Amazon Reviews Not Showing Up? Here’s How to Fix the Problem!

Why Reviews on Amazon Matter

Reviews constitute social proof and are an indication of how well a product is received by customers. Since potential buyers cannot physically inspect products—and high-quality images can only convey so much—reviews act as the strongest piece of evidence for how well a product performs. 

On Amazon, 1-5 star product reviews not only inform potential customers about product functionality but also serve as a metric against which seller performance is judged. Amazon strives to maintain its reputation as “the most ‘customer-centric’ company on Earth” and does not tolerate low-performing sellers on its platform. 

In light of Amazon’s strict quality control standards, it’s safe to assume that it also attracts sellers that are willing and capable of offering superior products. It then becomes a major problem if, despite an increase in sales, no reviews appear on your product detail page. 

Impact of Verified Purchase vs. Non-Verified Purchase Reviews

Not all reviews are created—or treated as—equal. “Verified Purchase” reviews are submitted by buyers that have purchased the product from Amazon and did not receive it via major discounts. An example can be seen in the image below. The first review comes with the “Verified Purchase” tag, but the one below doesn’t. 

Verified reviews have a greater impact on rankings as compared to non-verified reviews—a strategy employed by Amazon to stem the growth of what it regards as disingenuous product reviews. 

Common Reasons for a Review Not Showing Up

Reviews not showing up could be due to three reasons. Amazon has either blocked, deleted, or limited the number of reviews based on the extent of its policy violations. Sometimes, it’s none of these reasons as a review usually takes anywhere from 1 to 3 days to appear and in rare cases, up to 2 weeks. 

It’s worth mentioning that for the most part, without Amazon’s disclosure, there is no way to verify the exact reason behind reviews not appearing.

As such, the reasoning behind reviews not showing up (apart from those that explicitly go against Amazon’s Terms of Service) is sometimes based on speculation as well as seller feedback gathered over the years.

Let’s take a look at the possible reasons why Amazon prevents product reviews from showing up.

Buyers Confuse Seller Feedback for Product reviews

Amazon may sometimes strike off or remove a product review that talks about the delivery, shipping, or packaging as all of these matters are related to seller feedback. Buyers are known to confuse the two. Such reviews may be removed by Amazon if the products are sold through the FBA (Fulfillment by Amazon) method. 

This is one instance where it’s better not to have such a review show up. If it does, you can request removal by:

• Accessing your Seller Central Account
• Going to the Performance Tab
• Selecting Feedback
• Scrolling down to the “Recent Feedback” section
• Selecting “Negative”
• Locating the relevant Order ID 
• Selecting Request Removal

The Review Contains Profanities, Threats, or Inappropriate Text and Images

Buyers express their opinions regarding products by posting reviews and are more than welcome to share negative experiences. What is not allowed; however, is to hurl abuse, profanities, or personal threats at the seller. The same goes for attaching images within the review that are deemed to be inappropriate, indecent, completely unrelated to the product, or unsuited for a younger audience.

If such a review is noticed by Amazon it stands a high chance of being removed—and rightfully so. 

Reviews Are From Friends or Family

The entire point of having a product review section is to allow buyers to provide feedback that genuinely reflects the product quality. Reviews from friends or family tend to overrate a product and end up misleading potential buyers. Here’s what Amazon has to say on the matter:

Reviews Are Incentivized 

Amazon adopts a zero-tolerance policy when it comes to incentivizing reviews. It does not hesitate to suspend seller privileges or dish out harsh penalties in light of unfair play. If you are engaged in such activities, we strongly recommend that you stop—reviews not showing up would be the least of your concerns. 

Keep in mind the following points as rules of thumb:

• Don’t directly ask for a positive review; however, asking for a review is just fine
• Don’t offer monetary benefits for positive reviews
• Don’t extend any kind of bonuses or discounts in exchange for positive reviews

Similarly, offering any sort of incentive for removing negative reviews is equally dangerous. If comments like the one in the image below appear on your product detail page, Amazon will be quick to notice and may even suspend your account. 

Sudden Increase in Review Velocity

A sudden increase in review velocity is considered unusual behavior. Just to clarify, we’re not talking about seasonal products that experience a high review velocity during peak sales season. This point refers to an artificial increase in reviews that cannot be explained through normal means. 

For example, if sellers start handing out heavily discounted coupons (anything above 20-30%), this will naturally increase sales. Barring the reduced impact this has on product rankings, it also results in an uptick of non-verified reviews that may cause Amazon to limit the number of reviews showing on a product listing.

The Ultimate Solution – The Review Automator

To sum it all up, the reason for reviews not showing up can be narrowed down to two main reasons:

1. Written content that goes against Amazon’s TOS
2. Reviews resulting from purchases made outside of Amazon

The solution? ZonGuru’s Review Automator tool successfully manages to bring in product reviews while avoiding actions that get sellers in trouble. It does so by sending review requests through Amazon’s official review request system, making it fully compliant with Amazon’s Terms of Service.

All you have to do is activate the tool and sit back—from that point on, the Review Automator will automatically send review requests for all orders made since the past month. Since customers are asked to give a 1-5 star product review, there is little to no room for reviews with personal information, abusive content, seller feedback, or anything that violates review policies. 

Also, all reviews are solicited through official channels which eliminates the risk of raising suspicion from Amazon’s end. Whether you’re an international seller or operating in one of the smaller Amazon regions, the Review Automator offers complete functionality across US, EU, and AU marketplaces. 

All in all, it’s an invaluable addition to any seller’s toolkit as it increases the review count, improves BSR ratings, and enhances overall brand image!

Don’t waste any more time and make a high-reward play by subscribing to one of our monthly plans!