How Scammers in China Manipulate Amazon [video]
The video is must-watch for those who are unfamiliar with the many ways in which shady vendors game Amazon's systems to scam customers.Speaking as a longtime Amazon customer:* I do feel the authenticity of products in some categories can no longer be taken for granted on Amazon.  For example, if I search for electronics, the search results look like "a sea of endless crap," full of the kinds of products you might find at a counterfit-goods store in a shady part of town.* Product search no longer works as well as it did in the past for me.  Frequently, I find myself having to invest time and effort to identify which items are of decent or good quality in that "sea of endless crap."  I find myself having to click on results and scan descriptions to find products that are sold "by Amazon" instead of third parties, to minimize worry.* Product reviews and ratings no longer seem trustworthy. It's not just that there are large operations cranking out fake reviews every day,[a] but that I often find it time-consuming to sort out which reviews are true versus fake.  Fake reviewers seem to be getting better and better at fooling human beings.Over the past year, I've started going to local "brick and mortar" retailers like Best Buy more and more, because I find they provide a better-curated shopping experience.  There are fewer products from which to choose, but I feel more certain that they're authentic and of known quality.I'm hoping Amazon will address all these issues... soon.[a] For example, see https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=18262101