The original prototype (posted to HN under an account that I forget my password to and didn't register an e-mail with, doh!) was a plain-text mash up of Fakespot (legitimately good products) and CamelCamelCamel (is it really a good deal?).

I was stubborn about designing a logo, adding images and incorporating retailers beyond Amazon, but I eventually capitulated and made good on the constructive criticism that I received. (I'm not sure why I was so stubborn about those things.)

My biggest breakthrough was discovering that real reviews are just as problematic as fake ones. People rate products in weird ways, e.g. This purchase makes me feel safe...5 stars, or, This product is great but I hate the company's politics, 1 star.

Automating the detection of these quirky characteristics is a technical challenge beyond my capabilities, however. I didn't count on so much manual legwork as I expanded the project.