Amazon Made Changes To Review Policy

[MJ DeMarco]

The Change.org petition to Jeff Bezos to change back the review policy is already being shared all over FB, LOL.

Basically, it's "internet marketers" crying because they've been exposed to have a product that sucks and cannot "pull" without the assistance of fake reviews and manufactured sizzle. This move is great for Fastlaners with real products that legitimately move the needle.

 

[Vigilante]

excellent

too bad they don't make it retroactive and purge all the bought reviews

 

[Envision]

The Change.org petition to Jeff Bezos to change back the review policy is already being shared all over FB, LOL.

This is going to make launching a slower process, but overall will make things much nicer. I also suspect Amazon will roll out some sort of Vine Lite program for non-Vendors. There is too much revenue in it for them to not do so.

All of my competition does incentivized reviews, after the summit I took @biophase advice and started a new brand by creating just a better product with better images and descriptions. I did 0 giveaways and had friends and family buy at full price to kick off my sales. I've done WAY better than I ever did with my previous brand incentivizing reviews and I am next to the best sellers in my category that continue to do giveaways.

I'm glad they took it away because now those people who actually provide value and have a great product will be able to show it and break through the noise.

 

[biophase]

BTW, I should mention that this is an awesome thing. Yesterday I was looking for that toilet bowl illuminator product that was on Shark Tank. The problem was that the main product itself had 3 stars only because it broke after 2 months.

There are dozens of pages of Chinese knockoffs. All of them were fake reviews and all of them had the same exact issue as the Shark Tank version. If you read through the reviews, the solution was a very simple soldering fix. If only ONE seller would actually fix that issue, they could be #1 within a few months easily!

Try to find me one seller in this niche that has a clearly better product than the rest, and I'll buy it.
https://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_...oilet+bowl+light&rh=i:aps,k:toilet+bowl+light

FREE PRODUCT IDEA: Improve this and clearly state it in the title, call it version 2.0, guaranteed to last for 12 months, etc... There would be no need to launch or ask for reviews, you'd just get them naturally.

 

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[Vigilante]

Amazon has started a deeper purge of fake, incentivized or otherwise fraudulent reviews.

People who continue to attempt to game the system do so at great risk as Amazon bans are lifetime bans.

The people at this forum (for the most part) preach starting legitimate businesses, with products that solve needs, creating their own consumer demand and real, organic product reviews. The best way to build a business has NEVER been fraudulently gaming loopholes to try and short circuit providing value to consumers.

 

[funkj25]

excellent

too bad they don't make it retroactive and purge all the bought reviews

It looks like they may be in the process of this already. I've seen some people report already losing 200+ reviews on products that they "incentivized."

Honestly I've been watching the fallout of this situation on various websites and Amazon selling groups on Facebook (The Amazing Seller, etc.). The comments are almost comical to me...

"This isn't fair." "Jeff is a mean man." "Jeff is greedy, it's only about more money for him." "What about the little guy?"

On and on. Well, tough nuts.

The entitlement of access to someone else's business platform shouldn't astonish me at this point, but sheesh....

 

[funkj25]

It starts... (see picture)

Can I get an amen?

 

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[Kevind88]

Important Change to Customer Review Policy
"Amazon no longer permits providing free or discounted products in exchange for product reviews. You can read more about this change here. Please note that this policy is effective immediately, and the policy applies regardless of whether you provide compensation to reviewers directly or through a third party. If you continue to offer free or discounted products in exchange for a review, your Amazon privileges may be suspended or revoked.

You may continue to offer discounts and promotions as long as they are not offered in exchange for reviews."


https://www.amazon.com/p/feature/abpto3jt7fhb5oc

 

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[MJ DeMarco]

Just steal.

You're a real hoot.

You can't get banned by Amazon if you have different IP addresses (with emails and account) every single time you order. I've researched into this to find that Amazon follows a robotic algorithm where it automatically catches and bans members when they repeatedly order the same thing over and over with different accounts BUT with the SAME IP address. So cut off the IP address issue and there won't be more doors to clear. Also, diversifying the delivery address to a friend or two (or family member) wouldn't hurt. I've done this before with 6 straight reviews so far without getting banned at all so I don't know how this is a "horrible advice". You should give this a shot yourself on a test product to see if this will chart. Mine sure did. And I am 100% serious. Try it.

Based on this (and your avatar) it's clear you'd sell your first-born as long as it made you a buck. Guys like you don't last long here.

