Amazon Review Policy Changes & Updates

Current Amazon Review Rules

Amazon's current review policy prohibits any attempt to influence, manipulate, or distort customer reviews. Key rules include:

• no purchasing reviews or paying for positive feedback
• no requesting reviews in exchange for incentives conditioned on review sentiment
• no using family members or employees to submit reviews without disclosure
• no creating fake orders to generate verified purchase reviews
• no participating in review exchange groups or communities
• no selectively requesting reviews from customers based on rating (review gating)

Amazon monitors for patterns of manipulation and can remove listings, restrict accounts, or terminate selling privileges for violations.

Historical Policy Changes

Amazon has steadily tightened its review policies over the past decade.

2016 — Amazon banned incentivized reviews across the platform, ending the practice of giving free or discounted products in exchange for reviews.

2020 — Amazon introduced the official Request a Review button, providing a compliant channel for sellers to request reviews through Amazon's messaging system.

2023 onwards — Amazon increased enforcement actions, removed millions of fake reviews, and began stricter monitoring of third-party review services and seller behavior.

What Amazon Prohibits

Amazon explicitly prohibits:

• buying or selling reviews
• offering compensation conditioned on leaving a review
• using friends, family, or employees to leave reviews without disclosure
• creating fake accounts to leave reviews
• participating in review clubs or Facebook groups for review exchanges
• rebate programs conditioned on verified purchase reviews
• asking for only positive reviews
• review gating — selectively routing happy customers to reviews

What Amazon Allows

Amazon permits the following compliant review practices:

• using the official Amazon Request a Review button or automated tools
• including a neutral, non-coercive review request on an insert card
• including customer support information on inserts
• sending post-purchase emails through Amazon's Buyer-Seller Messaging system
• running warranty registration programs that do not condition any reward on leaving a review

See our Amazon review compliance guide for a full overview.

Common Seller Mistakes

Many sellers unknowingly violate Amazon's policies through:

• insert cards that say 'only if you're happy, leave us a review'
• QR code funnels that filter customers by star rating before showing review links
• offering discount codes in return for a review
• participating in Facebook groups where members exchange reviews
• using third-party services that promise reviews through rebate programs

Compliance Checklist

Use this checklist to evaluate your current review practices:

• All customers receive the same review request regardless of satisfaction level
• Insert cards do not offer incentives conditioned on leaving a review
• QR code funnels offer equal access to review options for all customers
• No participation in review exchange groups or communities
• Amazon Request a Review is used as the primary automated review request channel
• Any offers or incentives are tied to engagement, not review submission

For help building a compliant review system, see GetReviews Amazon review software.

Frequently Asked Questions