Overview

Amazon Seller Central allows third-party sellers to create promotions that incentivize purchases, but every promotion is governed by a structured set of rules. These rules fall into two distinct categories—buyer rules and benefit rules—that work together to define who qualifies for a deal and what discount or perk they receive. Understanding how these rules function is essential for sellers who want to run effective promotions without running afoul of Amazon's policies.

Key Points / What Sellers Need to Know

• Two rule types govern every promotion — Every promotion you create on Amazon consists of buyer rules (eligibility conditions) and benefit rules (the reward or discount applied), and both must be configured correctly for the promotion to work as intended.
• Buyer rules set the qualifying threshold — These conditions determine what a customer must do to unlock the promotion, such as purchasing a minimum quantity of items, spending a certain dollar amount, or buying a specific product.
• Benefit rules define the actual discount or perk — Once a customer meets the buyer rule criteria, benefit rules dictate whether the discount applies to the entire order or only to specific items within it.
• Promotions cannot be tied to reviews — Amazon strictly prohibits using promotions as incentives for customer reviews, whether the connection is stated outright or merely implied.
• Promotional purchases may not earn the "Verified Purchase" badge — Reviews left on items bought through certain promotions might not receive Amazon's "Verified Purchase" designation, which can reduce the review's visibility and credibility.

How Buyer Rules Work

Buyer rules are the gatekeeping mechanism for any promotion a seller creates in Seller Central. When setting up a promotion, sellers define specific conditions that shoppers must satisfy before the promotional benefit kicks in. The most common buyer rule configurations include minimum purchase quantities (for example, "buy 2 or more"), minimum order values (such as "spend $25 or more"), or product-specific requirements that restrict the promotion to certain ASINs or product groups. Sellers can also layer multiple buyer rules together to create more targeted promotions—for instance, requiring that a customer buy a specific product and meet a minimum spend threshold simultaneously. Getting these conditions right is critical because overly restrictive rules can limit the promotion's reach, while overly broad rules can eat into margins unnecessarily.