KMise clone of new Goldtone Plastic Banjo Uke

I'm curious, so I input 'ukulele' into amazon.co.uk

We've got Everjoys, Rayzm, Malani, Tiger Music, Mahalo (yay one I recognise), Martin Smith, Hrricane, Donner, Acandoo ...? Huh??

Apart from Mahalo I've never heard of any, and they all sound well dodgy. But if Kmise are playing that game they aren't doing it very well.

I agree with some of what you are saying but -

1. Sadly bricks and mortar stores just aren't going to be an option for most. The only shop I know of even remotely locally is SUS, and its probably a three hour round trip for me. So buying online esp for beginner instruments is just going to be the way it is. Perhaps there is a need for more online shops that filter out the dross. And some of the bricks and mortar, such as the charity shops, sell the worst s** going. There can't be more than half a dozen shops in the UK selling a decent range of ukes.

2. Amazon could deal with this easily by only allowing purchases made on Amazon to leave a review on Amazon.

3. For ukuleles like this topping the chart at Amazon there is something weird I agree. I do know that many online retailers (not ukes but in general) import reviews from aliexpress. I don't like that but its endemic. Obviously all these even more unknown makes must be manipulating the system also don't you think?

I DO see the problem, but if its to be sorted I think we need to acknowledge the big picture.
 
No - maybe they aren’t doing it well - maybe that’s why they are gaming the system?

No bricks and mortar are not accessible for all BUT,.. when I say bricks and mortar specialists - I mean that the good ones also do reliable postage. It surprises people that I’ve never bought a uke in a store direct despite reviewing them for a decade - it’s just 4 hrs either way in a car for me. But thst wasn’t quite my point. I mean real Independent specialists - mail order or in person. Good stores do both - but people assume only amazon do that.

Re point 2 - amazon.com DO have that policy in the USA and I believe it’s coming in UK. That’s the clever bit with one brand I saw. They make you buy the uke then refund you via PayPal when you leave the review that doesn’t say you got it free. That way it gets round being blocked by amazon for being a freebie uke, and gets around the buying bit. You appear as a verified buyer. Clever huh? I am not making this up!

As for the others. Clearly something is manipulating things. As I say - several renowned brands and stores I know told me direct they cannot use amazon for this reason. It would be nice to think that ‘hey ho’ those on amazon will take their chances and so will others, and Everyone will be ok... but that’s missing the point. Amazon are becoming the only game in town. This is only the start. Seriously - some major brands are terrified. It appears to be great for consumers, but I really don’t think it is.

I think that’s the bigger picture! And honestly I’ll discuss the bigger picture all day.
 
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Sadly it's not just the off shore sellers who are gaming the system. I purchased a uke from a third party seller here in the US via their Amazon storefront. When it arrived it had just been tossed in a cardboard box with no padding. Fortunately it was not damaged, although I have no idea why it wasn't. I slammed the seller for their poor packaging with a seller review. Then I got an email from the seller offering me a payment to go back and change my review. Offered me $10 to lie. Didn't happen.
 
Oooof - yes heard of similar.

Ultimately a lot of blame here with Amazon. Still I still think there is something deeply wrong with review clubs for free instruments and paying people to write specific questions on products.
 
I think that’s the bigger picture! And honestly I’ll discuss the bigger picture all day.

Yes a lot of the above. Ebay has been ruined already imo. Used to be a great place to buy and sell unusual stuff.

We need to be careful though that threads don't end up sounding like a witch hunt against one or two companies rather than the bigger picture.

(btw the only bricks and mortar place local to me you can buy a uke is the Sue Ryder shop. No comment. Business rates have driven pretty much every shop in the High Street under except franchises. Anyone would be better with anything off amazon :)
 
(btw the only bricks and mortar place local to me you can buy a uke is the Sue Ryder shop. No comment. Business rates have driven pretty much every shop in the High Street under except franchises. Anyone would be better with anything off amazon :)

Know what you mean - although those specialist stores I mention absolutely can be trusted on mail order. More than Amazon in fact as you get a setup check!!

I don’t think it’s a witch hunt when I posted a screenshot of evidence. If I came across another brand openly doing something like that I’d also share it with UU - think uke players on this board deserve to know who they are dealing with
 
I get emails from sellers after I've purchased items from Amazon here in the USA asking me to write a review on Amazon for the item. I have not been offered payment or otherwise compensation.

I do not write any reviews on Amazon unless there is something amazingly good or glaringly bad.

I do not appreciate unsolicited emails or phone calls, and for me, writing these reviews when asked seems like harassment, especially if they send 2-3 emails per week. I did not knowingly sign up for emails from the seller, and they are doing this without my consent. A single follow-up email asking if I a happy with the item is fine, but multiple emails is pushing my tolerance for wasting my time.

Some folks may think I should report these sellers, but I'd rather not create more work for myself by opening a Pandora's Box, for who knows what the aftermath might be, and I have not the time nor the energy to more create problems for myself.

So I just leave it alone.
 
Yes - that is annoying and I get it too - this ukulele tactic seems to be the other way around though - setting up private Facebook groups in which they effectively give away ukuleles in advance in return for reviews (you buy one - hence become verified purchaser and they refund you cost when you review it) That's a whole other level of wrong.

I should add though - my screen shot was NOT about reviews - rather paying people to write questions of their choosing (and answers). I believe that serves to build a 'buzz' on the product page suggesting more people are reading than really are and hence boosting position in search results. So it's not reviews as such, but equally unfair I think.
 
Incidentally - this is part of the 'instructions' that Aklot gave to people they were re-imbursing in return for reviews. Note the instruction that people don't mention that the ukulele was free..

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Sorry - dont know why that came out so small...

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I searched Amazon and was unable to find a link to report fraud. Perhaps it's still there and I just couldn't find it.

This looks to me like something that should be reported to Amazon. I wish Amazon made that an easier process.
 
You have to contact them using the more generic contact form - equally not easy to find!
 
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