Key points
- Amazon prohibits reviews from people with a financial interest, and this expressly includes sellers reviewing their competitors’ products.
- A competitor who runs down your products is usually also engaging in unfair competition.
- Suspicion is not enough. Collect signs that can be documented and challenge the review on whichever ground is clearest.
What Amazon says
Amazon’s Community Guidelines are clear: Amazon removes reviews from people who have a financial interest in the product or another conflict of interest. Sellers are expressly prohibited from reviewing their competitors’ products. Anyone who breaks the rules also risks restrictions, up to and including the suspension of their account.
What the law says
Under German law, too, no one has to accept a competitor running down their products. Anyone who disparages a competitor’s goods, spreads false statements of fact about them or disguises advertising as a customer opinion is usually engaging in unfair competition. Once it is clear who is behind it, you can demand that they stop and, in some circumstances, claim damages. The first step is usually a cease-and-desist letter from a law firm.
Regardless of this, Amazon has to act as soon as it is specifically notified of an unlawful review. For that, you do not need to know who wrote it.
How to recognize reviews from competitors
- Recommending a specific brand: The review advises buying a specific other product, often with a name, link or discount code (read more).
- Suspicious profile: The reviewer praises one company’s products and gives bad ratings to those of its competitors, often in the same category.
- Insider knowledge: The review mentions things an ordinary buyer could hardly know, for example about suppliers, wholesale prices or production.
- Suspicious timing: Several similar reviews shortly after your launch, a price promotion or a success in the best seller rankings.
- No purchase: not a Verified Purchase, and no matching purchase in your orders. Read more in our guide Reviews without a purchase.
You will find more general signs of fake reviews in our guide Fake reviews on Amazon.
What can be proven
Amazon usually does not tell you who wrote a review, and suspicion alone rarely leads to removal. Your best chance lies in documenting the signs carefully:
- screenshots of the review and the profile, with the date,
- links to the profile’s other reviews,
- identical or similar texts under other products,
- a comparison with your orders.
Another ground is often easier to prove than the conflict of interest itself. Reviews from competitors frequently contain false claims about the product or promote a different one. The review can then be challenged on that ground, without you having to prove who wrote it.
What not to do
- Striking back. Posting negative reviews of your competitors’ products yourself is prohibited and can be challenged, just like the reviews that are bothering you.
- Making public accusations. If you publicly accuse a competitor without proof, you may expose yourself to legal claims.
- Buying reviews to offset them. Purchased positive reviews violate the guidelines and can put your seller account at risk.
How AMZDelete helps
AMZDelete compares the texts of all reviews it checks, including across several of your products, flags identical reviews and detects references to other products and brands. When you place your order, you can describe the signs you have noticed. Our partner law firm checks each case, chooses the ground that can best be proven and reports the review to Amazon. You only pay if it is removed afterwards. Action against the competitor itself, such as a cease-and-desist letter, is not included in the price and is only taken under a separate agreement with the law firm.
Frequently asked questions
Can I find out which competitor wrote the review?
Usually not easily. Amazon shows nothing but the profile name and releases reviewers’ data only within narrow limits. However, you do not need to know who the reviewer is to have the review removed.
What if a competitor gets acquaintances or agencies to write reviews?
Amazon prohibits that too. Reviews written on someone’s behalf or in exchange for something are manipulation, no matter who writes them.
Is it enough if the review recommends a competing brand?
On its own, usually not, because genuine buyers make comparisons too. Combined with other signs, however, such as a suspicious profile, links or codes, it can tip the balance.
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.