Rolig Loon wrote:
Since very few people leave reviews of any kind, it's not fair to give any extra weight to a product that gets a review --- especially when it gets only one. Unless reviews were mandatory, so that you'd know what the average person felt, all you know for sure is what one person who left that ONE review thought. Basing your own decision on one stranger's opinion ( it might even be the merchant's alt! ) is silly. And is just as silly to ignore the competing product just because nobody bothered to leave a comment.
First, I'm not sure where you got the impression that the item only had one review. It had several. I agree that it's usually silly to base a decision on one or two reviews, unless they are very convincing.
But one point I'm making is that the reason few people leave a review is that they are unable to, because they bought in-world. There is a good chance that both items I was considering would have had more reviews if that weren't the case. I would certainly like to write a review praising this item, but I can't.
And yes, I do believe it's fair to use reviews in making my buying decision. When there isn't enough information in the item description to make an informed decision, and I can't try before I buy, the reviews definitely tip the balance.