Written by the Removal Lab team.
Your best selling product had a 4.6 average last week. Then a one star review arrived that complains about the courier, not the product. The average started to slide. Can a seller get that review taken off? Often, yes. Amazon review removal works when a review breaks the Amazon Community Guidelines, for example a review about shipping or the seller instead of the product, a review with a conflict of interest or a review that is spam or abuse. Removal Lab checks the review against those rules for free and replies within one business day. There is no upfront payment on qualifying cases. You pay only if Amazon removes it.
This guide to Amazon review removal is for sellers and brand owners. It covers what Amazon removes, the Report button route in Seller Central, the rules sellers must never break and the reviews that will stay.
How Amazon review removal works
Amazon says it analyses 100% of product reviews before they are posted, using machine learning models and human investigators. Once a review is live, only its author can edit it. Amazon alone can remove one. It does so only when the review fails Amazon’s standards.
Sellers cannot change reviews. Amazon’s seller guide says so in four words: you can’t change reviews. What a seller can do is report a review that breaks the rules. Amazon says it will review the report and remove any review that violates its policies.
That is the whole of Amazon review removal. There is no appeal to fairness, no paid route and no deal with the customer. There is a rule, a report and Amazon’s decision.
Product reviews and seller feedback are not the same
Many sellers mix these up, which slows Amazon review removal down. Amazon staff explain the difference plainly in the Seller Forums: customer reviews are about the product and do not affect your seller performance metrics. Seller feedback is about you as a seller and can affect those metrics.
The two also have different rules. Amazon does not allow product reviews that focus on seller, order or shipping feedback. That single rule is behind a large share of Amazon review removal requests, because frustrated customers often review the delivery instead of the item.
Which Amazon reviews can be removed
| What the review contains | Amazon rule | Report it? |
|---|---|---|
| Complaints about the seller or its customer service | Reviews may not focus on seller feedback | Yes |
| Ordering problems or returns | Reviews may not focus on order feedback | Yes |
| Packaging, damage in transit, product condition on arrival | Reviews may not focus on shipping feedback | Yes |
| Shipping cost or speed | Reviews may not focus on shipping feedback | Yes |
| Comments on price or availability | Outside the guidelines for reviews | Yes |
| Repetitive text, spam or pictures made of symbols | Outside the guidelines | Yes |
| Email addresses or phone numbers | Private information is not allowed | Yes |
| Profanity, hate speech or sexual content | Not allowed | Yes |
| External links or promotional content | Not allowed | Yes |
| A review in an unsupported language | Outside the guidelines | Yes |
Each row is a ground for Amazon review removal. Amazon staff add that these lists are not exhaustive. Amazon’s own trust pages also list reviews it removes because of who wrote them.
Reviews Amazon removes because of who wrote them
- Reviews from someone with a direct or indirect financial interest in the product
- Reviews from someone with a close personal relationship to the owner, author or artist
- A manufacturer posing as an unbiased shopper
- Several negative reviews of the same product from one customer
- Reviews given in return for money or in game credits
- A negative review from a seller about a competitor’s product
- Reciprocal reviews, such as one artist praising another in exchange for praise back
The competitor line matters. If a rival seller is posting one star reviews on your listing, Amazon treats that as a breach. You still need something that shows the link, because Amazon review removal never runs on suspicion alone.
How to report a review on Amazon yourself
The main tool for Amazon review removal is the Customer Reviews tool in Seller Central, which Amazon gives to Brand Representatives. To use it you need a Professional selling account and a brand enrolled in Brand Registry. Amazon lists the Professional plan at $39.99 a month plus selling fees.
Amazon staff describe the report route like this:
- In Seller Central, hover over Brands and click Customer Reviews.
- Find the review. The tool shows reviews from the last 12 months and lets you filter by star rating and time period.
- Click Show review details to open the customer facing page.
- Click Report.
- Click Submit in the pop up confirmation box.
Any customer can also use the Report abuse link next to a review on the product page. Amazon staff mention community-help@amazon.com as another route, but warn that a reply is unlikely.
What sellers must never do
Amazon bans sellers from offering anything for a positive or negative review, from editing or asking customers to edit or remove a review and from contacting Vine Voices directly. It also bans package inserts that ask for reviews in return for compensation and says it inspects for them in fulfilment centres. Breaking these rules can cost you review permissions, payments or your selling account.
What evidence helps Amazon review removal
The Report button does not give you a box for evidence, so the review itself has to show the breach. That is why the strongest Amazon review removal cases are about what the review says, not about what you know behind the scenes.
- For shipping or seller reviews: the text itself. A review that only talks about the courier is clear on its face.
- For a competitor review: public links between the reviewer and a rival brand, such as the same name on a rival storefront.
- For repeat reviews: screenshots showing the same customer has posted several negative reviews of one product.
