# Do you use Amazon customer reviews for your purchase choices?



## FrankZubek (Aug 31, 2010)

And if you do...how many pages 'in' do you go before deciding?

It struck me the other day while surfing around on Amazon how some books have hundreds of customer reviews.

Now, I use the customer reviews when I am on the fence for a purchase but I rarely go more than 2 pages in. If there are more three, four or five star reviews than two or one stars....I'll more than likely buy the book.

Still....  since I will assume that most of the people who also use reviews as a basis of a purchase will also RARELY go more than 3 pages in.... I find myself wondering why the rest of the people who take the time to comment... even bother?

Since they can SEE that there are already a few dozen comments there- I wonder what it is that makes them drop a comment anyway?

Now of course...dozens of posts HERE grow in size to a dozen pages but this is a community board with changing interactions between anyone who participates.

But a book review (however many there may be) is all about liking or not liking a book. I can't imagine too many people actually reading all 7 or 8 pages of comments from other readers in deciding on buying a book

But then, maybe people simply like to know that they were doing something useful to help out other readers.

Any thoughts?


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## kchughez (Jun 29, 2011)

Hi Frank,

Yes, I do use the reviews. Generally, I've learned that people are sweet and kind and want to write something good. So I go to the 1 star reviews to get a good feel. If I see a lot of recurring messages from them, then I will look for another read.

~KC


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## Writtled (Jul 19, 2011)

The amount of reviews I read depends on how on the fence I am about whether or not to get the book. If I'm teetering on the fence, I'll skim through a lot of reviews. If I want to buy it regardless, I'll look at the first few and the overall amount.


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## tsharp (Jul 14, 2011)

I often filter the reviews by hitting the link for all the 5 star reviews, reading a few of them, then do the same for the 1 and 2 star reviews.

But often I have come specifically to check out the book for price etc on amazon, so will buy it regardless of the reviews, as I've more or less decided it was something I was interested in before I get there. If it's something I have completely stumbled across while on the site, I often do put more significance into the reviews I read.


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## PatrickWalts (Jul 22, 2011)

kchughez said:


> Hi Frank,
> 
> Yes, I do use the reviews. Generallym I've learned that people are sweet and kind and want to write something good. So I go to the 1 star reviews to get a good feel. If I see a lot of recurring messages from them, then I will look for another read.
> 
> ~KC


That's a pretty good rule of thumb. Of course, there are one star reviews created by people who are obviously just trolling, or who don't like a book for silly reasons (thIS BOok wold haev bin prteey good but it was 2 long an the autor looks lik a rapest), but those are easy to spot.


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## Richard Raley (May 23, 2011)

I trust 1-star reviews more than 5-star reviews nowadays.  As for using reviews...I used to, but with the Kindle you have samples, so that's the final decider.


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## PatrickWalts (Jul 22, 2011)

Richard Raley said:


> I trust 1-star reviews more than 5-star reviews nowadays. As for using reviews...I used to, but with the Kindle you have samples, so that's the final decider.


I view them as one tool to be used in conjunction with others. If you see multiple one star reviews, something's up. If it's mostly fives and fours with one or two ones, it could just be that those particular readers just didn't find that book to their taste.


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## kchughez (Jun 29, 2011)

PatrickWalts said:


> That's a pretty good rule of thumb. Of course, there are one star reviews created by people who are obviously just trolling, or who don't like a book for silly reasons (thIS BOok wold haev bin prteey good but it was 2 long an the autor looks lik a rapest), but those are easy to spot.


 Patrick, thanks for the laugh. Did you get that from an actual review or make it up on the fly? If you did the latter, you should write a comedrama book. That was funny

~KC


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## KateEllison (Jul 9, 2011)

I definitely use reviews to decide on a purchase, if I'm on the fence. If I LOVE the book summary then I'll buy it without even reading them, but if I'm waffling a good review can definitely push me to buy.

If something has no reviews that I'm usually hesitant to buy it, because I like to get at least a little perspective from other people who have already read it. If it has only 5 star reviews, and there's like 3 of them, I assume family wrote them. If it has only 5 star reviews and there are 50 of them, I assume it's a really good book that's doing at least something right.

Usually, I look at the 3 star reviews or reviews that were written by bloggers (these can be spotted usually by the words ::top 500 reviewer:: or whatever). These are usually fairly impartial, rather than someone who is related to the author or someone who for some reason flat-out despised the book. Sometimes out of curiosity I will glance at 1 star reviews, but I'm one of those people who think most things rarely call for 1 star, unless the formatting was so bad it was impossible to read, or the writing was equivalent to that of a 6-year-old child. I feel like most people who give something 1 star are being a little dramatic, but that's just my opinion--usually (not always, but usually) 1 star reviews don't give a thoughtful listing of the book's pros and cons, or a detailed analysis of what readers might like about the book. So they don't impact me as much in terms of my decision.


