HIJACKERS & FAKE REVIEWS - WHO CARES?
I've been struggling with listing hijackers on Amazon, and it seems like Amazon doesn't really care about this issue. It doesn't affect them, but it certainly harms innocent sellers like me. I've reached out for help MULTIPLE TIMES after my listing was attacked, but all I've received are generic responses saying my issue has been escalated, or worse, I've been ignored.
But let's be real, ESCALATION NEVER WORKS—IT'S A JOKE. I've never received any actual help. My listing is still being hijacked by different unscrupulous sellers every day, and it feels like Amazon doesn't care about small, genuine sellers. If they did, they would have banned these hijackers and scammers a long time ago.
Additionally, my listing is under attack through fake negative reviews. Amazon allows people to leave reviews on products they've never even purchased. Competitors create fake buyer accounts and leave these fake negative reviews and ratings. These fake reviews are quite obvious, but Amazon NEVER takes action. They just tell you, "People can leave reviews on any product as they wish," without caring whether these reviews are malicious or fake.
My listing had 10 positive reviews and a 4.6 rating, with zero negative reviews, until I received three unverified purchase 1-star reviews on the same day and two more 1-star ratings the next day. Now my rating is below 3.5, which is much lower than my competitors whose listings are filled up with dozens of 5-star unverified purchase reviews and ratings. I've filed cases and sent emails to Amazon, but none of them have replied to me. I've explained to the support team how easy it is to identify these fake reviewers—they are all new accounts, and all their reviews are unverified purchases (all 5-star positives except for the one negative left on my listing). But it seems that this kind of attack is tacitly approved by Amazon, and I can't do anything to stop these attacks.
In this environment, small sellers like me simply can't conduct business. Even if you come up with a great product, it will quickly be destroyed by scammers, hijackers, and attackers. No one seems to care about small sellers on Amazon.
HIJACKERS & FAKE REVIEWS - WHO CARES?
I've been struggling with listing hijackers on Amazon, and it seems like Amazon doesn't really care about this issue. It doesn't affect them, but it certainly harms innocent sellers like me. I've reached out for help MULTIPLE TIMES after my listing was attacked, but all I've received are generic responses saying my issue has been escalated, or worse, I've been ignored.
But let's be real, ESCALATION NEVER WORKS—IT'S A JOKE. I've never received any actual help. My listing is still being hijacked by different unscrupulous sellers every day, and it feels like Amazon doesn't care about small, genuine sellers. If they did, they would have banned these hijackers and scammers a long time ago.
Additionally, my listing is under attack through fake negative reviews. Amazon allows people to leave reviews on products they've never even purchased. Competitors create fake buyer accounts and leave these fake negative reviews and ratings. These fake reviews are quite obvious, but Amazon NEVER takes action. They just tell you, "People can leave reviews on any product as they wish," without caring whether these reviews are malicious or fake.
My listing had 10 positive reviews and a 4.6 rating, with zero negative reviews, until I received three unverified purchase 1-star reviews on the same day and two more 1-star ratings the next day. Now my rating is below 3.5, which is much lower than my competitors whose listings are filled up with dozens of 5-star unverified purchase reviews and ratings. I've filed cases and sent emails to Amazon, but none of them have replied to me. I've explained to the support team how easy it is to identify these fake reviewers—they are all new accounts, and all their reviews are unverified purchases (all 5-star positives except for the one negative left on my listing). But it seems that this kind of attack is tacitly approved by Amazon, and I can't do anything to stop these attacks.
In this environment, small sellers like me simply can't conduct business. Even if you come up with a great product, it will quickly be destroyed by scammers, hijackers, and attackers. No one seems to care about small sellers on Amazon.
50 replies
Seller_mFUNUCCYB0cok
Amazon doesn't care because it's the Chinese sellers doing the hijacking. Anything goes with them!
Seller_WtOwWhtSrFjva
It is a problem.
Amazon does not care.
I actually think that there are those inside Amazon helping people post these negative reviews for a kickback of course.
Seller_fvgw6NlqrShtg
Subject: Proposal to Improve the Review System and Prevent Fake Negative Reviews
Dear Amazon Team,
I would like to suggest a potential solution to the ongoing issue of fake negative reviews that could greatly enhance the authenticity of product ratings on your platform. As an active seller and customer on Amazon, I believe that improving the review system will benefit both buyers and sellers and ensure that Amazon remains the most trusted platform for online shopping.
