Avito's Dark Side: A User's Honest Review

Hey there, fellow readers. I've been using Avito for over 7 years now, and I've got a lot to say - and I'm not going to sugarcoat it. Sorry, but this review's going to be a long one.

When I first started using Avito, I really loved it - the customer support was always on top of things, the bug fixes were prompt, and I could post up to 3 ads in each category without paying a dime. But over time, this 'free classifieds site' turned into a total scam fest. It's like the higher-ups at Avito realized that charging honest folks to post ads just wasn't enough, so they started letting the scammers run wild. I noticed around 2022 that fake reviews, abusive responses to genuine reviews, and outright scam ads were all still up and running, even after I reported them. The question is, what's driving the higher-ups and customer support to turn a blind eye to all this? The answer, unfortunately, is money. Cold, hard cash. But I'm not just going to make an accusation without backing it up, so let me give you some specific examples that just came to mind.

I've been looking for a job, so I've been checking out Avito. I didn't specifically mark the profession as 'courier' in the filters because, honestly, I'm not interested in that kind of gig. But, I've worked with this one agency before (you can check out my other reviews for more on that), and I know that if you find someone who's willing to work as a courier for peanuts, the recruiter who finds them can get a payout of between 2,500 and 20,000 rubles. So, I started searching for some job listings that looked promising. I won't post the actual ads here, but if you're interested in seeing them for yourself, you can check them out on Avito. There were a couple of listings that seemed similar: a job as a packer and sorter. Both ads offered pretty similar conditions: working in a warm warehouse near my place, delivery work, free food, health insurance, paid vacation and sick leave. When I sent in my application for both jobs, I got pretty similar responses. First, they asked if I was okay with them having access to my personal info (if I agreed, they could share it with anyone and use it however they wanted!). Then, they asked about my age, gender, citizenship, and city of residence. That already raised some red flags, especially since I was applying for a specific job in a specific city. And then, they asked for my phone number.

One thing that really got my goat was when I left my phone, and the response I got was basically the same every time: we'd get in touch, but while I was waiting for the manager's call, I could fill out the survey myself. And the link. If I clicked on it, Apto would do a tiny fraction of the job they used to do in full: warn me about suspicious links. But back in the day, users who posted those links would get banned for spam. Now, they're actively promoted (I'm sure it's just a coincidence). The link takes you to a page to sign up as a courier for Yan***s (not an ad, I genuinely hate this company). Since I'm not planning on becoming a courier and the ad breaks Apto's rules by posting multiple job listings, pretending to be a different company, and listing fake conditions for a non-existent job, I leave a honest review and file a complaint. But the response to the complaint is only if the ad gets blocked (and even then, the ad stays up, I've checked multiple times). So, complaints are ignored, and reviews aren't published for a completely made-up reason.

I've got another screenshot to prove it: And I've got another one to prove it: What's crazy is that I left the conversation open on purpose to use it as evidence, but that didn't stop Avito from rejecting my honest review for no good reason! So, why did they do that? Well, it's pretty clear: someone had paid to get their ad published. I'm sure that's not the only reason, though.

Let me tell you about another case. I was searching for a side gig on Avito and came across an ad that said: 'Text editing for social media posts, ads, and articles. Side work for 3-4 hours a day. Pay is hourly.' I responded to the ad, and a girl messaged me back. After asking a few basic questions, she asked me to switch to this weird green messenger app 'for convenience.' I was like, okay, I'll play along, but I knew I wasn't getting anything out of this. And, boy, was I right. The whole thing was a total scam. After the initial greeting in the messenger app, I got a message that said: 'First, you're going to pay me 250 rubles, and then I'll give you a link where you can either work independently, doing tasks for clients (let's just say you can find these freelance platforms for free by searching online), or you can post an ad on Avito and sell the link to others for 250 rubles or more.' I played dumb and asked how much I could 'earn' from this, and they told me it was tough to make money now, but around 8-10 people a day were still doing it. Of course, I wasn't going to pay or scam anyone, so I screenshot the conversation in the messenger app and on Avito, and then left a review and complaint. Like the first time, the complaint didn't get any results, but they did publish my review... for a day, at least. I deleted the unnecessary conversation, but the next day, I found out that they had removed my review. And, guess what, the reason was that I wasn't 'communicating' with them.

I've got another screenshot to prove it: Although all my screenshots are real! It's not hard to figure out why they removed my review - some heavy cash was probably poured into Avtov's system, and their programmers were forced to click the right buttons, while closing their eyes to the fact that there's not enough evidence to block an account, let alone publish a review!

Case 3: I was looking for a new phone of a certain model. Offline stores and mobile shops were selling it for around 16 thousand, but on Avtov, prices started at 7,500. Of course, that was either a used or fake phone. After a long search, I found what I thought was a honest seller, with a 4.9 rating, over 50 good reviews, and the phone matched the description and photos. It was brand new, in its sealed box. That's when I realized I should have been looking for sellers who provided a receipt or warranty. I was convinced the phone was new and good because it was in its box, and hadn't been opened.

