Understanding Customer Reviews and Ratings

How We Keep Reviews Trustworthy and Useful

To ensure only genuine customers post reviews, we have submission requirements.

Only customers who have spent at least $50 on Amazon in the last 12 months can submit ratings and reviews.

Before posting a review, we check if it meets our Community Guidelines. That includes our rules against creating, editing, and removing reviews in exchange for compensation.

We check if the reviewer bought or used (for example, streamed) the item on Amazon and paid a price available to most Amazon shoppers. If we confirm both, we label the review with Verified Purchase. Reviews without this label can also be helpful. For example, a customer buys an item from a different company, but wants to share their opinion on Amazon.

For products purchased using Amazon's Buy for me feature, we label the review Verified Purchase with Buy for Me to confirm that the customer requested Amazon to purchase the product on their behalf on the brand retailer website, and these reviews go through the same checks and guidelines as all other reviews.

Our automated and human checks stop millions of suspicious reviews. We also take legal action against groups that pay customers to post fake reviews. For more details, go to Anti-Manipulation Policy for Customer Reviews.

We listen to our customers. If you think a review violates our guidelines, or someone offers you compensation to create, edit, or remove a review, tell us. Visit the How to report violations section in our Community Guidelines.

How we calculate overall star ratings

Amazon calculates a product's star rating using machine-learned models instead of a simple average.

These models consider factors such as how recent the rating or review is, and verified purchase status. They use multiple criteria that establish the authenticity of the feedback. The system continues to learn and improve over time.

We don’t consider customer ratings without an Amazon-Verified Purchase status in a product's overall star rating until a customer adds more details in the form of text, image, or video.

Amazon Credit Card Reviews

For Amazon Credit Cards reviews, we use a 'Verified Cardmember' badge to indicate that the reviewer is a confirmed primary cardholder of the same credit card they're reviewing. After someone submits a review, our system checks if their Amazon account is the same one that was used for their approved credit card application before adding the badge.

Reviews without this badge can also be helpful. For example:

An authorized user of an Amazon Credit Card may want to share their opinion on Amazon.
Someone who applied for and received the card using a different Amazon account may want to share their experience.
A customer with an Amazon Secured Card opened before January 1st 2021 may leave a review for the Amazon Secured Card.

This verification process helps ensure reviews come from actual cardholders, providing more reliable feedback for customers considering an Amazon Credit Card.

Vine Customer Reviews of Free Products

To help you decide if products are right for you, we created the Amazon Vine program.

We invite customers who have earned trust in the Amazon community for their insightful reviews to serve as Vine Voices. Voices request products they want to review and try them out free of charge. Then, they can share their honest, unbiased opinions in a review. Sellers and brands aren’t allowed to contact Voices, and Amazon doesn’t edit their reviews.

Seller Feedback

To leave seller feedback, go to Leave Marketplace Seller Feedback.

Customers Say Review Highlights

Customers Say Review Highlights is an AI-powered feature that highlights customer sentiment frequently mentioned across written reviews. A short paragraph and product insights are displayed on the detail page, making it easier for you to determine whether a product is right for you. You can also find Review Highlights when you select the "What do Customers Say?" option within Rufus.

To learn more, visit Trustworthy Shopping at Amazon.