In the short term Amazon may benefit from this. But the fake reviews, throw-away brands, and counterfeit items are gradually corroding Amazon's credibility and brand identity among customers. This is the first year I've heard family members (who are frequent Amazon customers) complaining about these kinds of issues.
But the fake reviews, throw-away brands, and counterfeit items are gradually corroding Amazon's credibility and brand identity among customers.
Amazon are very good at making money. This is not a problem for them; it's an opportunity.
Before Amazon lose all their credibility they'll introduce something like "Amazon Assured" that sells customers a guaranteed real item. They'll charge sellers for the privilege of having the "assured" status on the product page, and make filtering by assured status something that's only accessible to Amazon Prime users.
Users will believe Amazon are doing this to protect them.
I don't get the implied scorn. Isn't reliable information valuable? Worth paying for?
It sounds like you think this information should be priced in. I'm accustomed to that as well, since it has mostly been the commercial default for most of my life, but maybe unbundling it is worth a shot.
After all, "Consumer Reports" isn't free either, and caveat emptor has forever been the law of the market.
By the time the negative long term effects are felt, the executives responsible for the short term juicing will have extracted massive personal wealth.