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## _Sheila_ (Jan 4, 2011)

I read them more before I published my own book.  

I know that sounds terrible, but I have a different frame of reference now. 

I stick to samples.

Sheila


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## EGranfors (Mar 18, 2011)

Yes, I look them over, especially reviewers I've come to know and who reflect my own taste in books.  If there are 200 reviews, I look at the highest three and the lowest three (by score, not by position in posting)


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## amandamay83 (Apr 11, 2011)

Absolutely. I usually read the first, "most helpful" review, because that typically does a better job describing the book than the actual Amazon blurb does. After that, I go straight to the 1 and 2 star ratings. 5 star reviews are mostly of the gushing, "OMG this was the best book EV-AH!" variety and really don't do much for me. The bad reviews, on the other hand, usually go into greater detail, explaining _why_ they didn't like the book and what was wrong with it.

Similarly, I'm far more likely to leave a bad review than a good one. When it comes to a good book, I usually don't know what else to say except, "I really liked this." But a _bad_ book? Then I have no problem elaborating!

(Also, I'm highly skeptical of books with all 5 star reviews. I'm reading one now, a freebie, that actually is very good, but I was very nervous starting it, because it had something like 15, 5 star reviews. It seems odd to me that NO one had anything bad to say about the book!)


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## BenCheetham (Jul 24, 2011)

Ocassionally, if I'm buying a book by a little-known author. But I usually know what book I want to buy before I head over to Amazon.


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## Lursa (aka 9MMare) (Jun 23, 2011)

Yes, I read reviews.

I'll read the first few, then scan more to see what the overall rating is. If they're all rated about the same, that's usually the opinion I'll use to make my decision. If there are scattered neg or pos, I'll check out a few to see what stood out for those readers.


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## mooshie78 (Jul 15, 2010)

I may glance at the average review score, but that's about it.  With Kindle books having samples, I don't care all that much about about other people's opinions since I can read the blurb of what the books about and then the first chapter or two in the sample and usually tell if I'll like the book or not.

I just generally don't trust customer reviews.  Too many people only review books they absolutely loved as they don't want to say anything bad about a book, and others are haters that just post reviews to trash things they disliked, so I just don't think the reviews have much utility personally as they tend to concentrate on the extremes.


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## Joseph_Evans (Jul 24, 2011)

I think reviews are incredibly important, I always go by the advice of the well written ones, and disregard the silly ones. I'm eagerly awaiting the first customer review of my book. Maybe people will get a better idea of it, and have the faith to take a chance on it


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## intinst (Dec 23, 2008)

I read reviews on books and any other purchase made from Amazon.


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## Grace Elliot (Mar 14, 2011)

I used to think I didnt go much by reviews - until recently. 
I heard good comments about a book by an Indie but to be honest, I thought the cover was pretty naff. I kept hearing good things so I went over to Amazon and the book had nearly 40, 5 star reviews. Scrolling through the reviews they all seemed balanced and consistant and so bought the book (a whole 99c!) 
I wasnt disappointed, the book was amazing - and it wasnt my usual genre so a combo of word of mouth and good reviews, sold it to me.


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## history_lover (Aug 9, 2010)

I don't spend a huge amount of time on reading reviews, especially on Amazon. I check the average rating (and the rating breakdown) and maybe read one positive review, one negative. Then I do the same on Goodreads.


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## mscottwriter (Nov 5, 2010)

I tend to rely more on Goodreads reviews from 'friends' whose taste is similar to mine.


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## emilyward (Mar 5, 2011)

Writtled said:


> The amount of reviews I read depends on how on the fence I am about whether or not to get the book. If I'm teetering on the fence, I'll skim through a lot of reviews. If I want to buy it regardless, I'll look at the first few and the overall amount.


Me, too! If I really want to get it, I'll skim the reviews but I usually get the sample, anyway, and let the writing convince me. If I'm on the fence, though, and there are a lot of bad reviews (like half or more), then I don't bother with the sample.

As for why people review when there are already a lot -- I think people probably just get into a habit of reviewing every book they read, even if there are already 300 reviews on that book. I try to post my reviews on Amazon for Indie books I read. I generally do it for more popular books, but I don't make it a priority. I post my reviews on Goodreads way more than Amazon.



Grace Elliot said:


> I wasnt disappointed, the book was amazing - and it wasnt my usual genre so a combo of word of mouth and good reviews, sold it to me.


