The problem of false reviews and malicious negative reviews has long plagued cross-border e-commerce sellers. Recently, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) in the United States officially released the "Final Rule on False Reviews," significantly intensifying its crackdown on false reviews. eBay has responded positively by introducing a new policy allowing for the deletion of unreasonable reviews.
This series of new regulations not only benefits sellers, but also creates a more fair competitive environment for the cross-border e-commerce industry.
Next, whether platforms such as Amazon will follow up on policies to further protect the interests of sellers has also become a focus of attention in the industry.
Policy released: FTC's Final Rule on False Reviews In mid August of this year, the Federal Trade Commission officially announced the "Final Rule on False Reviews", clarifying the regulations and rules for combating false reviews and false recommendations.
The core of this rule is to prohibit companies from using false reviews to mislead consumers, including hiring third parties to post false positive or malicious negative reviews.
The new regulations will prohibit any enterprise or individual from selling or purchasing reviews, especially those generated by AI or without actual product experience. It is worth noting that companies or individuals who violate this regulation will face severe civil penalties.
The problem of false reviews is particularly common in cross-border e-commerce, especially on the Amazon platform. False reviews not only undermine market fairness, but also lead to sellers' products being misled by negative reviews, affecting sales and even losing competitiveness.
According to the new regulations of FTC, leaving reviews without actually using the product will be directly defined as "false reviews". For sellers who have been maliciously evaluated to lower their ratings or even lose traffic as a result, this regulation brings new hope.
When will the problem of false comments be truly resolved? Will Amazon follow up? Although the FTC's false review rules have officially come into effect, Amazon has not yet released specific implementation details. For many years, Amazon has been controversial in dealing with fake reviews: some merchants mislead consumers by maliciously brushing positive or negative reviews, even forming a gray industry chain.
Some sellers have expressed that if Amazon cannot effectively implement the new regulations, the platform may face the risk of class action lawsuits, and sellers have the right to demand stricter measures through legal channels to protect a fair competitive environment.
In addition, some industry insiders have analyzed that Amazon has not implemented thorough review of reviews, ostensibly to provide traffic support to sellers, but in reality, it is also condoning the spread of false reviews.
For example, receiving thousands of positive reviews or a large number of malicious negative reviews within a short period of time after a product is launched is not a normal phenomenon, but these reviews still appear on the platform, making it difficult for consumers to judge the true quality of the product.
Sellers hope that the new regulations will encourage Amazon to reform and establish stricter review and screening mechanisms to ensure the authenticity of all reviews.
EBay has taken the lead in adjusting its feedback policy and allowing the deletion of negative comments under specific circumstances. Although Amazon has not yet followed up, eBay has already introduced an unreasonable comment deletion policy. According to eBay's latest feedback policy, negative reviews in certain situations will no longer be displayed.
For example, when a buyer requests to cancel an order after placing it, negative reviews resulting from the seller's refusal will be considered as unreasonable reviews and will be deleted.
In addition, when buyers leave negative reviews due to dissatisfaction with the platform's return policy, or leave travel reviews due to defects in the seller's product despite a clear description of its condition, these reviews can also be deleted.
This new regulation has received support from a large number of eBay sellers, who believe that the policy can better protect the legitimate interests of sellers.
EBay's new policy clearly states that when negative reviews are not related to product quality but are caused by personal emotions or platform factors, they will be considered "irrational reviews".
For example, if a buyer leaves a negative review due to not receiving a request to cancel an order, or leaves a dissatisfied review due to issues with return label fees, these situations will be considered unreasonable and the platform can be requested to delete them.
EBay also provides an example: the seller has clearly stated the specific condition of the second-hand product (such as stains, wear, etc.) in the product description. If the buyer leaves a review due to this known information, the review will be deleted to protect the seller's rights. This measure not only increases the protection of seller rights, but is also seen as a positive exploration of industry rule making.
EBay's pioneering move has sparked widespread attention and discussion in the industry. Industry insiders believe that eBay's move has a demonstrative effect, and other platforms may follow in its footsteps and introduce similar policies to improve the seller environment.
Sellers hope that platforms such as Amazon can emulate eBay's approach and allow the deletion of unreasonable negative reviews to reduce unfair competition and restore market fairness.
Industry Expectations: What changes will the crackdown on false comments bring? For the cross-border e-commerce industry, the new regulations on false reviews may have far-reaching impacts. EBay's pioneering actions have given sellers hope, while Amazon's actions will determine the future direction of the industry.
If Amazon can follow up and implement similar measures, cross-border sellers will have the opportunity to compete in a fairer environment. In the future, if every review can truly reflect the real experience of consumers, then consumers will have more confidence when making purchases, vicious competition among sellers will be reduced, and the market will be healthier.
In addition, eBay's feedback policy adjustment not only benefits seller rights, but also enhances the platform's credibility, and consumers can trust the authenticity of the evaluation system more when shopping.
EBay's move indicates that even in the highly competitive environment of cross-border e-commerce, the platform has a responsibility and obligation to maintain fairness. Sellers look forward to Amazon and other platforms introducing similar rules as soon as possible, driving the entire industry towards a more transparent and healthy direction.
Summary: False reviews and malicious negative reviews have existed in cross-border e-commerce for many years, affecting the operation of sellers and the shopping experience of consumers.
With the official implementation of the FTC's false review rules in the United States, eBay has taken the lead in updating its policies, allowing specific unreasonable negative reviews to be deleted. This series of new regulations is a positive signal for e-commerce sellers.
Next, if Amazon imitates eBay's measures in terms of energy efficiency, sellers will have a fairer competitive environment and can also better provide consumers with a real shopping experience.
In the future, comment management within the industry may enter a new stage, creating a healthier and more reliable business ecosystem for all participants.