 

[devine]

Man, a guy I've enjoyed conversing with on Facebook who had a pretty solid brand built is worried. I never realized how much of his empire was built on literally thousands of reviews that are likely to vanish overnight at some point in the near future. The day before the announcement he was encouraging me to use the same strategy with my relaunch, and at the time I was so worried I was considering it...

Thousands and thousands of dollars thrown at giveaways that could have been spent on FB ads, PPC, you name it are going up in smoke.

Take shortcuts - get cut short.

 

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[MJ DeMarco]

why did you call them "excellent fastlaners?"

Please stop misquoting me. I said they leverage the Fastlane and its mathematics. Scammers, thieves, and fraud hustlers are not "Fastlane" in its truest definition, but they still know how to leverage its mathematical absolutes.

The "strategies" you describe (above) are not recommended here so I suggest you stop peddling them. They might be better received in another forum which is focused on making money at any cost -- no matter who you screw, fake, and deceive.

 

[TKDTyler]

People fall for it easily. You wouldn't. But an average person would. You got some shady popups that claim "watch this video and you'll turn into a millionaire in 6 weeks" OH "watch my free money system and you'll be a millionaire every 29 days" OH "Invest in our binary stock and you'll be a millionaire by investing in 2 weeks". If you notice correctly, you'll see 5-6 fake a$$ testimonials before it begins to give you that surety and credibility of the system. "Oh I absolutely became a millionaire in 29 days (that explains the ripped couch you're sitting on). "Oh I am a single mother and paying for my son's college fee now is not a problem at all, thanks to the free money system, I'm a millionaire". Would YOU fall for it? NO. Would an average sidewalker fall for it? YES. THEY WILL. And they always have and they always will. And their rivalries have made a ton of cash using this technique. Didn't MJ said the art of selling these systems are "Fastlane"? Even though they don't actually provide value? It's camouflaged to be seen as "value" to sidewalkers but isn't really.

Fake testimonials are very EASY to spot. You can easily spot bad acting however it's NOT SO EASY to spot them on online platforms such as Amazon, ebay, etc. So most people see a review such as:

"Great product, my wife LOVES IT. I bought it 4 weeks ago, have zero problems so far, works amazing, the sound quality is amazing, just one flaw in it, I don't really like how the speakers are shaped and sometimes they fall from ears, but overall great product" - 4.5 stars.

You're giving 90% of great feedback here and 10% negativity so it doesn't look like it's a fake feedback. Criticism is a great tactic to make it even harder for someone to detect a fake feedback. However that's all just bullshit, I'm not planning to overdose reviews, just a few as I said to have a "running momentum". Just so first time buyers aren't "hesitant" in buying my products. That's it. Most of you have failed to understand what I'm actually trying to say. But I get it, I'm here to learn, so I don't mind helpful advice, keep it coming, Cheers.

OR you can go with one of the following strategy and forgo any possibility of being banned:

1. Modify/produce a product so good that even Zeus himself would buy one for his life.

2. Price your product at or below the market competition, which may be net negative in the short term, in order to get your initial sales. Low cost will reduce risk for new buyers. Risk vs Value assessment = Make a product and offer so good they can't say no. Bundles, variations, and new additions all add to the equation. If you saw a product you needed to use priced at $1 when it's usually $29.99, I'd be willing to try out the $1 version so long as the pictures and descriptions were of high quality.

3. In the words of Gary V, jab jab jab right hook. It may be a different context than social medial, but give value, give more value, and then give some more value, and ASK for a review regardless of whether it is 1 star or 5 star. This means maybe you will bundle accessories for free, include a pamphlet that teaches the customer about your product/niche and asking. This could be through automated email responses. It could be through the opening every single product you have in order to include a handwritten letter thanking your customer personally for purchasing your product and politely asking for a review as a new company or product. If you have a shitty product, your reviews should reflect it. If your product is phenomenal, you should have no problem getting 10 reviews.

4. This is the part where you don't get banned and you begin to grow organically.

5. Expand your product line and repeat.

100% in line with ToS. 100% Legit reviews. Yes it takes longer to get up and running, but in the end, 1 wrong mistake can cost years of hard work building up listings to vanish and your income being reduced from 20k/month to 0/month. It violates the commandment of control (yes being on amazon violates that as well. Which is why you should be even more hypercritical of your actions).

You're method reeks of cutting corners and laziness. Businesses aren't built in a day and neither are your Amazon listings. Think 24 months ahead instead of 31 days ahead. Give everything you can within reason to your customers and they will do the same for you.


