Would you review a product that you did not own? 2 Part Question

Wow, I agree with what other people have said. I could see writing a review on a toy or item that I do not personally own, but have used enough with someone else (like an ex, or at a party or something), that I feel confident in writing a review of it...

But not if I didn't own it, never used it, didn't intend on using it ever...
I'll be honest, when I read about the review program, this problem DID come to mind- like "Oh, but how do they know?" Then I realized, well, to write a useful/extremely useful review, you'd need to KNOW the product by using it. Probably more than once (come on! lol, one time is not enough).. In order to even write a review on something you didn't own, the only possible way I could see of doing it is by doing crazy amounts of research on the item or plagiarizing someone else's review from a different site.
If you plagiarize, you're probably going to get caught. And that's just personally something I am so against- stealing someone's ideas and words is like... god awful!
If you try to do that much research about the item & write a decent review, then damn.. you should have just bought the item. Because that's a LOT of time you wasted trying to "cheat" a system.

I wonder if someone has done it before, and if they have, would they admit to it? Probably not it's blatantly dishonest and wrong, it doesn't help the site or other possible buyers at all.

I understand having used it at a play party. But even that is different from owning the toy, wouldn't you say? Using a toy, to me, permits making a comment and rating. Writing a review needs to be at least repeated general use, I feel. Ah, well.

I believe that I dealt with it already, I'm still just so..stunned. Why would anyone do such a thing? It seems so foreign to me.

Um, the closest I've come is starting to come up with witty titles for reviews before the product has arrived. But, I would never review a product I didn't own

We're still floored that anyone would even consider reviewing a toy that they didn't use.

I have reviewed one or two products that I purchased elsewhere and subsequently threw away, but the experience with them was memorable enough (good or bad) to record, but I wouldn't just make something up on an item I've never owned up just to get more points. I certainly have the time to write more reviews, but I only write when I need turn in an assignment, or when I'm feeling inspired.

What's the point? The review process is to share knowledgeable information obtained from personal experiences.

I realize I'm new here but the only reason I haven't begun reviewing is that I don't own the items I'd like to review yet. I couldn't imagine trying to guess how I will enjoy or react to a product just from some need to put up a review on a site.

It is really unfair to all those reading the reviews. I've read a lot of them and it's to decide if I want to purchase an item or not and if that information isn't based on the reality of the products abilities and pleasures I would be upset.

I would never do it. How can you accurately review a product without having it in your possession to touch, smell, and experience it.

There have been some where I've tried to review the product having left it somewhere else, and even that was frustrating and I wound up waiting until I had it most of the times.

It's just hard to do a good job without having the product in front of you, unless it was a very memorable experience (usually a bad one).

I don't understand how you could. I've only written one review and it took me forever. So it's got to be extremely difficult or impossible to write a review on something you never tried. Unless you don't care if you get a bunch of bad votes.

I assume this question refers to toys only, and not a book or DVD? It's entirely possible (not for me, the big antisocial prude, but for normal people) to borrow a book or DVD, and write a review.

I was like huh? When I looked and seen that someone could review things they haven't used or don't own. I don't know how it would be possible to give a review on anything you haven't owned or used I mean seems impossible to describe how something makes you feel and how its best used if they haven't used it. For those of us that do actually write our reviews it’s sometimes difficult to describe how we feel or how it makes us feel... I can’t believe someone would want to make up how they felt about a toy they haven't tried. It bothers me that someone would ever think about doing that... come on people please don't abuse our Eden... I wouldn't want to order a product due to a false review and im sure no one else would either.

I am the "maybe." I don't need to own a product to use it nor do I necessarily have to use it on myself. I don't know if that's where you were going with this though.

With as much detail as a good review requires, how could someone write one without using/having the item?

I could see maybe reviewing a male oriented product vicariously through a guy but I'd still own it and have it for reference, and hopefully watch them using it. I can't even comprehend just fudging a whole review I haven't read any that seemed unreal and I hope I never do

Personally, I could never review an item that I didn't own or hadn't used. I think it completely defeats the purpose of actually *reviewing* something.

I think the only time I even thought about even *remotely* doing something like that is, for example:

I was just starting out here just over a month ago and I was trying to think of what to review after I did the review on the Large Ripple from Tantus. I personally own the Ophoria Ribbed K-balls that I bought at a local brick and mortar store. However, I have them in Mauve (light purple) and the only color that Eden has listed is a light blue. I actually debated reviewing it, but in the end, I decided against it, due to the differences in color and since I didn't think it'd be fully kosher to do the review.

In my eyes, that situation is somewhat of a grey area since the only real difference would be the color, but not even owning the product and then trying to pawn it off like you do actually own it and that you've used it is just plain wrong. I can't even imagine how one actually *could* write without owning/using it.

In my mind, here's how it'd go:
Reviewer: "Yeah, this is a great product and I love it! "

Commenter: "Oh really now? So what does it do? "

Reviewer: "Umm..... It goes buzzzz.... and stuff.... "