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But as for my actually paying real money to someone who's been less-than-competently attempting to deceive people in order to get them to pay real money for less-than-competently deceptively-marketed wares?
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There are several forms of deception. Some more obvious and irritating than others. Most have a bias (83% according to a study) but this is to be expected. You want to have sex tonight then you better give your spouse's book a positive review. Avoid WW3 at the next holiday dinner; click five stars often. You want to keep your friends; write that good review. Continue receiving free samples; be praiseworthy. Earn extra income from affiliates? Start by saying "This is the best book I ever read" and collect that 6%. My worst offender yesterday was an self pubber with 63 out of 64 five-star reviews.
Personally, I've never purchased an ebook from Amazon. Just free stuff. And I only post free items so no wallets are involved. Still I do avoid (and don't post) books with only suspicious reviews. I'll let them brew and see if they reappear in 90 days with more reviews.