# Amazon.com reviewer rank

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amazon-com-reviewer-rank/161688>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [March 16, 2003, 12:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amazon-com-reviewer-rank/161688 "2003-03-16T00:49:37Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 3\
**Page:** 1

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![brianmelendez](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/65b543/32.png) [@brianmelendez](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/brianmelendez)\
**Post date:** [March 16, 2003, 12:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amazon-com-reviewer-rank/161688/1 "2003-03-16T00:49:37Z")

</div>

As an avid reader, I make at least a daily pilgrimage to [amazon.com](http://amazon.com) and various other online booksellers. I particularly appreciate amazon because of its reader reviews, which often factor into my buying choices, and I sometimes review books [myself](http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/cm/member-reviews/-/A11IZGTTWPPPXT/ref=cm_aya_bb_rev/104-5760137-6687118). After I began reviewing books, I began noticing that amazon ranks its [Top Reviewers](http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/cm/top-reviewers-list/-/1/ref=cm_tr_trl_top/104-5760137-6687118?expand=1) (so far I have reached 2793rd), but I can’t figure out its system–the rankings usually seem arbitrary, and sometimes even counterintuitive. For example, here are the Top Reviewers ranked 35th (the first tied ranking shared by at least two reviewers) through 54th:

Rank----Reviews Written----Helpful Votes----Votes per Review  
35----4075----6679----01.64  
35----1372----4309----03.14  
37----0377----5045----13.38  
38----0861----3951----04.59  
38----0326----4591----14.08  
40----0629----2527----04.02  
40----0452----3293----07.29  
42----0323----3622----11.21  
42----0380----5677----14.94  
44----0259----4329----16.71  
44----0845----3068----03.63  
46----0298----6229----20.90  
47----0438----3371----07.70  
47----0799----5016----06.28  
49----0276----3082----11.17  
50----0501----2415----04.82  
51----0545----3261----05.98  
51----0433----2486----05.74  
53----0871----2643----03.03  
54----0829----2256----02.72

Presumably writing more reviews is better than having written fewer reviews, earning more helpful votes is better than fewer helpful votes, and earning more helpful votes per review is better than fewer votes per review. But of the reviewers tied at 51st, one has written more reviews, gotten more helpful votes, and gotten more helpful votes per review than the other, yet they are tied. Top Reviewer 46 has written more reviews, gotten more helpful votes, and gotten more helpful votes per review than a reviewer tied for 44th, yet comes in behind. How is amazon calculating these ranks?

I suppose that votes that a review is _un_helpful may be factoring in somehow, although gathering that information would take more effort than my curiosity warrants. But does anyone know how amazon calculates its reviewers’ rank? or see a pattern in these numbers that suggests any predictability?

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![milquetoast](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/258eb7/32.png) [@milquetoast](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/milquetoast)\
**Post date:** [March 16, 2003, 12:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amazon-com-reviewer-rank/161688/2 "2003-03-16T00:56:57Z")

</div>

Did you see the [Reviewers FAQ page](http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/subst/community/reviewers-faq.html/ref=cm_tr_trl_faq/104-4550754-5212701)?

At one point it mentions:

> [@](#):
>
> \*If a reader gives the reviewer a Not Helpful vote, it detracts from the totals above.

So it seems your theory that negative votes affect the calculation is correct.

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![brianmelendez](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/65b543/32.png) [@brianmelendez](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/brianmelendez)\
**Post date:** [March 16, 2003, 1:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amazon-com-reviewer-rank/161688/3 "2003-03-16T01:08:58Z")

</div>

> [@](#):
>
> \*Originally posted by milquetoast \*  
> \*\*Did you see the [Reviewers FAQ page](http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/subst/community/reviewers-faq.html/ref=cm_tr_trl_faq/104-4550754-5212701)?
> 
> . . . .
> 
> So it seems your theory that negative votes affect the calculation is correct. \*\*

Thanks, **milquetoast** , I had missed that point (since it appears in a question headed “I’ve noticed badges next to reviewers’ names. What do they represent?”).

Again, I haven’t run the calculation, but it seems unlikely that the “unhelpful” votes can entirely account for the discrepancies.