Amazon product reviews are part of an Amazon Community built on openness and truthfulness, and are intended to be both helpful and relevant to consumers. Negative reviews can occur, and are allowed by Amazon because they are intended to add to the spirit of openness and helpfulness which drives the Amazon Community. Reviews, positive or negative, are appreciated and encouraged, but there are instances in which negative reviews can be removed. This article looks at the seven categories by which one can take down negative reviews, all taken from Amazon’s guidelines.
Relevance
– Reviews can be removed if they are not about the product in question. If the review is intended as feedback about the seller, that must be shared at www.amazon.com/feedback.
– While comments on the sentiment or price are allowed (e.g. “This product is way overpriced at $19.99”), other uses of pricing, product availability, or alternate ordering options should not be shared (e.g. “Saw this same product at half the price at my local store”).
Respect
– Diversity of opinions on products, even those with which you may disagree, is allowed, but libelous, obscene, harassing, or intolerant language (intolerant here meaning on the basis of race, ethnicity, nationality, gender identity, religion, sexual orientation, etc.) is not allowed. This also includes lewd, pornographic, or sexually explicit content.
– Reviews can be removed if they invade others’ privacy (by posting their personal information like phone numbers, email addresses, etc.) or if they include links to phishing or malware sites.
– You are not allowed to impersonate other people or organizations or pretend to be someone or something that you’re not.
– These reviews are not comments in a chat forum. You may not repeatedly send messages or requests to other people, neither may you repeatedly post from multiple accounts (or by coordinating with others) or resort to name-calling to drown out other people’s opinions on the product.
– You may question the beliefs and expertise of others only if it is relevant and done in a respectful, non-threatening manner.
Promotions and Solicitations
– You may not create, modify, or post content regarding your or your competitor’s services.
– You may not create, modify, or post content in exchange for compensation of any kind or on behalf of anyone else.
– You may not offer or request compensation (including free or discounted products) in exchange for creating, modifying, or posting content.
– Posting advertisements or solicitations, including URLs with referrer tags or affiliate codes, is not allowed.
There are exceptions to these promotion and solicitation rules, and they are as follows:
– You are in fact allowed to post content requested by Amazon (e.g. customer reviews of products received through Vine, or answers requested through Questions and Answers).
– You may post an answer asked through the Questions and Answers feature regarding products for which you have a close connection to the brand, seller, or author, but only if you clearly and conspicuously disclose the connection, whether that is because you represent the brand or were paid for the post. However, no brand may create a call to action which diverts Amazon customers to any non-Amazon website or service.
Sexual Content
– While some products with sexual content are allowed on Amazon, and Amazon encourages customers to express their opinion on such products, sexual content such as nudity and sexually explicit images or descriptions are not allowed.
Infringing Content
– Any post which infringes the intellectual property or proprietary rights of others is not allowed.
Illegal Activity
– No content is allowed which encourages or supports illegal behavior, including violence, fraud, illegal drug use, underage drinking, or child or animal abuse.
– Content advocating, threatening or joking about physical or financial harm, including terrorism, is prohibited.
– You may not post content offering fraudulent goods, services, schemes, or promotions (e.g. pyramid schemes).
– You may not intentionally post content as sarcasm if it relates to self-harm or harm to others.
– You may not post content that encourages or supports the misuse of a product.
Additional Guidelines
– Individuals may not resubmit a review on the same product if their original review is removed or rejected on the basis of non-compliance with Amazon’s guidelines.
– URLs or links in reviews are only allowed if they are for other products sold on Amazon.
– Only one member of the household may post a review of a product.
– Amazon reserves the right to restrict review submission if they detect unusual reviewing behavior
– Customers may not manipulate the Amazon Verified Purchase badge, such as by offering special pricing to reviewers or reimbursing reviewers.