How much does Amazon/resellers pay these people for reviews?

How does this make you feel?
a) happy
b) PUPPY!!!!!!
c) I feel nothing

@Lotsofgoats
Correct answer is b). !!!!!!

@Lotsofgoats d) I love purple.

@Bayamonprieto77 so close, the correct answer was to get stuck in a polling state and abort after 30 minutes

@narfcake
Wish they would fight the "got it for free" and "got it for a discount" reviews too.

@f00l Perhaps in due time when there's bottom line impact. Until then, unlikely.

@f00l If so, the reviewers will just stop including disclaimers that they got it for free/discount.

@OldCatLady Better link to all of his reviews here: http://www.amazon.com/gp/pdp/profile/A1Q8RI7E9A68SU/

@PurplePawprints I've always wondered how people get free or discounted stuff in order to review it after seeing them mention it in their reviews. I haven't been motivated enough to do any research in to it though. Any info you can share?

@justan79 I signed up through AmazonReviewTrader.com and Snagshout. What they have listed is hit and miss as far as quality, but it's worth checking into for things you need anyway to see if you can get a deal.

@PurplePawprints Great, thank you very much! You've saved me from procrastinating about researching this.

@PurplePawprints
Ubfortunately, some - perhaps most - "got it for free" reviewers i come across will just give an item a quick tryout, and if it works at all, it gets 4 or 5 stars. Perhaps some don't even bother with the tryout. Because of these reviewers, 4 & 5 star reviews aren't trustworthy unless i take time to investigate.

Some try to be objective, but i think there is a sense of obligation, perhaps not consciously acknowledged, that the reviewer feels to be far more forgiving overall than normal.

And then some reviewers are as completely candid as if they had paid. The best of these are very detailed. I have seem some "got it for free" reviews be as helpful and objective as one could hope. I am happy to learn from these reviewers - but they seem to be s small minority.

@PurplePawprints It's one of the classic problems where your job is to be impartial but you know that making certain people happy will net you more
repeat business. Any psych major will tell you that has a considerable subconscious effect on your judgment. Another common, and more serious, example is legal arbitration.

@trisk @f00l I can't speak for anyone else, or for anyone else's motives, but I try the stuff out and have no problems giving a negative review if the product doesn't meet my expectations.

Of course, most of what I review isn't free, it's just bought at a discount, so I'm a bit choosy about what I buy and try. I usually read up on the product and read reviews that have already been posted before I even request a product. So, because of that, most of the products I try meet my expectations and I feel comfortable leaving a four or five star review. But, I have left a one star review on a product that was scammy junk.

Even when I leave a four or five star review, if there's a minor issue with the product, I try to point it out. I only recently started reviewing things, so I maybe I'll become more slapdash with it later (don't plan to) but again, maybe I'm just in the minority.

Also, for ART at least, you get "graded" on the word count of your reviews rather than the amount of stars you give, so you're more likely to be offered better products if your reviews are longer and more detailed than you are if you just slap on five stars and say "Greatest thing ever!!!"

@PurplePawprints
If a reviewer who got something for free is ethical and thoughtful and honest, i would like the reviewer to conclude by saying whether or not s/he would purchase the product - ie how badly would you want to have this item cluttering up your life if you had to pay for it.

Some reviewers do this.

@Bayamonprieto77
Say bye to your soul. :)
Perhaps someday i'll join you!

@f00l Free earphones/cleaning pads and overrated household chemicals are worth the embarrassment! By the way, all the 3 aforementioned items are 4.8 out of 5 stars!

@Bayamonprieto77
Hey, it wasn't me! It was @PurplePawprints! I was an innocent and lazy bystander.

@justan79 My bad! I will be happy to clear up the confusion by sending you some floor wax and cardboard box cleaner, if you'll agree to give them 4.8 out of 5 ratings!

@Bayamonprieto77 Throw in a floor to go with that wax and we might have a deal.

@justan79 The floor is rated 4.6/5 so be careful! The wood is made from Iraqi bamboo