The Adequacy of Rating Systems

Many online merchants today, such as eBay and Amazon, use rating systems empowered by its customers. Is this adequate for determining which products to buy, or which users to trust? Cite examples from these two merchants that support your opinion (whether it is good enough, or inadequate).

I think that rating systems empowered by customers are adequate for determining which products to buy. I searched the Amazon site and checked the ratings people put for “Here Comes Everybody.” There were 54 customer reviews based on a 1 to 5 star rating scale. On the top of the page, it showed the most helpful favorable review vs. the most helpful critical review. It also shows you how many total people found the review helpful. As for eBay, the site provides you with seller ratings. There’s a positive feedback percentage and a feedback score. It also shows you the average rating for the item as described, communication, shipping time, and shipping and handling charges. I found that both of these rating systems for Amazon and eBay as adequate and helpful in determining which products to buy. Amazon is adequate because it shows which reviews are most helpful and how many people agreed. EBay is adequate because it gives separate ratings for different aspects of the sellers and tells you how many people actually rated it. There are a great number of people who posted ratings on the site which makes it more reliable—it’s not like it is just a few opinions. EBay was created on the assumption that people are basically good, and I think that the concept of its rating system has supported that.