Getting Amazon reviews removed: when and how it works

Can Amazon reviews be removed?

Yes, but not every review. Amazon regards customer reviews as honest accounts of personal experience, and that includes negative ones. A 1-star review that factually describes a product breaking after a short time stays up, even if it hurts sales.

It is different when a review violates Amazon’s Community Guidelines or is unlawful. In that case, sellers and brand owners can demand that Amazon remove it. How many reviews this applies to varies from product to product. Often, reviews are not about the product at all but about the shipping, or they contain claims that are not true.

Two routes: guideline violation or legal violation

There are two possible grounds for removal, and each calls for a different route.

Violation of Amazon’s Community Guidelines

Amazon itself decides what belongs in a review. For example, the following are not allowed: reviews about shipping, packaging, or the seller instead of the product; advertising and links; personal data; insulting or obscene content; and reviews by people with a financial interest, such as competitors. You report these violations using the “Report abuse” link below the review.

Legal violation

Regardless of Amazon’s rules, a review can violate German law: if it makes false statements of fact, if it merely disparages instead of criticizing, or if it is not based on the reviewer’s own experience at all. In that case, those affected can demand its removal. Under the Digital Services Act (DSA), platforms like Amazon must examine reports of illegal content promptly and carefully and inform the person who reported it of their decision. A reasoned removal request from a law firm shows exactly which statement is unlawful and why.

Which reviews can be challenged

• Rates the shipping, not the product: delivery time, damaged box, delivery driver, customer service. Read more
• False statements of fact: claims such as “counterfeit,” “used,” or “expired” that are demonstrably untrue. Read more
• Insults and abusive criticism: name-calling with no connection to the matter at hand. Read more
• No purchase: the review is clearly not based on the reviewer’s own experience, and there is no matching purchase. Read more
• Fake reviews and competitors: identical texts under several products, advertising for the competition. Read more
• Advertising, links, personal data: clear violations of the guidelines. Read more about advertising and links and about personal data

What stays up

Criticism of a genuine defect is protected, even when it is harshly worded. “Leaked after two weeks, total garbage” is a permissible opinion about the reviewer’s own experience. Value judgments such as “too expensive for the quality” or “cheaply made” usually cannot be removed either. The only thing that helps here is improving the product or its description.

An honest check will therefore also tell you which reviews will stay up. With AMZDelete, you see automatic flags for possible violations on every review. Our partner law firm checks whether a review can actually be challenged, and it only takes on cases it considers well-founded. The law firm is independent and does not take instructions from AMZDelete. You will see its name before you place an order, together with the power of attorney and the fee agreement.

How to proceed

1. Document the reviews. Keep a dated screenshot, the link to the review, and the exact wording. Reviews can change or disappear.
2. Find the right reason. Guideline violation or legal violation? The route depends on it.
3. Gather evidence. For false claims, this might be test reports, certificates, or invoices from the manufacturer; if there was no purchase, a cross-check against your orders.
4. Report or request removal. Report guideline violations using “Report abuse” and send Amazon a reasoned removal request for legal violations.
5. Follow up. Check whether the review has been removed, and if your request is rejected, look at the reason.

AMZDelete takes a large part of this off your hands: the tool reads the 1- and 2-star reviews of your products on amazon.de, saves them with a screenshot, and flags anything that stands out, such as criticism of the shipping or serious accusations. For the cases you order, our partner law firm carries out a legal assessment and reports them to Amazon, stating the reasons.

How long does it take?

That is up to Amazon. In the removal request, our partner law firm gives Amazon a deadline of 14 days. You can see the status of each case in the customer area, and you receive an email whenever there is news.

What you should not do

• Offering customers something to remove a review. Amazon does not allow you to ask customers to change or remove a review, let alone offer them a refund or any other benefit in exchange.
• Buying positive reviews to offset negative ones. Paid or fake positive reviews violate the guidelines and can put your seller account at risk.

Frequently asked questions

This guide gives a general overview and does not replace a legal review of your individual case. At AMZDelete, our partner law firm checks whether a review can be challenged.