Liftoff with Keith Newman

Episode: Fighting Fake Reviews: How Shane Barker and TraceFuse Are Protecting Amazon Sellers
Guest: Shane Barker, CEO & Founder of TraceFuse
Date: October 7, 2025

Overview

In this episode, host Keith Newman sits down with Shane Barker, founder and CEO of TraceFuse, to dissect the pervasive issue of fake and malicious reviews in e-commerce—especially on Amazon. Shane discusses how TraceFuse is tackling the challenge of reviews inauthentically skewing product reputations and impacting sellers’ bottom lines. The conversation moves from the broader cultural impact of online reviews to concrete solutions, drawing on Shane’s experience and the evolution of the TraceFuse platform.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. The Scale and Stakes of Fake Reviews (00:00–04:26)

• The scope of the problem:

  • Keith sets the context: “30% of all online reviews are reportedly fake. 47% are suspicious. So now you're talking about half the influence of a $787 billion industry.” (02:20)

• Business impact:

  • Bad reviews can drastically affect profitability through star ratings, pricing, PPC costs, and conversions.
  • Shane: “We've seen some of our clients lose anywhere from 10 to 50% of their sales because of that drop.” (00:29, 07:00)

2. The Influence of Reviews Across Channels (04:26–06:09)

• Reviews as modern word-of-mouth:

  • Keith: “It's all about word of mouth. It's like the number one way that buyers are influenced...” (04:26)

• Social proof for B2B and B2C:

  • Shane notes that brick and mortar retailers look to Amazon reviews before deciding to carry products.
  • Reviews guide consumer purchase decisions, even subconsciously.

3. TraceFuse's Origin and Approach (06:10–08:33)

• How TraceFuse started:

  • Shane founded the company after DTC clients identified Amazon reviews as a massive pain point.
  • “I said...here, hold my beer, I'm gonna go figure it out. Give me a few weeks, you know, and then I'll, I'll be back. It only it took two years, so I was humbled very quickly.” (06:19)

• What TraceFuse does:

  • A SaaS platform that helps brands identify and remove critical/fraudulent reviews abiding strictly by Amazon’s TOS.
  • Offers a free review checker tool that scans ASINs or SKUs to identify violations.

• Results:

  • Works with 600+ brands; over 14,000 reviews removed.

4. Amazon’s Role and Limitations in Policing Reviews (08:33–12:12)

• Does Amazon catch everything?

  • Shane: “I believe that Amazon's doing everything they can to clean up...but we are...the second layer of protection.” (08:50)

• Amazon’s priorities:

  • “Amazon's at a point where, guess what, if I sell a blue widget and...I start doing weird stuff on Amazon, they'll just get rid of you because they have 400 other people that sell blue widgets.” _(11:26)*
  • Amazon’s focus has shifted to customer experience over seller retention.

5. Best Practices for Sellers: Generating & Managing Reviews (12:12–13:48)

• Tactics for more positive reviews:
  • Use Amazon feedback tools or 3rd-party solutions (e.g., Ecomengine) to automate review requests.
  • Shane’s analogy: “It's like a diet...If you work out and eat right, you could shed weight...You do both things now.” (Knock down bad reviews & encourage good ones.) (13:00)

6. The Impact of AI and Tech Evolution (14:09–15:52)

• AI is transforming e-commerce review management:
  • Shane details how TraceFuse built bespoke AI to scan reviews for TOS violations.
  • “We didn't use AI in the beginning...about three and a half years ago, we created our AI, our own AI that we can run through.” (14:47)

7. Who Benefits from TraceFuse (15:00–15:52)

• Clients range from huge brands to new small sellers:
  • Originally served more established sellers but now accommodates any Amazon seller, regardless of size.
  • “You can be an Amazon seller if you only have 10 critical reviews, we remove one that can absolutely double your sales.” _(15:37)*

8. Broader Review Ecosystem: Critique of Yelp (15:52–20:31)

• Yelp’s business practices raise concerns:

  • Shane is openly critical:
    • “I can make this right if you give me cash...It's almost like the mob.” _(17:40)*
  • Yelp is seen as ‘pay to play’, which erodes trust compared to platforms like Amazon or even Google ("Sponsored" ads are clearly marked).

