you start with nearly 2 dozen?
Amazon was the last platform I got on. My products were (and are) on eBay and even Etsy. I was new to being an Amazon merchant but my products were already tested. This means: my products were already refined by the time I got to Amazon. Obviously there may be future improvements but I was pretty well structured. It took me like a week to get them all up as I had to build my own product pages and I was slow at it.

Please note: I'm like the least cool person on this forum. There are other people here who have done much better, launching with advertising, pre-sales, and a huge social media following. You should follow them. I was only talking about what's possible, not what's great. There are probably people laughing at me for saying that I pulled in 1k+ a month right off the bat. Seriously. But it's also true: this can be done with no reviews, probably better than I did.

Edit: I've also launched sh1t that sucked. It happens.
 

Kevin Farney

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Were they variations or all different (but related) products?
Different but related products.

Did you private label?
I created my own products, that were never created before. As opposed to re-doing something already done and slapping my own label on it, like putting my name on some Chinese sunglasses that every other person has with their name on it, and then trying to out advertise.

How did you start with nearly 2 dozen?
Amazon was the last platform I got on. My products were (and are) on eBay and even Etsy. I was new to being an Amazon merchant but my products were already tested. This means: my products were already refined by the time I got to Amazon. Obviously there may be future improvements but I was pretty well structured. It took me like a week to get them all up as I had to build my own product pages and I was slow at it.

Please note: I'm like the least cool person on this forum. There are other people here who have done much better, launching with advertising, pre-sales, and a huge social media following. You should follow them. I was only talking about what's possible, not what's great. There are probably people laughing at me for saying that I pulled in 1k+ a month right off the bat. Seriously. But it's also true: this can be done with no reviews, probably better than I did.
Thanks man! At this point (starting from zero) 1k per month sounds pretty cool to me!! Thanks again
 
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Mattie

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A friend of mine recently published a book an has it on Amazon. She's been trying to establish some kind of a rank on there and has been requesting honest reviews from people in her networks. This includes contacts she's made at publishing companies as well as personal friends. Her issue now is that she believes (based on this blog post) that Amazon is purging these ratings based on her connections on social platforms. Aside from advertising and trying to gain reach/sales via PPC or organic, what else can she do to help build rank?
Just from my experience, I believe you have to have more than one book. You have to keep writing all the time. The more books I have selling actually helps my rank. I believe if your book is worth reading, in the right niche, they'll find you on their own when they read the book.

I have one book I never did anything with, the reviews came themselves, and it's going by word of mouth. I've sold more of those than any other book.

It's picking a hot Niche. I just hit one on accident, because I knew it was a hot Niche. Experiment. Trial & Error. More people buy it then leave reviews.

It's hard to say because every book is different. You're not going to be able to duplicate what works for one book, the same thing might not work for another book.
 

QDF

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One problem I've noticed with the new review policy....

I've had Amazon remove 100% legitimate reviews from my products more than once now. Solid 5 star reviews. It's actually quite frustrating - especially when launching new products and trying to gain traction.

Has anyone else experienced anything similar?
 
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