Billions of dollars are spent at online shops, but before you commit your dollars, how do you decide which shop to spend them in? Do you shop by price only, or do you look for recommendations from others?
While word of mouth is a great way to find trusted retailers, you're limited to your group of friends for recommendations. For a broader audience, there are review sites that specifically review online stores as well as the wares they sell.
Before you go shopping alone and risk purchasing from a site that doesn't deliver, consider using Epinions.com. Now owned by eBay, Epinions is one of the oldest review sites on the net. Amazon.com is the only other site that offers reviews that has been around as long. The difference between the two is that the writers of Epinions.com share in any affiliate revenue earned by people shopping through their links.
CAN YOU TRUST EPINONS.COM REVIEWS?
Generally. Like anything, the system can be gamed by scammers. Competitors can write reviews blasting the service, selection, or delivery of another store. Owners can write reviews for their own stores under assumed names. Products can be rated highly by retailers to counterbalance real reviews that downrated them.
However, Epinions has put in a fail-safe in place by having members rate each others trust worthiness as well as their reviews, and this helps to keep the reviews helpful and accurate.
ARE YOU OPINIONATED? GET PAID FOR IT!
Epinions pays a small portion of the revenue they make back to their writers. Reviews with the highest click through traffic earn the highest amount. I've been a member for 3 years and written 200+ reviews, and I've made over $1800. A review takes me anywhere from 10 minutes to 2 hours depending on the subject and amount information I'm trying to share. All of the reviews were things I owned, hotels I visited, or online stores I've shopped at. Some people make a living off of their Epinions reviews by writing in the electronics, cell phone, and car categories. Those in books, music, and online stores do it for the love of helping others because they generate very little income share.
PURCHASE WISELY
So, before you purchase an item, check it out first at Epinions, then check out the webstore you're considering to see if there is a review for them. You won't find all stores as thousands are added every day, but you'd be surprised how many have been reviewed.
Head on over to the forum to share ideas how you shop on-line!
Connie – Telling Tales at Behind the Pink Tissue…what happens at Princess Time Toys after the packing & shipping are done!
Loading ...
Comments are closed.