• The cost of lost trust:

  • “Once you lose credibility and the trust, everything really starts to diminish.” (19:04)

9. Other Platforms and International Challenges (20:31–22:01, 28:04–29:00)

• Mentions Trustpilot and difficulty of review management at scale:

  • Combating fake/misleading reviews is complex, particularly with large, global, and multi-cultural user bases.

• Current scope:

  • TraceFuse operates in the US, Canada, and the UK. Expansion to the EU is challenging due to different systems but under consideration.

10. How TraceFuse Works: The Mechanics (22:01–25:16)

• Onboarding:

  • Seller provides ASINs/SKUs; TraceFuse monitors and flags non-compliant reviews with AI.
  • Transparency & pay-for-removal: “They only pay for reviews that actually get removed...there's no monthly fee.” (23:34)

• Case filing process:

  • Often requires multiple filings before Amazon removes the review.
  • Especially persistent in pursuing escalation for clearly fraudulent patterns or ‘sock puppet’ accounts.

11. Advice for Sellers (26:16–27:46)

• Proactive review monitoring:
  • Shane recommends integrating TraceFuse from the beginning, especially for new sellers, to monitor ASINs proactively—cheaper and less trouble than cleaning up years of accumulated negative reviews.

12. Final Thoughts, Tools, and Expansion (28:04–29:00)

• Free Amazon review checker:

  • Shane reiterates the value of the free tool for sellers who might not be ready to engage the full service.

• Mission-driven:

  • Shane emphasizes helping sellers—even if it isn’t always about making money.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On sellers’ awareness:

  • “99% of the sellers didn't even know that you could remove critical reviews or file on that to be able to make that happen.”
    — Shane Barker _(00:00)*

• On the financial impact of star ratings:

  • "We've seen some of our clients lose anywhere from 10 to 50% of their sales because of that drop."
    — Shane Barker _(00:29, 07:00)*

• On Yelp's model:

  • “It's almost like the mob...This is how you feed your family. And I'm saying, hey, if you want to continue...have good results, you have to pay us.”
    — Shane Barker _(17:40)*

• On the value of trust:

  • “Building trust is one thing. To lose the trust doesn't take long to do so.”
    — Shane Barker _(20:11)*

• Review removal effort:

  • “We have, sometimes we have to file 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 cases.”
    — Shane Barker _(24:08)*

• On TraceFuse's pricing model:

  • “They only pay for reviews that actually get removed...there's no monthly fee.”
    — Shane Barker _(23:34)*

• Giving back:

  • “I really put my face on it and said, hey, listen, why would I go mess up my whole brand that I built up for 30 years to come and, you know, screw you out of $250? That’s not what we do.”
    — Shane Barker _(23:10)*

• Fan moment:

  • “We also found out that we're both 49ers fans, so you're automatically... you've just tenfolded that I didn't. That was possible, but here you are.”
    — Shane Barker _(02:38)*

Timestamps for Important Segments

• 00:00–02:38: The impact of reviews, surprising stats on fake/suspicious reviews
• 06:10–08:33: TraceFuse’s origin story and methodology
• 12:12–13:48: Best practices for garnering positive reviews
• 14:09–15:52: The accelerating role of AI in e-commerce reviews
• 15:52–20:31: Yelp critique, credibility, and pay-to-play discussion
• 22:01–25:16: Step-by-step of working with TraceFuse and the review removal process
• 28:04–29:00: Free tool for sellers and future international plans

Closing Thoughts

Shane and Keith deliver an engaging, in-depth look at the repercussions of fake and critical reviews in e-commerce, the necessity of trust in online marketplaces, and actionable tactics for sellers seeking to protect their brands. TraceFuse emerges as a compliance-focused, tech-driven answer for Amazon sellers, bolstering integrity in a review landscape often clouded by manipulation and fraud.