How to Get Reviews on Amazon: The Approved Methods, the Timing and the Templates That Stay Inside Policy

Last verified September 2026. There are four approved ways to get reviews on Amazon: the Request a Review button (and its automation), Amazon Vine, a compliant message through Buyer-Seller Messaging, and product inserts that stay inside the rules. One rule governs all four: never ask for a positive review, and never offer anything in exchange for one. This guide covers each route, the timing that gets the best response, templates that pass policy, and what replaced the Early Reviewer Program since Amazon closed it in 2021.

What Amazon allows and what it does not

Permitted: a neutral request for a review, sent once per order, through one of Amazon's approved routes.

Prohibited: offering any incentive for a review (discounts, free products, refunds), asking specifically for a positive review, whether in a message or on a product insert, asking a reviewer to change or remove a review even after resolving their issue, review swaps with other sellers, reviews from family, friends or employees, and manipulating the "Helpful" or "Report Abuse" features on any listing.

Amazon's systems look for the patterns these tactics leave behind, such as a sudden spike in reviews on one ASIN or repeated wording across reviews, so a tactic that seems to work for a few weeks is usually the one that costs the account later. Our guide to Amazon review manipulation rules covers what gets sellers suspended.

Request a Review: the button and the automation

The button lives on the Order Details page in Seller Central, next to the refund option, and works within a 5 to 30 day window after delivery. Clicking it sends the buyer a standardised email from Amazon; the wording is not customisable. It only works once per order, and will not send at all if the buyer already left a review.

Sellers moving real volume generally automate this rather than clicking order by order, triggering the request for every eligible order and excluding anything with an open support ticket or an in-progress return. Automation also lets you choose which orders to ask on: by product, by fulfilment method, by delivery status, so a request never goes to a buyer whose parcel is still in transit.

To do it:

1. Confirm the order is 5 to 30 days past delivery and has not already received a review.

2. Send the request, either manually from Order Details or through an automation rule.

3. If automating, set the exclusions: no open ticket, no return in progress, no request already sent for that order.

4. Track which orders have been sent a request so none gets a second one.

Amazon Vine for sellers

Enrolment requires Brand Registry and FBA-fulfilled units in new condition with fewer than 30 reviews; authorised resellers enrolled in Brand Registry can take part on the same terms. Current pricing runs by unit count: 1 to 2 units free, 3 to 10 units $75, 11 to 30 units $200.

Vine Voices, Amazon's pool of trusted reviewers, receive the product free in exchange for an honest review; the seller does not see or approve anything before it posts. A newer option lets reviews post before the product goes live, which can put a launch at up to 30 reviews on day one.

Vine stops being worth the fee once a product has enough organic momentum that Request a Review and ordinary sales volume are generating reviews on their own, generally once it is well past the new-listing stage.

This section is written for the seller enrolling a product. If you are a shopper wanting to become a Vine reviewer yourself, that is a separate application through your own Amazon account, not something this guide covers.

The Buyer-Seller Messaging route and product inserts

A compliant review request message is neutral, sent once, asks for honest feedback without specifying positive, offers nothing in return, and stays inside the Amazon Communication Guidelines: no marketing language, no links off Amazon. Our Amazon seller messaging guide covers where these messages are sent from and the 24-hour rule that applies to replies.

A product insert may thank the customer, share product or support information, and ask for honest feedback in general terms. It may not ask for a positive review specifically, offer any incentive, or direct the buyer off Amazon. Amazon now treats a positive-review ask on an insert the same way as one in a message: a policy violation that can cost the account.

Review request templates that pass policy

Post-delivery message

Hi [name], thanks for your order of [product]. I hope it's working out well. If you have two minutes, I'd appreciate your honest review on Amazon: [link]. If anything's not right, just reply here and I'll sort it out.

Why it stays inside policy: neutral, asks for honest feedback rather than positive, no incentive attached.

Follow-up after a resolved issue

Glad we got that sorted. If you're happy with how it worked out, a review on Amazon helps other buyers make the same call: [link]. No pressure either way.

Why it stays inside policy: does not ask the buyer to change or remove anything, does not condition the request on the resolution.

Product insert wording

Thanks for choosing [brand]. We'd love your honest feedback on Amazon, good or bad, it helps us improve. Questions? Reach us at [contact].

Why it stays inside policy: no incentive, no positive-only ask, gives a support contact rather than an off-Amazon link.

Timing, targeting and getting more reviews

When to ask: after delivery plus a few days, giving the buyer time to actually use the product; after a support ticket resolves positively; after a pre-purchase question was answered well and the order followed; never while a dispute or return is open.

Which orders to ask: delivered, not returned, no open message thread.

What raises the response rate: packaging that reflects well on the unboxing experience, instructions clear enough to head off confusion before it becomes a complaint, product resources that answer the common questions before they are asked, and a product that reliably survives shipping. A fragile item that arrives damaged generates a complaint, not a review. Fast, useful support does the same job from the other side: a buyer whose problem was fixed quickly is the buyer most likely to say so.

For a new ASIN with no review history: Vine at launch, where the product and budget make sense, gets an initial batch of reviews without waiting on organic sales. From there, Request a Review on every eligible order builds the base; there is no shortcut past the first handful beyond Vine and consistent, compliant requests.

The Early Reviewer Program ended: what replaced it

Amazon's Early Reviewer Program let sellers pay a per-SKU fee so Amazon could invite a random selection of buyers to review a new listing, offering a small gift card regardless of whether the review was positive or negative. Amazon stopped accepting new enrolments in March 2021 and shut the program down entirely in April 2021, saying newer features had proven more effective at generating reviews.

For a launch today, Vine has effectively replaced it for brand-registered sellers with FBA inventory. Everyone else relies on Request a Review and consistent, policy-compliant outreach from day one.

Automating review requests from the support inbox

Request a Review can run automatically at the right day for every eligible order, skipping anything with an open ticket or a return in progress, so nothing goes out to a buyer mid-complaint. Reviews and seller feedback sit beside the buyer's message history, so a request and a support conversation about the same order do not talk past each other.

A report by ASIN shows which products are actually converting requests into reviews, so an underperforming launch surfaces on its own rather than getting noticed by accident months later. Once the reviews arrive, our guide to Amazon review management covers monitoring and responding to them.

eDesk's Amazon feedback software runs this from the same inbox as buyer messages; our Amazon helpdesk software page has the full setup across marketplaces.

Frequently asked questions

How do I ask for a review on Amazon without breaking the rules?

Use one of Amazon's approved routes, Request a Review, a neutral Buyer-Seller Messaging request, or a compliant product insert, and ask for honest feedback without specifying positive or offering anything in return. A tool like eDesk can automate the request at the right time for every eligible order.

How many days after delivery can I use Request a Review?

Between 5 and 30 days after delivery. Outside that window, the option is not available for that order.

Is Amazon Vine worth it for a new product?

Usually yes for a brand-registered, FBA seller launching with no review history, since it is the fastest way to get an initial batch of reviews. It is worth less once a product already has steady organic reviews coming in.

Can I offer a discount for an Amazon review?

No. Offering any incentive, a discount, a free product, a refund, in exchange for a review breaks Amazon's policy regardless of how it is worded or timed.

Does the Amazon Early Reviewer Program still exist?

No, Amazon closed it in April 2021. Vine has largely replaced it for brand-registered sellers; Request a Review and consistent compliant outreach cover the rest.

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