My mistake was not asking the right questions: about the warranty, return policy, and essential features. But it was done: I ordered the phone through Avtov's delivery service, paid 12,500 for the phone and delivery. Two days later, I opened it at the pickup point, took a look, turned it on. It seemed to work. What else would I check when people are waiting behind me, and time is running out?

I used the phone without any issues for a couple of days, but then problems started to arise: the phone refused to open links. So, if I tried to exit the browser, I could do it, but if my mom sent me a link to a product in an online store, it would just come through as plain text, like this text. You couldn't click on it. It was like a non-clickable link, as programmers would say. Then I discovered that clickable words in some social media and apps (like 'read more', 'open', 'learn more...', 'expand thread', etc.) that should have opened something or taken me somewhere were also written as plain text, and you couldn't click on them. But that wasn't even the worst part. The phone was supposed to have 256GB of memory, and indeed, in the settings, it said 256GB. However, it seemed that not everywhere had been updated, and in some places, the actual memory size remained: To be honest, using this device was a struggle, and I ended up deciding to return it. I thought that was normal for a seller, but it turned out the seller knew the phone was RESTORED (*a restored phone is one that's been previously used and sent back for warranty repairs, then resold as new, but with a lower price tag for those in the know). When I asked about the link issues and memory problems, the seller gave me some pretty lame excuses: no one else had the problem; try restarting the phone; maybe you need to update something. When I asked them to process the return, they refused. That's when I left a honest review for this scammer who was selling refurbished phones with defects as brand new.

I've got another screenshot to prove it: And that review was live... for exactly two weeks! It was deleted right on the 14th day, after I'd had the phone for a while. And Avito told me it was deleted for a reason that didn't even bother them for two weeks. They offered to let me write a new review, knowing full well that I could just leave another one.

I've had some pretty shady experiences with this seller, and it's only getting worse. They claim you can't restore the review after two weeks, and even if you could, it's supposedly impossible to edit. So, what do we get? A scammer thriving, selling non-functional phones as new, paying Avito to remove honest reviews, and Avito doing its part by promoting scammers, blocking and deleting reviews about them.

Case 4: I had an ad up for a 200-ruble item, and a lady reached out asking me to send it via Avito delivery using a specific courier service. At first, I didn't think much of it, but now I realize why she chose that service: it's impossible to check the order and return it. If you take delivery, it's considered sold. But I didn't catch on at the time, even though the recipient's city was the same as mine, and there were plenty of courier services to choose from. She asked about delivery and a specific courier, but didn't ask about the item, or request additional photos. I sent the item anyway. A couple of days later, she received it. And within 30 minutes, she started claiming it was a counterfeit and now it's useless to her. I told her it wasn't counterfeit, and I'd made sure to note that it was used and not original in the ad. But of course, she didn't care about that.

I have to admit, it's clearly stated in the listing, but I'm still not sure why she didn't want to see it. Maybe it's not my concern, but I'm curious nonetheless. After checking out her profile and reading the reviews about this particular seller, I noticed it's not the first time she's done this, but I'm still unsure about her intentions. In response to my message, I got a text that said: 'Catch the minus in the review.' But, as I pointed out, you can leave a review not just for the seller, so I replied with: 'And you too. Have a good one.'

After a few minutes, I see that I've got a new review with one star. To be honest, with an overall rating of 99 five-star reviews and four one-star reviews with explanations, I wasn't too fussed about this one, but it's clear the lady didn't know what was going on. And then, within 10 minutes, my messenger with the blue arrow icon gets a new message in our secret chat: 'This is ****** from Avito, I bought a product from you, left a review. I suggest we resolve this peacefully. You pay for my expenses, and I'll delete the review.' Honestly, 200 rubles isn't going to break me, so I wrote: 'Okay, send the product back, and I'll send you 200 rubles on your card.' But in response, I get: 'No, you didn't understand. The product's not involved; I'm not sending anything. You pay me 7,500, and I'll delete the negative review and write a good one.' I'm not kidding, I just sat there for a few seconds, stunned by her audacity, and only managed to see the messages being deleted before a new one popped up: 'What do you say?' I managed to respond: 'Ma'am, are you okay? The product's worth 200 rubles; come back down to earth; 7,500! I'm going to report this to Avito, and we'll see who gets what deleted!' The message was read immediately, and I tried to take a screenshot, but you can't do that in a secret chat. While I was searching for my other phone, she'd already written: 'Well, you decided that, *and then she sent me on a wild goose chase in a familiar direction*' and deleted the entire conversation from my end. Of course, I tried to appeal her blatant lie, clearly explaining the whole scheme. But, as usual, Avito showed who they really serve and who pays them – her review stayed, but they 'allowed' me to tell my side of the story in my response to the review. Thanks, guys! I've posted everything, from start to finish! And that's after Avito tried to silence me first.

I'm not surprised if Avito ends up deleting my response again, given the way I've been dealing with their scheme. I rewrote my answer, and it's still up for now, but I wouldn't be shocked if it gets taken down. After all, honesty isn't exactly in Avito's best interest, and they don't have to pay for covering up the truth...

Well, I'm wrapping up my personal anecdotes for now, although there are many more where those came from! And as a final touch, I'll share some stunning responses from one of the companies that Avito deemed acceptable and proper. We all know why they thought that way...