What to Know About “Best Seller” Tags on Amazon.com

It seems like a no-brainer. A buyer searches for a product on Amazon and takes comfort in the fact that whatever the item is — a new watch, a stainless steel shower caddy — has the Best Seller tag emblazoned on its listing. This means, theoretically, that other buyers have purchased this item, were highly satisfied, and then wrote reviews on Amazon.com reflecting their utmost satisfaction.


But, because this is the internet, even something as seemingly innocuous as a “Best Seller” tag comes with its share of thorns. The latest scam of note has to do with hackers and unscrupulous sellers overriding Amazon’s popularity ranking system to boost their own products. As it stands, Amazon utilizes an algorithm that measures certain aspects of user activity, apart from actual sales: views, searches, time spent on a product page and items placed on wish lists.


Part of the scam involves said hackers and unscrupulous sellers who hire workers to essentially game the algorithm. This, in turn, will propel their own product ranking and provide them with an undeserved Best Seller label from Amazon.
Unfortunately, another part of the scam is when products are purposefully miscategorized to avoid competition. Some sellers even take it a step further by filing false copyright claims against competitors, which can temporarily suspend a legitimate seller’s product and potentially mar their reputation.


How can buyers protect themselves? Familiarize yourself with the brand name of the product and with who handles the selling and shipping. As a general rule, best selling products that are shipped and sold by Amazon are the real deal. Furthermore, merchandise sold by third party sellers, that also sport the tag, will likely be legitimate if the shipment order is fulfilled by Amazon (FBA).


Be wary of overly positive reviews and check out review analytics services such as Fakespot to cover your bases.

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