***Note: I am still in the process of learning all these strategies and my advise should be taken with a grain of salt. But some things have been working wonders for me personally***

 

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[Vigilante]

I've tried to beat it over everyone's head for a couple years now about these "discounts" for reviews when I meet someone starting on FBA.

None of them listened to me.

Being a programmer and marketer has it's perks.

I've had a system developed for months to get around all this $1 or FREE crap to gain a review garbage. Looks like its time to take it full throttle now and grab all the reviews I can in a way Amazon can't track it.

Conversely you could just build a company that marketed products that people liked and wanted.

 

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[Vigilante]

I agree. but there is no harm in priming the pump either when it's done correctly

Most people's definition of "correctly" are not consistent with Amazons TOS

 

[Sanj Modha]

It's a great time to get into FBA. Rankings will be dropping all around.

 

[million$$$smile]

Fake product reviews is no different than brand prostitution.
Paying a reviewer to post an 'honest' review', to me is just a form of bribery.
It is not a principal that I feel creates lasting value for a business
Amazon has realized that its not good for their business either as it cheapens the Amazon brand if the consumer can't trust reviews.
The fastlane of 'paying' for reviews is not Fastlane, there are better ways of gaining popularity; it just takes a bit of creativity, and will go much further.

Now back to the shadows...

 

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[Insaint]

Not exactly. You can still create the edge in no time regardless of this new policy change. Just order your own product under a new name (same address) every time. Keep ordering. If your product costs $100, order 5. The money will obviously return back to you in your bank account. And you can use that same money to order 5 more. Repeat. Money will always return to you while leaving a beautiful mark of reviews. It's no different. You just need a couple weeks of legwork while setting it up and you'll have a running business in no time. Great, so you've got a ton of reviews. Now all you need to do is shell a few hundreds on advertisement and you'll see the ranks of cash quadrupling.

P:S: You can escape Amazon charges by purchasing $40/month subscription. Build off your reviews in that month and cancel subscription at the end of the month. Win-win.

This is such horrible advice that I'm not even sure you are serious. Anyone who follows this is 100% guaranteed to get banned by Amazon in short order.

 

[Jon L]

maybe we could turn all of Fastlane Forum into an Amazon feedback machine. We could all buy each others' products and give them 5 stars. They'll never know what hit them. What could go wrong?

 

[Andy Black]

@StartupMonkey

I've worked for companies that were so busy making money (or so busy spending other people's money) that they forgot to build a business - a business based on creating repeat business and referrals from adding tremendous value to people's lives.

These companies employed great technical specialists, able to solve whatever problem was put in front of them.

Except the moral compass of the business owners was skewed and so the businesses therefore solved the wrong problems.

The employees answered the questions asked of them.

The problem was the business owners asked the wrong questions.


What questions are you asking in your business?

Are they ones that will help you build a sustainable business that adds value to the world?

Will they help you build a business that someone would buy for it's sustainable revenue stream or route to market?



I know nothing of Amazon algorithms, but presume Amazon employs very smart people who try and punish those who are gaming the system, and reward those that provide a good user experience for Amazon users.

You could spend all your brain power and ingenuity to try and stay one step ahead of their team, or you could spend all your brain power and ingenuity to build a better product and a better business that Amazon & other platforms would want to sell.



It's the same with Google.

Go up against 27,000+ smart employees, including 500+ PhDs, and try and sail into that head wind with frantic changes in direction to keep going forward.

Or understand their business objectives and align yourself with them - and get the wind of 27,000+ smart employees, including 500+ PhDs, *behind* you.

If Google thinks you're doing good for their business model then they wheel out all sorts of support and beta programmes ... things the black-hatters haven't even heard of.



I say this in case there's a tiny chance it doesn't fall on deaf ears.

The fact that you'd "just steal" makes us wonder if you're prepared to do it right.

Everything you do or don't do is a reflection of your personal values.

"How you do anything is how you do everything."


Have a think about what questions you're answering, and where that road will take you.

 

[E-Sharp]

And by the way, even if you happen to get banned (which you won't) so what? So what if you get banned? Just create a new account. Your merchant account will not be affected. Even if Amazon decides to ban you, only your buyer account will be banned, not seller. Funds will be reimbursed as well once you're banned (buyer account). Merchant will not be banned because there is ZERO affiliation. So there is ZERO loss.