Which book is it? You've got me interested


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## soyfrank (Feb 2, 2011)

If the book has enough positive reviews, that could lead to a sample. But it's really the sample that wins in the end. I trust me more than the reviewers


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## Donna White Glaser (Jan 12, 2011)

I do. But it's not the amount of reviews that influence me, it's the content. I usually skip to the 4 stars and sample those. I'll also check out the 1 & 2 stars. I don't have any hard and fast system for deciding. But I'll try to balance my needs for the product and what people are reporting.

Donna White Glaser


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## Carol (was Dara) (Feb 19, 2011)

When I'm about to purchase a book I only look at the reviews if I'm really on the fence about it. But the only time I'm on the fence about a book is if it's really expensive and since I don't generally buy ebooks over $3, well, it's not a problem I have very often. That being said, I never read more than the first couple reviews. Sometimes I like to read the highest review and compare it against the lowest review to give me a feel for what I can expect in the book.


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## RJMcDonnell (Jan 29, 2011)

I use reader reviews differently for fiction and non-fiction books. For non-fiction, I read the "most useful" reviews, then read a couple of one star reviews before forming an opinion. For fiction, I read for plot set-up to determine my level of interest, and for mentions of frequent editing errors to ensure that the merits of the novel won't be offset by aggravation.


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## Mike D. aka jmiked (Oct 28, 2008)

The Amazon reviews can’t persuade me to buy a book, but they can sure persuade me to not buy it.

Mike


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## Lilith (Dec 25, 2010)

I always read the reviews, at least skim them (unless there are 100s or 1000s, then I really skim) - the 5 star but also the 1 and 2 star.  

I usually disregard comments like "worst book ever" and read those that appear to have some thought and sincerity behind them.  

I particularly look for comments about typos and editing, as I hate to read books that are not ready for prime time and many indies fall into that category.  

I also look for comments that let me know if a book is Christian-themed, something that very few authors tell you (and that REALLY annoys me).  I don't know why so many indie books are Christian themed or why the authors don't want you to know that up front so I rely on the readers to tell me.  I do NOT read Christian books.  

Of course, there are authors I always read so I rarely read reviews of a book if I have already decided to buy it.  

Lilith


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## S Jaffe (Jul 3, 2011)

In the past, I did the whole look at 1-star review thing, but reading all that negativity turned me off of books I suspect I would've liked had I given it the chance.  I do agree that cheer-leading 5-star reviews do little to influence me.  For some reason, I still read a review or two, just to make sure none of my big pet peeves are in the book (I'm not a fan of present tense, for example); however, now that I have a Kindle and can just sample the beginning for myself, reviews do little for me.


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## Gone 9/21/18 (Dec 11, 2008)

Usually I only pay attention to the overall average, but sometimes the blurb doesn't tell me enough about a book and I read reviews to find out more. Sometimes when I'm really on the fence I'll read a couple reviews at each level. With the Kindle, I'm more inclined to just get the sample.


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## NapCat (retired) (Jan 17, 2011)

Amazon reviews have a great influence on all my purchases (not just books).

I tend to "throw" out the extreme highs and lows. (Some folks are Pollyannas and some hate everything.)all


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## KathyGleason (May 5, 2011)

I do usually read reviews of books I'm interested in, but that doesn't always make me decide. If there are bad reviews but the reviews point out things that I don't think would bother me, I usually get them anyway.


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## Sean Thomas Fisher (Mar 25, 2011)

Thanks for the intel everyone! Very interesting comments.


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## Bahhaj (Jul 28, 2011)

I use customer reviews for my choices.  I find them incredibly valuable, but I generally won't read them all.  I'll get a pretty even sampling from those who raved about it and those who didn't care for it as well as pay attention to any repeated complaints.  But I think the customer reviews are a very integral part of online services.


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## LucieSimone (Jun 30, 2011)

I read a few reviews if I'm unfamiliar with the author, but generally by the time I get to Amazon, I've already decided I want to buy the book. Besides, I follow a lot of bloggers who review the types of books I'm interested in reading, and their reviews combined with the cover and blurb are generally what spurs my interest in the first place.


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## Miriam Minger (Nov 27, 2010)

I love it when readers feel so passionately about a book, either positive or negative, that they take the time to write a review.  For me if the reviews vary widely, then there is something very interesting brewing in that particular novel that I want to check out.  

Miriam Minger


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## journeymama (May 30, 2011)

I read them, but I usually don't go very many pages in, unless I'm really unsure if I want to buy it. 

I find some of the customer reviews by top reviewers to be much more helpful than the Editorial reviews.


