Amazon wants to end fake reviews by marking products with many returns

Amazon is beginning to warn consumers when products sold on its platform are regularly returned. This measure is only intended to prevent buyers from falling for scams based on false product reviews, something common on the platform.

Amazon is deploying a warning label on “frequently returned” products that will encourage consumers to check item details and reviews before making their purchase, helping customers avoid buying low-quality or misleading products and reducing unnecessary returns.

Amazon’s return policy currently allows customers to customers return new, unused items within 30 days of purchase, typically free of charge, unless the item is deemed non-returnable.

But returning a product is still a hassle and a bad experience for customers, and counterfeits and cheap, low-quality and sometimes mismarketed products bolstered by false reviews abound in the marketplace giant that is Amazon.

Improve purchases and avoid unnecessary returns

Having a visible warning that these items are often returned not only deters users from purchasing them, but could also encourage retailers to be honest with their advertisements or at least improve the aspects that make these highly returned products .

The return warning has already appeared on some third-party listings supplied by Amazon, such as the Pro-Ject Automat A1 turntableinforms the medium The Information.

All three of these items have a reasonably high star rating, which may initially reassure potential consumers, but a look at customer reviews indicates that the products do not live up to the reality described.

Those free returns also come at an environmental cost., as they often hog warehouse space until the items can be resold (or end up in the landfill). Returns are currently still above pre-pandemic levels.

Amazon hasn’t disclosed when the “frequently returned item” tag will go mainstream or in which regions it will be available outside of the United States.