You just need to be very careful with the slieght of hand and must understand Amazon's auto ban algorithm if you want to go that route.

[HASHTAG]#landfill[/HASHTAG] bullshit
Too bad we cant landfill individual posts. You're batting .1000 with the garbage

 

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[TKDTyler]

Not exactly. You can still create the edge in no time regardless of this new policy change. Just order your own product under a new name (same address) every time. Keep ordering. If your product costs $100, order 5. The money will obviously return back to you in your bank account. And you can use that same money to order 5 more. Repeat. Money will always return to you while leaving a beautiful mark of reviews. It's no different. You just need a couple weeks of legwork while setting it up and you'll have a running business in no time. Great, so you've got a ton of reviews. Now all you need to do is shell a few hundreds on advertisement and you'll see the ranks of cash quadrupling.

P:S: You can escape Amazon charges by purchasing $40/month subscription. Build off your reviews in that month and cancel subscription at the end of the month. Win-win.

If you've got no product to sell. Just steal. Go to hot trending products. Let's say you picked up a Portable charger or a wireless earphones. Order it. Take it apart once it ships. Hire a 3D modeller to model you a cool headphone design ($100). 3D print it and stuff in the tech inside it or you can have it professionally done (or just order a bulk, seriously. But make sure it's a profitable category). Now advertise it. And voila! watch as money pours in. If you need a boost, hire a videographer and have your 4k product video created. Simple as that.

Please do not do this. EVER.

Read this whole thread and you should have your answer. Provide amazing products that add value to its users and you will have no problem in the marketplace.

https://www.thefastlaneforum.com/co...-to-do-it-the-easy-way-or-the-hard-way.64808/

 

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[TKDTyler]

I don't plan in doing it. For me personally I'll create a product/service that has excellent value and boost it with 10+ reviews and slowly advance the hype. I don't focus on "reviews" but I do have to keep in mind that I need at LEAST a dozen reviews to kickstart my product to start grabbing some hype and attention so people can jump in or at least be interested in it.

Hows your business doing? Because I'd much rather take the advise of someone who has been in the game 10+ years, clearing millions in revenue, making his time available for free, and is beginning to coach multiple people on opening their own FBA businesses WITHOUT gaming the system than someone who, one the same day he signed up on the forum, is suggesting to steal.

There are ways to get reviews without cheating the system, its that you have a lack of experience in said area. We improve, not steal. Chinese manufacturers steal. We are in the business of not being a bottom feeder with shady business practices. Learn the culture of the forum, take action, and prove results before suggesting anything to anybody. I'm not one to be rude, but its apparent that the message from the book and the forum has not been interpreted very well. Take some time to read, understand, and apply that understanding so that you can provide help through experience, not just interpretation.

 

[Late Start]

Actually, I think everyone has this all wrong. Amazon's most recent update is going to help new sellers.

I'm a member of a few amazon review groups. After this change, they both sent a similar email, revising their terms. Now, people are not required to leave reviews, they are optional. However, everyone is still going to continue to leave positive reviews, otherwise they won't be able to get free products anymore. The review groups no longer require you to add the disclaimer that you received a discount for testing the product. So now users get positive reviews and don't have the disclaimer so amazon customers won't even be able to tell if it's fake or not anymore.

Amazon Review Groups - 1
Amazon - 0

I figure their next step is going to be requiring the reviewer have a non-discounted order on file of said product. Chances are they already have some bots in place sweeping incoming reviews, if I were to guess. A fellow FBAer I've become acquainted with had an incentivized review that was posted today disappear within about 20 minutes of publication (it was from a promtion he had set in motion prior to the big news). If people want to risk it, I'm all for it - I have no problem with competition getting themselves banned.

 

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[Bananas]

FINALLY.

What a joy to read today!

Not only does this annoy me as an Amazon merchant, it is also makes it incredibly difficult as a customer. Last night I purchased two items through Walmart because I couldn't bear to sort through all the fake reviews to figure out what to buy.

 

[Late Start]

The Change.org petition to Jeff Bezos to change back the review policy is already being shared all over FB, LOL.

This is going to make launching a slower process, but overall will make things much nicer. I also suspect Amazon will roll out some sort of Vine Lite program for non-Vendors. There is too much revenue in it for them to not do so.

 

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[JasonR]

Amazon Review Groups - 1
Amazon - 0

Not necessarily. Amazon has already steeply discounted discounted reviews. They barely count any more for the product rating, where the full price reviews do.

