Amazon allows fraudulent product page after manual review

Overview

Sellers on Amazon are able to sell products, get reviews for them, change the listings so as to sell different items on them, but still keep the reviews for the different products that they previously sold under that listing. Amazon also continues to sell products that don't deliver on promises they are advertising.

These problems make it difficult for customers to make informed purchasing decisions based on reviews on Amazon's product listings.

Removing Reviews (Including Verified Reviews)

When Amazon did remove reviews, presumably to remove reviews for unrelated products, they also removed reviews from customers regarding the product currently being sold and whose reviews were marked as "Verified Purchase" by Amazon. The removal of legitimate reviews makes it more difficult for potential buyers to discern whether a product is fraudulent or not, since reviews of verified purchases of the product currently being listed, that could alert potential buyers to issues with the product, where also removed.

Examples Of Such and Related Incidents

Portable Air Conditioner

Amazon sells a portable air conditioner for which the aforementioned removing of reviews took place. This listing contained for example reviews for digital picture frames, desks, shower heads and balloons, adding to the number of positive reviews displayed for the portable air conditioner being sold.

The listing in questions has been available on Amazon since at least July of 2024 and is currently still being listed in January 2025.

Electrical Fuses

Electrical fuses are used to break an electrical circuit if too much electrical current is flowing through it. This is essential for preventing circuits from operating and failing in a safe manner.

Amazon has listings for many such fuses. When purchasing and testing highly rated fuses from three different buyers selling on Amazon, it was discovered that the fuses did not function the way that they were rated. Testing showed that the fuses only gave out after putting multiple times their rated current through them. They thereby did not break the connection the way they were advertised to do and could pose a safety risk if used in electrical circuits.

The fuses tested had and still have many reviews with a very high total rating. The fuses mentioned here, have been listed on Amazon since at least December of 2023 and are all still available for purchase. Due to the issues outlined above, a potential buyer relying on Amazon's reviews may have difficulties making an informed purchasing decision.

Amazon on How They Keep Reviews Trustworthy and Useful

Amazon themselves describes what they do to keep their reviews trustworthy and useful as follows:

Our automated and human checks stop millions of suspicious reviews before customers ever see them. We also take legal action against groups that pay customers to post fake reviews. See our anti-manipulation policy.

The CPSC on Hazardous Products Sold by Third-Party Sellers on Amazon.com

In July of 2024, the United States' Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) found Amazon responsible for hazardous products sold by third-party sellers on amazon.com. In particular, they stated the following:

Amazon was a “distributor” of products that are defective or fail to meet federal consumer product safety standards, and therefore bears legal responsibility for their recall. More than 400,000 products are subject to this order: specifically, faulty carbon monoxide (CO) detectors, hairdryers without electrocution protection, and children’s sleepwear that violated federal flammability standards.

The Commission determined that these products, listed on Amazon.com and sold by third-party sellers using the Fulfilled by Amazon program, pose a “substantial product hazard” under the Consumer Product Safety Act (CPSA).