Proposal Overview:
To prevent the publication of fake or unjustified negative reviews (less than 4 stars), I propose that Amazon implement a new process where customers who leave negative feedback are required to return the product for inspection before their review is published. Here’s how this system could work:
Product Return Requirement: Any review rated below 4 stars would require the customer to return the product to Amazon for inspection, particularly when the feedback is related to defects or product quality issues.
Inspection and Verification: A specialized department at Amazon would then inspect the returned item to verify the customer's claims about the product’s quality or defect. This will ensure that the negative feedback is genuinely based on product flaws and not a result of unfair comparisons or external factors unrelated to the product's performance.
Review Approval Process: If the inspection determines that the product is functioning correctly and no issues match the customer’s negative review, the review would be rejected or not published. Additionally, the review’s author could be subject to penalties for providing misleading feedback, helping to deter fake reviews in the future.
Penalties for Misleading Reviews: For reviews found to be falsified or deliberately misleading, Amazon could implement a system of penalties for the customer who submitted the review. This would help keep the platform clear of bad actors and ensure the integrity of the review system.
Benefits of the Proposal:
Improved Buyer Confidence: Customers will know that all reviews are based on genuine experiences, free from manipulation or false claims.
Protection for Sellers: Sellers offering high-quality products will not be unfairly punished by fake or unjustified negative reviews, ensuring fair competition.
Platform Credibility: By cleaning the review system from fake ratings, Amazon will strengthen its position as the most trusted e-commerce platform, and customers can purchase confidently, knowing they’re relying on real feedback.
I believe this approach would not only resolve the issue of fake negative reviews but also enhance the overall shopping experience on Amazon. Thank you for your consideration, and I look forward to hearing your thoughts on how we can improve the review system together.
Best regards,
David BND
Amazon Seller
Seller_yFAkuOv7JDcDK
You are not alone. Hijackers even put us in trouble because it resulted in violation on our part
Seller_V5HlKCeFomff6
These days, contacting seller support is like talking to a stone. We don't even want to try it anymore.
Seller_zGoDlPZLneGhF
4 Days ago the FTC put into effect a rule BANNING fake reviews on platforms such as Amazon!
The hammer has dropped on Amazon and if they don't address the huge problem that is fake reviews, hijackings, etc they are going to be subject to some massive litigation.
Keep record and screenshots of the dismissal of all your attempts at contacting them to have them removed. They may try to scrub these from your case log at some point.
Seller_35YZJRezqI7KP
I’m glad I found this post. There is ZERO support from Amazon to help honest sellers. Like so many on this forum I have competitors paying influencers to post fake reviews on my product pages. Some reviews are so ridiculously obvious and Amazon does nothing!! Theses competitors know what key words to post on the review so AI can latch on to them. So then we get an email from Amazon regarding the negative/fake review and we have to send in a POA etc. “It’s extremely frustrating.” It’s hard enough to run a business and we have to deal with this nonsense with ZERO support from Amazon.
I also went to Amazon Accelerate and had a meeting with SAS. I showed the rep some examples and he totally agreed the reviews were fake, he typed some notes and was very nice but nothing was done. I signed up for an SAS rep in hopes that I have a real voice to communicate with. “I’m hoping” I have a rep assigned to me (you have to pay) soon and I can get somewhere. That’s all I can hope for.
Seller_zBpEfjVbfOXBt
I even had a store hijack my listing and then went on USPTO to register a trademark which did not belong to them and Amazon did nothing. I reached out to the supplier and he spoke to the store through his lawyers and the trademark application was discontinued. Told amazon about this and they still did nothing and still recognise the imposter store as the trademark owner and brand owner.
Seller_Qg1FueblHU9RR
Several all our listings have been hijacked by random weird named chinese brands.
Seller support just confirmed it, and told me they are not "authorized" to do something.
Amazon is china now, confirmed.
This is some scary stuff.
Seller_bEpehKABXmZnP
If it's your own brand and merchandise, you should try to turn on Amazon's Transparency Program to protect listings from followers, and I have to say that Amazon's followers are so abhorrent that it's a bad feature. As far as Amazon is concerned, even though I'm the original founder of the listing, if another seller sees my piece of the pie, they can take it away from me without my permission, even if they're selling it for $0.50 less than I'm selling it for...they're taking away my potential customers!
Seller_4HsL3GZbyDLea
I read that report though. It seems as if the FTC is more intent on keeping sellers from leaving fake reviews for their own products. Or maybe I read it wrong.
When it comes to Amazon and the US government, I doubt real help is coming. Unless one speaks Mandarin.