Try not to follow what everyone else does in most Amazon groups. They are usually not the brightest minds when it comes to business, IMHO.

 

[Late Start]

Man, a guy I've enjoyed conversing with on Facebook who had a pretty solid brand built is worried. I never realized how much of his empire was built on literally thousands of reviews that are likely to vanish overnight at some point in the near future. The day before the announcement he was encouraging me to use the same strategy with my relaunch, and at the time I was so worried I was considering it...

Thousands and thousands of dollars thrown at giveaways that could have been spent on FB ads, PPC, you name it are going up in smoke. I suspect in some cases this will legitimately lead to bankruptcies, which is crazy. They had to know it was a gamble, though.

 

[biophase]

People fall for it easily. You wouldn't. But an average person would. You got some shady popups that claim "watch this video and you'll turn into a millionaire in 6 weeks" OH "watch my free money system and you'll be a millionaire every 29 days" OH "Invest in our binary stock and you'll be a millionaire by investing in 2 weeks". If you notice correctly, you'll see 5-6 fake a$$ testimonials before it begins to give you that surety and credibility of the system. "Oh I absolutely became a millionaire in 29 days (that explains the ripped couch you're sitting on). "Oh I am a single mother and paying for my son's college fee now is not a problem at all, thanks to the free money system, I'm a millionaire". Would YOU fall for it? NO. Would an average sidewalker fall for it? YES. THEY WILL. And they always have and they always will. And their rivalries have made a ton of cash using this technique. Didn't MJ said the art of selling these systems are "Fastlane"? Even though they don't actually provide value? It's camouflaged to be seen as "value" to sidewalkers but isn't really.

Fake testimonials are very EASY to spot. You can easily spot bad acting however it's NOT SO EASY to spot them on online platforms such as Amazon, ebay, etc. So most people see a review such as:

"Great product, my wife LOVES IT. I bought it 4 weeks ago, have zero problems so far, works amazing, the sound quality is amazing, just one flaw in it, I don't really like how the speakers are shaped and sometimes they fall from ears, but overall great product" - 4.5 stars.

You're giving 90% of great feedback here and 10% negativity so it doesn't look like it's a fake feedback. Criticism is a great tactic to make it even harder for someone to detect a fake feedback. However that's all just bullshit, I'm not planning to overdose reviews, just a few as I said to have a "running momentum". Just so first time buyers aren't "hesitant" in buying my products. That's it. Most of you have failed to understand what I'm actually trying to say. But I get it, I'm here to learn, so I don't mind helpful advice, keep it coming, Cheers.

You can put whatever you want on your own website. So your argument here doesn't hold water. I can launch and put 1000 fake reviews on my ecommerce store if I wanted. Nobody would care.

But we are talking about doing in on someone else's platform that they have clearly stated is against their TOS. If you want to risk never selling on Amazon again, or getting banned after your making decent money, go ahead. You can absolutely do it what you said.

Just don't come here and tell others that it is ok to do it.

You have lost all credibility here.

 

[Bananas]

OR you can go with one of the following strategy and forgo any possibility of being banned:

100% in line with ToS. 100% Legit reviews. Yes it takes longer to get up and running, but in the end, 1 wrong mistake can cost years of hard work building up listings to vanish and your income being reduced from 20k/month to 0/month. It violates the commandment of control (yes being on amazon violates that as well. Which is why you should be even more hypercritical of your actions).

While going the legit route might make less in the short term, those of us on the legit path and providing real value will outlast the people taking short cuts and earn more in the end.

A person can sell a product that meets a need, reviews or not. I started as an Amazon merchant just a couple years ago, launching with less than 2 dozen related products. I had no reviews on those products. I had no reviews on my seller account. It even said "Just Launched" right by my store name. Within about 40 days I was doing $1k+/month still with no reviews and no advertising and no social media. Because I was selling a product people wanted. Then I started advertising and built it up into something real.

When Amazon changed their policy, I didn't lose any of my reviews, because they were all 100% legit. An added benefit was being relieved of the near daily customer inquiries I was receiving from fake reviewer assholes who wanted a product code so they could do me the great honor of leaving a fake review. I marked them all as suspicious and was pissed I had to spend time doing this every day and can't even imagine the life of the person who sits around, messaging individual sellers all day long, hoping someone sends them shit for free.

 

[Envision]

It starts... (see picture)

Can I get an amen?

I've had people completely disappear over night. I think Amazon banned them from the category simply because all their reviews were fake.