How Reviews Work

Reviews help our community identify trustworthy businesses and hold vendors accountable. Here's how our review system ensures quality and prevents abuse.

📝 Who Can Write Reviews?

To write reviews on Agorist.Market, you need to:

  1. Create an account with a valid email address
  2. Verify your email by clicking the link we send you
  3. Add social verification to prove you're a real person

Social Verification Points

You need at least 2 points to write reviews:

  • Phone-based accounts (Signal, WhatsApp, Telegram phone): 2 points total
  • Individual social profiles (Twitter, Nostr, Mastodon, etc.): 1 point each

This prevents spam while respecting privacy. You can use pseudonymous accounts—we just need to verify you're a real person with some online presence.

✅ Review Approval Process

We use a trust-building system to maintain review quality:

1

New Reviewers

Your first 3 reviews require admin approval before they appear publicly. This helps us filter out spam and bad actors.

2

Trusted Reviewers

After 3 approved reviews, your future reviews are published automatically. You've earned the community's trust!

3

Rate Limiting

All users are limited to 5 reviews per 30-day rolling period. This prevents review bombing and encourages thoughtful feedback.

💬 Business Responses

Business owners can respond to reviews, creating a dialogue:

  • Owners can reply to any review on their listing
  • Reviewers can respond back (up to 8 total messages in a thread)
  • The business owner always gets the final word
  • Responses help clarify situations and resolve issues publicly

👍 Helpful Votes

Found a review useful? Vote it helpful!

  • Click "Helpful" on any review
  • You must be logged in to vote
  • You can only vote once per review
  • Helpful votes help surface the most useful reviews

📋 Review Guidelines

When writing a review, please:

✓ Do

  • Be honest and specific
  • Describe your actual experience
  • Mention what you purchased/used
  • Include helpful details (shipping time, quality, communication)
  • Update your review if the situation changes

✗ Don't

  • Review businesses you haven't used
  • Post fake reviews (positive or negative)
  • Include personal attacks or threats
  • Share private information
  • Spam or post promotional content
  • Review your own business

🚫 Moderation

Reviews may be hidden or removed if they:

  • Violate our guidelines
  • Are clearly spam or fake
  • Contain illegal content
  • Are from users who are later found to be bad actors

Hidden reviews remain in our system but aren't displayed publicly. We err on the side of keeping reviews visible—we only hide reviews for clear violations.

🔒 One Review Per Business

You can only leave one review per business. If you want to update your experience, you can edit your existing review. This prevents spam and keeps reviews meaningful.

❓ FAQ

Why was my review not published?

New reviewers have their first 3 reviews held for admin approval. If it's been more than 48 hours and your review hasn't appeared, contact us.

Can I delete my review?

Yes, you can delete your own reviews from your account dashboard.

Can business owners delete negative reviews?

No. Business owners can respond to reviews but cannot delete them. Only admins can hide reviews that violate guidelines.

Why do I need social verification?

Social verification helps prevent fake reviews and spam accounts. We don't require real names—pseudonymous social accounts work fine. We just need some evidence you're a real person with an online presence.

I'm a business owner. How do I respond to reviews?

Log in to your account, go to your listing, and click "Respond" on any review. If you haven't claimed your listing yet, contact us.

Ready to Write a Review?

Help the community by sharing your experiences with counter-economy businesses.

Create Account / Log In Browse Listings