- For a compensation offer: Amazon has a separate page for reporting that someone offered payment to write, edit or remove a review.
What Amazon will not remove
Plenty of harsh reviews fall outside Amazon review removal.
| Review says | Likely outcome | Why |
|---|---|---|
| “Broke after two weeks” | Stays | About the product, which is what reviews are for |
| “Smaller than it looks in the photos” | Stays | Product opinion |
| A one star rating with no text | Stays | Nothing in it breaks a content rule |
| A review by a customer who did not buy on Amazon | Usually stays | Amazon lets customers who meet a minimum spend review items bought elsewhere. Those reviews just lack the Verified Purchase badge. |
| “Arrived late and the box was crushed” | Often removed | Shipping feedback is outside the guidelines |
If your review sits in the top rows, our page on what we cannot remove explains what we suggest instead.
Responding to a negative Amazon review
When Amazon review removal is not possible, there is still something you can do. In the Customer Reviews tool, reviews under three stars show a Contact Customer option. Amazon says this lets you offer a full courtesy refund or customer support. You may not ask the customer to change or remove the review. Whether they do is entirely their decision.
The other answer is volume. Amazon lets you click Request a Review on the Order details page to send a standard request. You can also enrol products in Amazon Vine. Fresh genuine reviews dilute one bad one far faster than any report.
How long Amazon review removal takes
Amazon does not publish a timeline for decisions on reported reviews. Its seller guide recommends working through critical reviews at least every 30 days. Some sellers in the forums say they saw no follow up after reporting. Amazon review removal can be quiet, so check the listing yourself.
The law on fake reviews
In the United States, the Federal Trade Commission’s Consumer Reviews and Testimonials Rule took effect on 21 October 2024. It covers writing or selling fake reviews, buying positive or negative reviews and suppressing reviews through intimidation or groundless legal threats. Courts can impose civil penalties for knowing breaches. The FTC says a retailer that only hosts consumer reviews is generally exempt, but a business that writes or buys fake reviews is not. None of this changes Amazon review removal itself. It does raise the stakes for anyone tempted to buy or bury reviews.
In the UK, the Competition and Markets Authority says obtaining and posting fake reviews became a banned practice in April 2025 under the Digital Markets, Competition and Consumers Act 2024. It also says Amazon gave undertakings to strengthen its systems for finding and removing fake reviews and to make reporting easier. See review removal in the UK for more.
What to do if Amazon says no
Check whether the review really breaks a written rule. If it does and nothing changed, Amazon staff suggest raising a clear case in the Seller Forums. If it does not, put the energy into the product page, the listing images and genuine review requests.
If you think a rival is running a campaign, read fake review removal and fake reviews from a competitor. For reviews on your own website or other platforms, see business review removal and Trustpilot review removal.
How Removal Lab works
- Send the link. WhatsApp, email or the two field form. Two minutes, no long questionnaire.
- Free policy check. A specialist reads it against the platform rules and tells you honestly whether it qualifies.
- We build and file the case. The right policy, the right channel, the evidence attached. We handle the appeal too.
- Pay only when it is gone. No upfront payment on qualifying cases. If the platform says no, you owe nothing.
What we will never do
- Promise a removal. The platform decides, not us.
- Post fake reviews or pay anyone to delete a review.
- Pressure, threaten or try to identify a reviewer.
- Charge an upfront fee on a case that does not qualify.
See how our process works and how pricing works.
Get a free Amazon review check
Send the product link and the review. A specialist replies within one business day.
Frequently asked questions
Can an Amazon seller delete a customer review?
No. Amazon says sellers cannot change reviews. You can report a review that breaks the Community Guidelines and Amazon decides whether to remove it.
Does Amazon remove reviews about shipping?
Amazon does not allow product reviews that focus on seller, order or shipping feedback, including packaging, damage in transit and delivery speed. Report those with the Report button.
How do I report a review in Seller Central?
Go to Brands, then Customer Reviews, click Show review details, then Report and Submit. You need a Professional selling account and a brand in Brand Registry.
Do product reviews affect my seller performance metrics?
No. Amazon staff say customer reviews do not affect seller performance metrics. Seller feedback can.
Can I offer a refund for a review to be removed?
No. Amazon bans offering anything in return for a review or asking a customer to change or remove one. You may offer a courtesy refund with no strings attached.
What does Amazon review removal cost with Removal Lab?
The check is free. On qualifying cases there is no upfront payment and you pay only when Amazon removes the review.
Sources: Amazon Customer Reviews tool for sellers, How Amazon maintains a trusted review experience, Amazon Seller Forums: How to report customer review policy violations, Amazon Seller Forums: So you want to remove a customer review?, FTC Consumer Reviews and Testimonials Rule Q and A and UK Competition and Markets Authority on fake reviews. Removal Lab does not work for Amazon. Every decision is made by the platform.