How do you know if a vendor review is fake?

Look for specific details

Genuine reviews mention concrete facts: what was purchased, when, how it performed, and specific problems encountered. Generic praise like "great service!" with no examples is suspicious. Real customers describe their actual experience, not marketing language.

Check the reviewer's history

Reviews from accounts that only posted one review, or accounts that reviewed dozens of unrelated products in days, warrant skepticism. Look at the date patterns—a flood of 5-star reviews posted within hours is a common fake strategy.

Notice extreme language

Reviews that are either extremely negative or positive without nuance often aren't authentic. People writing about real experiences usually mention trade-offs: "good quality but shipping took three weeks" or "pricey, but it lasted five years."

Compare across platforms

If a vendor has stellar ratings on their own website but poor ratings on independent review sites, that's telling. Cross-reference the same business across multiple platforms to spot inconsistencies.

Trust the middle ground

Vendors with mostly 3 and 4-star reviews tend to be more credible than those with only 5s and 1s. Mixed feedback with specific complaints and praise usually reflects actual customer experience.