You can make a maximum of five Amazon reviews per week, with certain conditions. Only non-verified reviews are limited, while verified purchases are exempt from this limit. Additionally, this review cap only applies to products that aren’t books, music, and video.
Read on to learn more about why Amazon imposes this review limit, what the exceptions are, and how you can write better reviews to make the most out of this weekly review cap.
The Weekly Amazon Review Limit
As we’ve stated at the beginning of this article, you’re limited to five non-verified reviews per week for non-media products. If you’re a frequent Amazon user, that number might seem very small, but the cap was implemented for good reason.
Amazon limits weekly non-verified purchase reviews to reduce review manipulation by people who haven’t bought the product, ensuring that the scores aren’t unfairly manipulated. As part of this limitation, Amazon may also restrict reviews on products that receive unusually high review numbers in a short time.
Amazon still allows people to review products without buying them because the site wants to collect as many reviews as possible. However, Amazon wants to cut back on them by imposing limits because there’s no reliable method to determine whether the reviewer actually bought the product unless they’re verified.
That said, there are no limits to reviewing verified purchases on Amazon. You can go over the weekly Amazon review limit as long as you purchase the items on Amazon.
What Are Verified Purchases and Why Do They Not Count Toward the Limit?
Verified purchases are items that you definitively buy on Amazon at a price available to most Amazon shoppers. Verified product reviews don’t count toward your limit because Amazon can prove that you bought the item on the site without a shadow of a doubt, so there’s no chance that you bought the item elsewhere.
That said, verified purchases have the caveat of “buying at a price available to most Amazon shoppers.” So, things you buy with vouchers that are priced lower than what most Amazon shoppers would pay for still count as non-verified purchases. Therefore, reviewing items you bought at a deep discount would still count toward your five-review weekly limit.
The limitations of reviewing items bought at a deep discount follow the same philosophy as limiting reviews for items you didn’t buy on Amazon, which is to limit bribed or manipulated reviews. If the limit isn’t in place, sellers can give away their products or sell them at a deep discount to unfairly nudge customers into leaving positive reviews.
When Do My Review Limits Refresh?
The seven-day review cap period starts on Sunday at 12:00 am UTC and ends on Saturday at 11:59 pm UTC. So, if you’ve posted your five reviews for the week, you won’t be able to post more reviews until midnight UTC on Sunday, when your limit will refresh.
Amazon Vine and the Review Cap
We’ve covered how the review limit affects unverified and verified purchases. But what about Amazon Vine reviewers? As a quick refresher, Amazon Vine is a program where participants get free Amazon products in exchange for reviews. Amazon Vine reviewers are usually picked from the most helpful and most active reviewers, increasing their likelihood of writing high-quality reviews.
How Many Amazon Vine Reviews Can I Write in a Month?
If you’re a part of Amazon Vine, you can write as many reviews of items you received as part of the program as you want. While there’s generally a requirement to review at least 50% of the items you receive through Amazon Vine, there’s no upper limit to how many reviews you can write. So, you can write as many reviews for Amazon Vine products as you want.
Writing High-Quality Reviews to Get the Most Out of Your Review Cap
If you’re writing unverified reviews, then you only have five of them per week. High-quality reviews aren’t just helpful; they might help you if you’re angling for a spot on the Amazon Vine program. So, it’s a good idea to make the most out of your review limit.
Here are some dos and don’ts to help you write high-quality Amazon reviews.
Do:
- Review products honestly according to your experiences using it.
- Use photos and videos to demonstrate the product and how you use it.
- Include the pros and cons of the product to give readers an idea of what to expect.
- Use constructive language to explain why you like or dislike the product.
- Follow Amazon’s review guidelines.
Don’t:
- Use coarse or offensive language. Using bad language undermines your review’s credibility because you might sound like a disgruntled customer. Even if you’re angry about the product, make your point in a calm, civilized way.
- Stray off-topic. Keep your review focused on the product you received and don’t cover anything else, because long-winded reviews that go nowhere won’t help shoppers.
- Be biased, whether it’s for or against the product. Shoppers often ignore product reviews that are overly praising or overly critical because they might see them as impartial.
A good way to write a high-quality review on Amazon is to think about what kind of review you’d like to read. If you’re on the fence about buying a product, would you rather read a well-outlined, well-written review that clearly explains the pros and cons of a product, or a review that only praises or mocks the product without explaining why the reviewer loves or hates it?
Additionally, your product reviews should only be about the product in question. If you have concerns or criticism about your experience with ordering or the seller themselves, you can put those thoughts in the seller feedback form.
Keep in mind that even if you only review verified purchases and therefore aren’t subject to any caps, it’s still a good idea to write high-quality reviews. Helpful reviews help both the store and any potential customers, ensuring a better Amazon seller-buyer ecosystem.
Conclusion
Amazon limits reviews from unverified purchases to five a week. They do this to prevent review manipulation and ensure the integrity of product reviews. While Amazon limits unverified reviews, there’s no cap on verified reviews. Amazon Vine reviewers don’t have any limitations on reviewing items they receive through the program, either.
Regardless of whether you’re subject to the review cap or not, it’s still good practice to write helpful reviews. It can support the seller by increasing their product’s visibility or warning them of any problems you may have with their products, and you’re also helping would-be customers make better purchasing decisions.
