Overview

Amazon's customer product review system is one of the most influential factors in a product's success on the marketplace. Understanding the rules that govern reviews is essential for every seller, as violations can result in account suspension, legal consequences, and even criminal penalties. This reference guide breaks down Amazon's review policies and what sellers need to do to stay compliant.

Key Points / What Sellers Need to Know

• Self-reviews are strictly prohibited — Sellers and manufacturers are not permitted to review their own products under any circumstances, regardless of how objective they believe the review to be.
• Competitor sabotage is banned — Posting negative reviews on a competitor's product listing is a clear violation of Amazon's policies and can trigger enforcement action.
• Legal consequences are real — Amazon's review policy violations may also breach applicable laws, potentially leading to civil lawsuits and criminal charges beyond just marketplace penalties.
• Amazon may publicly disclose violators — The company reserves the right to share your name and related information with the public, as well as with civil or criminal enforcement authorities.
• Reporting abuse is encouraged — Amazon provides a formal process for reporting suspected review manipulation by other sellers or bad actors.

How Amazon's Review System Works

Amazon actively encourages buyers to leave honest reviews — both positive and negative — so that other customers can make well-informed purchasing decisions. The review ecosystem is designed to be a trust-based system where authentic buyer experiences guide future shoppers. Amazon invests heavily in maintaining the integrity of this system because it directly impacts customer confidence in the platform. For sellers, this means that organic, legitimate reviews are the only acceptable path to building social proof on your listings. Any attempt to game or manipulate the system puts your entire selling account at risk.

Prohibited Activities

Amazon maintains a comprehensive set of rules around what constitutes review manipulation. At its core, the policy prohibits any action that could distort the authenticity of product reviews. This includes reviewing your own products, asking friends or family to post reviews, offering incentives for positive reviews, or using third-party services that promise review generation. Sellers should also be aware that negatively reviewing competing products — sometimes called "black hat" tactics — is equally prohibited and actively monitored. Amazon's detection systems have become increasingly sophisticated, using machine learning and behavioral analysis to identify suspicious review patterns. Even indirect manipulation, such as selectively soliciting reviews only from customers you believe had a positive experience, can run afoul of these policies.