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## Kathy Bennett (Jun 15, 2011)

As many others have said, I read a few reviews of each number of stars and then decide.

As for people reviewing a book that has hundreds of reviews already, I don't see the point, but obviously they want to be heard.


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## Bigal-sa (Mar 27, 2010)

RJMcDonnell said:


> For fiction, I read for plot set-up to determine my level of interest, and *for mentions of frequent editing errors to ensure that the merits of the novel won't be offset by aggravation. *


I use the reviews for this as well. I *hate* poorly edited/"typeset" books. You sometimes don't pick this up from the sample.


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## amandamay83 (Apr 11, 2011)

Bigal-sa said:


> I use the reviews for this as well. I *hate* poorly edited/"typeset" books. You sometimes don't pick this up from the sample.


This, too. I always appreciate when people leave a review for poorly edited/typeset books, especially the free classics. Yes, they're free, I shouldn't care, but it's still annoying to start reading a book -- any book -- and find bizarre editing and formatting, or chunks missing all together.


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## Tess St John (Feb 1, 2011)

I've never bought or not bought a book based on a review. People's tastes are just too different. I have looked at reviews after I bought books and was astonished anyone could give the book the rating they did, whether good or bad. I'm sure what I like, someone else may not...and vice versa.


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## lib2b (Apr 6, 2010)

tsharp said:


> I often filter the reviews by hitting the link for all the 5 star reviews, reading a few of them, then do the same for the 1 and 2 star reviews.


This is what I do too. I filter by number of stars and read a few reviews of each rating. If I've read a professional review or had a friend recommend a book to me, I may buy regardless of what the reader reviews on amazon say, but I do read them anyway


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## sylviahubbard1 (Jul 27, 2011)

customer reviews are very important to me and determines my decision on whether i buy a product or not. I also check out reviews from the sellers as well if i've never bought from them before


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## HDJensen (Apr 20, 2011)

I tend to rely more on reading the book's blurb or a sample than I do reviews. Reviews are very important, don't get me wrong, but even a fantastic book might not have many reviews if it is freshly on the market.


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## Christine Lindsay (Apr 30, 2011)

If there are only 1 or 2 one-star ratings on a book then I would put that down to a reader buying a book that was totally out of the genre they normally like. And the reverse of course for the 5 star reviews--obviously from people who enjoy that very type of book.


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## Marata Eros (Jul 23, 2011)

I look at the overall star rating and if it's 4 or higher, I check the book out. Like other posts here, I like to look at a couple of reviews to gain perspective. IMHO, 1-star reviewers are "haters." I haven't seen one yet that offered any neutrality. I like three star reviews best. They seem to offer what they liked and didn't. But I'm with Dara; I don't go over the $3 price for books anymore...so not a tremendous loss if it's only an "average" read.


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## adegan (Apr 27, 2010)

Hey Frank! I think reviews are very helpful, but I don't base all of my buys on them. I agree with some of the other posts that negative reviews tend to be more honest. If you want to get a feel for what could potentially go wrong with a purchase, you should check out the negative reviews just to prepare yourself. In general, I always go with my gut. 

I think the reason people bother to put reviews in on a product that has already been excessively reviewed is because they think it is helpful. In some cases it is. If there is a book that 100 people reviewed and all liked vs. a book that only has 3 positive reviews I *might* be more inclined to read the more popular one. However, if they are cheaper e-books I tend not to care as long as the description/sample hooks me.


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## magicabooks (Jul 20, 2011)

I think customer reviews are important, but I don't base my decision solely on that. I have specific reading tastes. I prefer to read the blurb first. If that interests me enough, then I'll move on to some reviews. I like looking at the longer reviews because those people have put more time and effort in explaining what they liked and didn't like about the book. I also look for noticeable, common trends with the reviews. If a large number of people say that there are typos on the book, for example, then it's something I would take into consideration.


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## Tara Maya (Nov 4, 2010)

KateEllison said:


> Sometimes out of curiosity I will glance at 1 star reviews, but I'm one of those people who think most things rarely call for 1 star, unless the formatting was so bad it was impossible to read, or the writing was equivalent to that of a 6-year-old child. I feel like most people who give something 1 star are being a little dramatic, but that's just my opinion--usually (not always, but usually) 1 star reviews don't give a thoughtful listing of the book's pros and cons, or a detailed analysis of what readers might like about the book. So they don't impact me as much in terms of my decision.


I agree. The only exceptions are if the 1-star review is itself very well written and gives specific and damning examples, such as, "The book has fifteen grammatical mistakes in the first paragraph, and switches randomly, apparently on accident, between past and present tense several times in the first chapter."


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