Whenever I feel like it. Sometimes Amazon sends me an email, and I’ll review the product. Other times it’s just because I happen to notice I bought it and I review it right then. If it is really awesome or really awful, then it gets reviewed. I once was, incidentally, in the top 200 Amazon reviewers; got to be too much time and effort.
@JoetatoChip sometimes it does sometimes it doesn’t.
many years ago, Amazon sold one thing - real actual books. They were so far in the red, they decided to try to compete with eBay and opened an auction site. How many of you remember that? They still lost their shirts. So they opened up little personal shops, almost like what etsy is today. Merchants (these were crafts type merchants) hated it because sales were so poor it didn’t justify the store front. And Amazon (not yet public) was kind of a laugh in the dot.com business. And then they broke their own terms of service and started selling personal data. Now, if that happened today, there would be a Congressional Investigation, but this was the 90’s and most people didn’t even know to be outraged. But many of us were, and we closed our Amazon accounts, never to use it again. (yeah, I can hold a gruge). (and it’s why I left woot the day the sale was announced and have never been back since.)
My choice. I’d rather pay more for a company where the CEO has always had integrity, not just when it suits him. I know that’s hard to find, but when I not only new it has happened but was a victim, sorry, not a dime of my money do they get again. And to those poor sods who sell there, they have my sympathy.
I comment at Amazon about as often as I visit the actual Amazon. Here fishy, fishy, fishy. Wait, why do I suddenly hear the strains of John Williams’ theme for Jaws as if played on a thousand miniature kazoos?
I really don’t actually buy that much from Amazon, and what I do buy is usually boring shit, like replacement parts for appliances, whereupon completing my transaction I am then asked if I wish to share my purchase on FB and/or Twitter, signalling that it’s time for me to leave.
i go to known-decent review sites for info, like thesweethome.com for home stuff and thewirecutter.com for audio and video reviews. They get things about 80% right and have a consistent point of view so I can tell whether I’ll likely agree with them on something.
I never start my search for something on amazon because there are too many of each thing to compare, and then the reviews are inconsistent (try searching for something like a pull up bar, it’s like every factory in china has a listing)
Their search sucks. You often can’t eliminate keyword spam results, which makes sorting by price meaningless unless you managed to severely limit the results # count somehow.
I really only care to review the reviewers. I find it a calling all too compelling. For instance, that reviewer touting the virtues of that wood rasp and lemon juice knuckle skin care kit? Well, I just had to chime in.
Most sellers using Amazon to fulfill the sale, send an email the day the product is delivered, asking for feedback. Geez, I haven’t even opened the box yet! And Amazon won’t let you post anything like “the seller is annoying.” So I go back in a few months and post comments if it’s good or bad, but not Meh.
@cblloyd I try not to think badly of people who review stuff they haven’t really used yet, or answer questions they don’t know the answer to, because they are being pestered to.
Mostly things I really like or really don’t like, but sometimes when I go to review those Amazon shows me a list of other purchases I’ve made, so I review those, too.
Whenever I feel like it. Sometimes Amazon sends me an email, and I’ll review the product. Other times it’s just because I happen to notice I bought it and I review it right then. If it is really awesome or really awful, then it gets reviewed. I once was, incidentally, in the top 200 Amazon reviewers; got to be too much time and effort.
I would have to shop on Amacrap to review products on Amacrap. So therefore, would rather have a root canal sums it up
@Cerridwyn
Well what about Amazon?
@Cerridwyn You realise that what you buy on Amazon comes from other sellers, right?
@JoetatoChip sometimes it does sometimes it doesn’t.
many years ago, Amazon sold one thing - real actual books. They were so far in the red, they decided to try to compete with eBay and opened an auction site. How many of you remember that? They still lost their shirts. So they opened up little personal shops, almost like what etsy is today. Merchants (these were crafts type merchants) hated it because sales were so poor it didn’t justify the store front. And Amazon (not yet public) was kind of a laugh in the dot.com business. And then they broke their own terms of service and started selling personal data. Now, if that happened today, there would be a Congressional Investigation, but this was the 90’s and most people didn’t even know to be outraged. But many of us were, and we closed our Amazon accounts, never to use it again. (yeah, I can hold a gruge). (and it’s why I left woot the day the sale was announced and have never been back since.)
My choice. I’d rather pay more for a company where the CEO has always had integrity, not just when it suits him. I know that’s hard to find, but when I not only new it has happened but was a victim, sorry, not a dime of my money do they get again. And to those poor sods who sell there, they have my sympathy.
I comment at Amazon about as often as I visit the actual Amazon. Here fishy, fishy, fishy. Wait, why do I suddenly hear the strains of John Williams’ theme for Jaws as if played on a thousand miniature kazoos?
I really don’t actually buy that much from Amazon, and what I do buy is usually boring shit, like replacement parts for appliances, whereupon completing my transaction I am then asked if I wish to share my purchase on FB and/or Twitter, signalling that it’s time for me to leave.
Take that, commas!
@nogoodwithnames My “suggested by your browsing history” list is nothing but washer and dryer parts and an occasional oven element.
Only if the thing seems to need reviews and I really really really care. So perhaps three things or something.
I’d have to find the pertinent product first. I needed a part for my Chevy. I don’t need “suggestions” for Honda parts.
I ordered off rockauto afterwards.
@narfcake Yeah amazon seems to be mediocre at best when it comes to auto parts
Most things, in about 2 categories of items. Hardly ever anything else.
i go to known-decent review sites for info, like thesweethome.com for home stuff and thewirecutter.com for audio and video reviews. They get things about 80% right and have a consistent point of view so I can tell whether I’ll likely agree with them on something.
I never start my search for something on amazon because there are too many of each thing to compare, and then the reviews are inconsistent (try searching for something like a pull up bar, it’s like every factory in china has a listing)
@zippyus
Their search sucks. You often can’t eliminate keyword spam results, which makes sorting by price meaningless unless you managed to severely limit the results # count somehow.
I’m a narcissistic who thinks everyone should know my opinion. I don’t review everything, but I come close.
@simplersimon I appreciate that others review things so I can know what to buy. So thank you.
I actually only review maybe 1% of what I buy
Depends on the product and my mood. Sometimes, all I do is give stars, sometimes I give a long review. And often, nothing.
I really only care to review the reviewers. I find it a calling all too compelling. For instance, that reviewer touting the virtues of that wood rasp and lemon juice knuckle skin care kit? Well, I just had to chime in.
Most sellers using Amazon to fulfill the sale, send an email the day the product is delivered, asking for feedback. Geez, I haven’t even opened the box yet! And Amazon won’t let you post anything like “the seller is annoying.” So I go back in a few months and post comments if it’s good or bad, but not Meh.
@cblloyd I try not to think badly of people who review stuff they haven’t really used yet, or answer questions they don’t know the answer to, because they are being pestered to.
Almost never but I actually think about it a lot.
I don’t have the time to review everything I buy, I don’t even have the time to dispose of all the boxes properly.
Mostly things I really like or really don’t like, but sometimes when I go to review those Amazon shows me a list of other purchases I’ve made, so I review those, too.