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We fully support any changes at Amazon that allow consumers to have more confidence in Amazon’s review system and we fully support the latest policy update that prevents sellers from exchanging product and product discounts for reviews. This will strengthen buyer confidence on the Amazon site and help us all sell more ultimately (assuming you have quality products!)
As of Oct 3, 2016 we are no longer endorsing any services that provide review services as a result of this policy change by Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/p/feature/abpto3jt7fhb5oc
To stay up to date on the latest creative strategies for marketing and selling successfully on Amazon please join our free Facebook community here, or check out the best selling “how to succeed on Amazon” course in the world! The ProvenAmazonCourse.com course! – it’s constantly being expanded and updated, it’s supported by dozens of successful sellers, and it’s always on the cutting edge. Better yet, the PAC is the starting point of thousands of success stories on Amazon!
Here’s a creative idea for launching a new or little known product on Amazon. Simply give your product away, or discount it, and then request reviews from those who benefited from your temporary promotion! Sounds simple right?
Not so fast.
Before I give you my words of caution, first I have some very good news. Clearly, according to Amazon’s own rules you ARE allowed to give away free or reduced price products and then request an amazon review in return. When done correctly, this is a brilliant strategy that can turn a relatively unknown product on Amazon.com into one that has the appearance of being “popular”. That can be good for future sales, and this strategy is being used successfully by many Amazon sellers right now, but…
…most Amazon selling experts would urge caution (including me) when using this strategy. For those considering attempting this strategy, I’ve compiled the good, the bad and some resources for you to hep make a good decision and navigate the process without getting burned.
SOME REASONS IT’S A GOOD IDEA:
- A bunch of reviews gets your product a lot of attention and better ranking
- It also helps the product have more credibility
- future shoppers are far more likely to purchase a highly reviewed product at full price
SOME REASONS IT MIGHT BE A BAD IDEA:
- If you tell your “freebie seeking” promotion participants that they can only give you a “good review”, or if you refund them after their discounted purchase, or if you manipulate the system in any way that Amazon doesn’t like, you could put your account at risk.
- If you use a third party service to help you do the promotion it could mean that a lot of other sellers will see what you are selling – and could potentially copy your efforts if they so choose (this is always a risk selling ANYTHING online though)
- Other sellers have their doubts about using services like this, and we’ve got a great discussion going on this topic on Facebook (link below)
SOME CHALLENGES YOU’LL ENCOUNTER:
- Where will your freebie seekers come from? Do you have a list? If not, we’ve partnered with a reputable service that can help. GreatDealsForHonestReviews.com is our domain name that redirects to the service we currently endorse. If that endorsement ever changes, we’ll point our domain name somewhere else.
- How can you limit “freebie seekers” from wiping out your inventory?
- You’ll want to limit the number of “freebies” your customers can get. Use a “promotion code” to control this. Log in to Seller Central and use this link to get all the details on promotions: Amazon Seller Central. Visit “Great Deals For Honest Reviews” to get details on our partner service that can help you navigate these details.
HERE ARE OTHER RESOURCES TO USE BEFORE MAKING THE LEAP:
A good open discussion on this topic is happening in our Facebook group. Come see what other sellers and experts are saying. Facebook discussion
Amazon’s guidelines in their own words (read all of this before attempting to pursue reviews for free or discounted product): Amazon Guidelines
When you are ready to do a promotion, our currently endorsed provider of such services for sellers is here: GreatDealsForHonestReviews.com
Did I leave anything out? Have questions? Feel free to leave a comment, or join the Facebook discussion using the link above.
Melissa Ellisor Oaks says
February 11, 2015 at 5:42 pmGreat article Jim! I can see the value of using a service like the one you mentioned. However, wouldn’t it be more beneficial to find a service that is more targeted to your type of product? Instead of using such a general service? It seems to me that I would have less competition if I were to promote my free or discounted product to a more targeted audience.
For example, I could use some of the tips from your blog post titled “Seven Tips for Connecting with Influential People for Powerful Partnerships” to find site owners who publish information type sites (preferably sites that don’t sell physical products of their own) and partner with them to offer my free or discounted product to their list. Maybe offer an exclusive deal for only their subscribers.
Not to mention that partnering with these site owners could open other doors, and not just help me get reviews in exchange for a free or discount price on my product.
Jim Cockrum says
February 11, 2015 at 10:42 pmGreat ideas! I’m sure others will benefit from you putting those ideas together!
Brown Box says
March 31, 2015 at 11:41 amHi, great article as always. I was checking out GreatDealsforHonestReviews.com and click on more info for sellers and was re-directed to this website. How do I learn more as a seller?
Steven Deaton says
April 1, 2015 at 8:35 pmThere are two links for Sellers. The top one takes you to the blog article. The bottom one to sign up for the service (here’s the direct link http://bit.ly/1BOXL1U). Screen shot of GreatDealsForHonestReviews.com http://screencast.com/t/m9jyv6yyaxpr Please let us know if you need anything else. Thanks!