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 £40 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 (e.g., 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.

We listen to customers. If you think a review violates our guidelines, or someone offers you compensation to create, edit, or remove a review, please tell us. See 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 do not 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.

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’ve 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, see the Leave Third-Party Seller Feedback help page.

Customers Say Review Highlights

Customers Say Review Highlights is an AI-powered feature that points up 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.