Don't let the reviews determine which bestsellers you buy from Amazon; almost half of them are false or unreliable.
This is evident from researchers who searched 33.5 million reviews on the retailer's site and found that 43 percent of them could not be trusted.
That share rises to almost nine in ten reviews when it comes to clothing, shoes and jewelry sold on the platform.
And some brands have more dodgy reviews than others.
Feedback for Apple and Hanes products, and Amazon's own items, is the least reliable of all, researchers said.
The online retailer is already working to address questionable feedback about its wares.
Amazon says it is aware of the problem of fake reviews, but that the study's findings were “inaccurate.” The fraud team works hard to ensure customer feedback is authentic.
As many as 43 percent of Amazon shoppers would not buy a product unless it had a four-star rating or higher
Clothing and electronics listings on Amazon had the highest share of fake reviews
Merritt Ryan, a researcher at Circuit, which conducted the study, says clothing reviews are the least reliable
The retailer uses artificial intelligence to detect fake reviews and is leading a global campaign to crack down on the crooks behind rings that produce massive amounts of misleading product feedback.
In the US, earlier this year the Federal Trade Commission proposed rules to impose fines of up to $50,000 on companies that buy, sell or manipulate fake reviews.
Merritt Ryan, a researcher at Circuit, which conducted the study, said consumers should not get carried away by Amazon's star rating system.
“We urge shoppers to research the authenticity of Amazon sellers they purchase from and look deeper into the reviews,” Ryan told DailyMail.com.
Since its launch in 1995, Amazon has revolutionized shopping and become the world's largest retailer, with sales up 13 percent to $143.1 billion in the third quarter.
Experts say it's a hit because of its size (a small cut on many sales) and because customers trust the platform and keep coming back for more.
But that trust is being undermined by the product reviews that nearly six in 10 consumers use to decide whether to buy a product, Ryan says.
As many as 43 percent of shoppers wouldn't buy their next backpack, bed set or Bluetooth speaker unless it had a four-star rating or higher, she said.
They are often misled, according to her search for the site using AI-powered Fakespot technology.
In Amazon's clothing and jewelry sections, most reviews are not to be trusted
Amazon's revenue increased by 13 percent ($143.1 billion) in the third quarter of 2023.
For best-selling clothing, shoes and jewelry, a whopping 88 percent of reviews were considered unreliable.
The electronics department was also hit hard: 53 percent of the reviews there were not good enough.
Buying from a well-known brand also didn't guarantee reliable reviews, Ryan said.
Apple and Amazon's own products received more vague reviews than all other brands.
Reviews for products from Hanes, Crocs, Fruit of the Loom and Under Armor should also be approached with caution.
Those companies are not necessarily responsible for posting or organizing fake reviews, Ryan said.
More likely, third-party sellers are trying to manipulate the reviews to boost sales, she added.
Fake reviews have long plagued Amazon and other online marketplaces, despite their efforts to eradicate them.
Much of the problem comes from brokers soliciting fake customer reviews through social media platforms, encrypted messaging apps and other channels.
The fake reviewers typically receive money, free gifts, or other benefits for their posts.
Real estate agents can ask for positive reviews to drive sales for businesses or sellers.
They can also post bad feedback for competitors to hurt their sales.
“Additionally, sophisticated software programs and AI chatbots can be used to automatically generate fake reviews,” says Ryan.
Yet shoppers can still use reviews to decide whether to buy products, she said.
Buying from a well-known brand does not guarantee reliable reviews, researchers found
The star rating should only be used as a general guideline.
Look for reviews that say “verified purchase.” These are written by people who bought the product for a regular price on Amazon.
“It's helpful to read a range of reviews, paying attention to both positive and negative feedback,” Ryan said.
“Look for detailed and informative reviews that discuss the pros and cons of the product based on the reviewer's actual experience.”
Amazon has also started tagging products that are “frequently returned” to alert customers to a low-quality item.
But the problem of fake reviews extends far beyond Amazon, and the company has already taken steps to combat the scourge.
“Amazon will not tolerate fake reviews,” spokeswoman Christy Vargas told DailyMail.com.
“We have a robust and long-standing policy prohibiting review abuse, and we suspend, ban, and take legal action against those who violate this policy.”
According to Vargas, 99 percent of products sold on Amazon contain only authentic reviews.
Founder Jeff Bezos launched Amazon in 1995 and has revolutionized the way people shop
DailyMail.com could not independently verify which portion of the reviews were not authentic.
A UK government report found that around 15 percent of reviews on e-commerce platforms were likely fake.
Fake reviews are often detected by Amazon AI software and never reach the page, Vargas added.
Amazon said in September that two review brokers in China were sentenced to two and a half years in prison and three years of probation.
They had used messaging apps to advertise and sell fake reviews to Amazon seller accounts.
The company has filed a slew of other lawsuits in the past year against operators involved in fake reviews.
Last year, the retailer sued the administrators of more than 10,000 Facebook groups that it said coordinated fake reviews in exchange for money or free items.
More recently, they have joined forces with review sites Glassdoor and Trustpilot, as well as travel companies Expedia Group, Booking.com and Tripadvisor, to coordinate their efforts.
The group, known as the Coalition for Trusted Reviews, will identify best practices for hosting online reviews and share techniques for spotting fakers and taking action against fakers.
“We have shut down some of the largest fake review brokers, as well as targeted groups trying to orchestrate fake reviews on social media,” Vargas added.