Main Street Alliance Supports Senator Blumenthal's Call on Amazon to Take Stronger Action Against Fraudulent Reviews

42% of Amazon reviews are fake, and small businesses pay the price. 

The Main Street Alliance, a national small business organizing organization, has come out in support of Senator Blumenthal's call for Amazon to take stronger action against fraudulent reviews on its e-commerce site. These fraudulent reviews use unfair practices to stifle competition with small businesses and mislead consumers about the quality of products. This issue is especially important to Main Street Alliance, as it undermines the trust that is essential for healthy markets and harms the livelihoods of small business owners across the country. 

“Some of the fake reviews are generated by bots in order to influence a product rating, and in other cases, third-party sellers on the site have been inflating their reviews by sending cash or a free gift in exchange for positive reviews,” said Blumenthal.

In 2020, over 4 out of 10 Amazon reviews were flagged as fraudulent. As e-commerce continues to grow, online retailers like Amazon must take accountability. Amazon continues to impede the efforts of true American small businesses with its monopolizing e-commerce platform by doing very little to ensure fair and transparent selling practices give small businesses an equal playing field. Small businesses deserve a real opportunity to sell without the concern of scam reviews.

“Monopolies, like Amazon, disrupt our local economy and impact small businesses' ability to compete. The findings show that 42% of reviews (negative or positive) are fake. When corporations, like Amazon, have unchecked power and do the minimum to prevent this dishonest practice, hard-working small business owners are yet again overlooked and bear the burden of unfair competition,” said MSA’s Executive Director Chanda Causer.

Main Street Alliance is committed to serving the interests of small businesses and will continue to support efforts to curb Amazon’s crushing power over small business.

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