where can I read all of the product ratings?

[milkolittle]

When I look at products for sale their is a rating, It will say the overall stats but it won't let me read all of the reviews. It has the two most relevant ratings (according to ebay) I'd like to read all of them, to see if they liked using it and if it has any downsides etc but I can't find where to do this. Is it even possible?  I'm not referring to the sellers rating but the product that is for sale. - like skincare etc.

[padi*0409]

Try Googling "product reviews" for the items you're interested in.

[enigmabear]

The Product Review website used to be very good. I have not used it in a few years though so I don't know if it is the same

[padi*0409]

It's still good for some products bear, but it doesn't seem as extensive as it used to be.

[springyzone]

I think it is still fairly extensive. I'm in the middle of testing out a couple of products right now to review for them.

What I find is if you don't get what you want with one search term, use another. Sometimes I have thought there must be no reviews about a product but then have found there are but I have had to get to them via a different path eg searching categories.

I think the real problem is there are often so many various models of a lot of products, plus of course, just like on ebay, even when people are talking about the exact same thing, some people will love it and some will hate it. Reviews are not an exact science.

[countessalmirena]

Springyzone, what worries me is that some people use Product Review/s to self-promote or promote in favour of a brand for consideration (payment, special offers, favour, etc.). Some reviews are clearly made by knife-sharpening competition slayers! Others are more subtle, and I find myself in a quandary - are they genuine...? Non-genuine? Realistic?

This says something about human nature. On at least three occasions, I have been almost decided upon a particular item (very specific as to maker and model), but will still be looking at reviews and the experience of users for that item. On those three occasions, that final pre-purchasing check has me reading reviews from that site... and the reviews have been extremely unfavourable. In fact, so unfavourable were they that I smelt a rat, and contrary to the reviewer's intention, my spine stiffened with stubbornness and I trusted my gut instinct about the item in question. I found myself purchasing in a sort of defiance against what I perceived to be a malicious review.

I won't say that I haven't ever made purchasing mistakes... buying things that in restrospect I would never buy again... but never when I buy after doing my extensive research. (What I call my "gut instinct" is the result of researching items.) Experience can sometimes be trusted over what someone else writes about a product, but it has to be the right sort of experience!

From my experience, I'll never buy any other kitchen knives than Tojiro (preferably "Flash"); I'll stick to Wedgwood for dinner services etc., I only want Arthur Price cutlery (but building up my full cutlery canteen is going to take years), I'll never buy shoes with pointy toes ever again (irrespective of how gorgeous they may look), I only buy woollen garments that are made in the UK or in Australia and only when the wool is fine (preferably merino and cashmere - or - if I ever decide to lash out US$600 or so for clothing made with that extremely fine and extremely warm yak wool) and the dyes are without irritating chemicals to irritate my skin*...; I'll only buy leather goods that have been vegetable tanned and are fine grade, and so on. Everyone will have different experiences, arising from what they love, what looks good, what works well, what irritates and what doesn't, what is value for money, so reviews will reflect those experiences (as well as the dodgy reviews having their own agenda).

When I can tell that a review comes from someone genuinely knowing the product, and having the sense to have used it properly, and having some of the same concerns that I have about what makes a product worth having, that review will have more weight for me than just a "Hated this; will never use again" or "Loved this; would definitely buy again".

Spoiler

 * For some years I thought that I had something of an allergy to wool. I now realise that it was sensitivity to some of the chemical dyes used (in particular when the garments were made in China), as well as sensitivity to any wool that was even slightly scratchy. I love the combination of merino and cashmere! (I'm currently draped with a most gorgeous wrap-thing that looks a bit like a waterfall jacket... in a delicious chocolate wool; 30% cashmere, 70% merino.)

[springyzone]

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@countessalmirena wrote:

Springyzone, what worries me is that some people use Product Review/s to self-promote or promote in favour of a brand for consideration (payment, special offers, favour, etc.). Some reviews are clearly made by knife-sharpening competition slayers! Others are more subtle, and I find myself in a quandary - are they genuine...? Non-genuine? Realistic?

When I can tell that a review comes from someone genuinely knowing the product, and having the sense to have used it properly, and having some of the same concerns that I have about what makes a product worth having, that review will have more weight for me than just a "Hated this; will never use again" or "Loved this; would definitely buy again".

Spoiler

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The highlighted part resonates with me. It is a bit like why i hate reviews on eg Catch, where some people just give a star rating. It tells you nothing. You don't know why a person hated or loved a product.

I think with reviews, people are possibly more inclined to give one if they have had a bad experience and are enraged. It's their way of getting even.

I don't think Product Review approves reviews where someone has been paid by a company to do it. It is one of the questions they specifically ask, although i suppose that isn't to stop some reps doing it sneakily.

With the Ambassador reviews, the products are supplied for free, that is true, but the people receiving them are just ordinary people who have done reviews in the past and those people are free to give a review as they see fit. There is no onus to give a good or bad review as the person isn't dealing with the company at all and in fact, most reviewers (as far as I know) do it honestly.

But it is like anything else, I think you'll always find some who love or  hate a product and a person needs to read between the lines a bit and see if the reviewer really seemed to be familiar with the item and gave it a fair trial.

Personally, what I look for more are trends. For instance, a while back I had a problem with an item not received from a particular company. Looked at reviews and saw an avalanche of reviews all saying the same thing. So I immediately knew it was a real problem, not a glitch. Finally saw one review that said-same problem, discovered company is in receivership. I got a paypal refund. So sometimes reviews can be helpful.

[*tippy*toes*]

I have left a number of reviews on Product Review, both good and bad. I would never just say "hate it, would never buy again". I gave an in depth reason of why the product sucked. Same with the good reviews, I give an in depth reason why it was so great. Pointing out different features that I loved.

It doesn't matter what product you are looking for, there will always be at least one bad review. 100 people raving about how wonderful it is, another saying it sucked, fell to pieces within a few hours, or blew up, or simply stopped working. I put those reviews down to it doesn't matter what it is, there is always going to be a dodgy one that gets past the QA people. The end of the line one that might have missed a component as it was all automated and no one saw that a particular component had run out.

I've noticed that there are a lot more negative reviews than positive these days, and I think that is because as mentioned, people are more likely to be upset and want to tell people how angry they are. Rather than someone else wanting to rejoice at how awesome that item is.

I will keep leaving reviews.

Edit: I did leave one review that sais "This item sucks!". It was my review for my new Dyson. It was a postive comment though, because that thing did suck the floor boards through the carpet!

[padi*0409]

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@*tippy*toes* wrote:

Edit: I did leave one review that sais "This item sucks!". It was my review for my new Dyson. It was a postive comment though, because that thing did suck the floor boards through the carpet!

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Good grief Tippy, keep Norman away from it !!!!!      

[*tippy*toes*]

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@padi*0409 wrote:

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@*tippy*toes* wrote:

Edit: I did leave one review that sais "This item sucks!". It was my review for my new Dyson. It was a postive comment though, because that thing did suck the floor boards through the carpet!

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Good grief Tippy, keep Norman away from it !!!!!      

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It scared the carp out of him at first. Took him months to get used to it. Now he loves it. He can't turn this one on and off like he did with the old one, even after 4 or 5 years.