What the Hell Happened to Aukey Products on Amazon?
Aukey makes good chargers, at least that’s how many reviews and reviews on them lead me to believe. However, if you’ve been shopping on Amazon recently, you might be surprised to find that Aukey’s product portfolio is mysteriously missing.
Take a look at the Aukey digital storefront, for example:
All those gray boxes? Yes, they should be filled with food, not emptiness. Aukey seems to have a big problem on Amazon; From the products that are even on the listings, I cannot find anything that can be bought directly from the megalithic seller.
As for why this is happening, Amazon doesn’t say exactly why Aukey enjoys a less discreet exile, but it’s pretty clear what the company is implying in a statement it provides to various media outlets (emphasis mine):
We work hard to provide a great experience for our buyers and sellers, and take steps to protect them from those who threaten their experience in our store. We have systems and processes for detecting suspicious behavior, and we have teams that investigate and take action quickly.
We have a long-standing policy to protect the integrity of our store, including product authenticity, genuine reviews, and products that meet our customers’ expectations. We take prompt action against those who violate them, including suspending or revoking sales rights. We take this responsibility seriously, monitor the accuracy of our decisions and keep the bar high. We have a grievance process where sellers can explain how they will prevent future violations or tell us if they think they are complying with the rules. Our teams are located at headquarters in Seattle and around the world to provide merchants with 24/7 email, phone and live chat support in over 15 languages.
What does this mean to you? Well, for starters, this explains all the broken links you’ll come across in all the different ecommerce articles that contain affiliate links for Aukey products on Amazon. Oki is not dead; it’s just in the box now. However, it is unclear if this is a permanent deletion from Amazon or just a timeout.
And it’s okay with whatever Aukey devices you already own; however, I would be more skeptical about reviews praising the company’s various products. It’s one thing if a verified reviewer or a website regularly covering the tech category praises the Aukey USB-C charger; It’s different if you’re reading a tweet from a random person or a review left on a retailer’s window. I may not trust their opinion, especially when it turns out that Okie mostly pays for the praise:
Of course, Aukey isn’t the only company on Amazon pulling these shenanigans along with it. Mpow also fell into the zone of Amazon’s recent ban – permanent or temporary – and many other companies on Amazon do not favor paid reviews . For instance:
How to avoid fake reviews?
In addition to your healthy dose of skepticism about random reviews, you should also consider installing an extension like Fakespot or ReviewMeta to help you figure out which products seem grounded and which … are overly boastful.
Beyond that, SafetyDetectives has a long list of tips to keep in mind when you’re trying to figure out if product reviews are honest or not. These include:
- Be skeptical about extreme reviews. A “perfect” product is rare. If a product has a ton of overwhelmingly positive reviews (especially when compared to similar products), you should question the legitimacy of those reviews. You should also look for reviews that are 100% positive or 100% negative.
- Look for suspicious language. Fake reviews often use less emotional language and are difficult to read. A fake review may even look like an ad that scolds the product’s competitors.
- Find general statements about the product. Some of the five-star reviews may point to the same pros, or the reviews may lack discrepancy without revealing anything about each individual’s specific experience. Fake testimonials can also contain many common keywords or reference a brand name multiple times.
My favorite trick is simple: don’t read five-star reviews. Read the one- and two-star reviews to check for potential product flaws (especially if a lot of people say the same thing about one aspect or another of what you’re buying). Bonus points if other reviews are called fake or suspicious in these reviews; then you know that you may have a product in your hands that requires more investigation than a simple “Buy it now”.