If you are a newer seller on Amazon Handmade, you might have noticed that there are 2 different types of feedback. Seller feedback and product reviews are 2 totally different beasts. Still, it can be not very clear at first, which is why a blog post was in order!
Amazon Handmade Seller Feedback
First, let's chat about seller feedback. This is the feedback that you will see when you log into Seller Central on your dashboard. This star rating can only be left by actual customers and is to be left for the customer experience ONLY, not a review of the actual product.
This would cover things like shipping times, customer service, responding to messages, assisting the customer before or after the sale, etc.
If a customer leaves a less than stellar seller feedback rating that mentions your product, Amazon should remove it if you request removal. You can do this from your Seller Central dashboard when you click on your star rating to see all of your feedback. Just click on:
- Performance > Feedback > Choose ‘Request Removal’ beside the applicable feedback left
Seller Feedback does affect your entire shop, and it is a measured performance metric that you must meet to continue selling on Amazon.
You aren’t notified about feedback left, but I recommend checking it every 2 weeks to a month to make sure you are taking care of any issues.
Your seller feedback rating shows on your Artisan Profile shop homepage.
Amazon Handmade Product Reviews
Next is product reviews. This type of review is a little different than feedback or even reviews on other platforms because Amazon allows anyone to leave a review on any product listing. They do not have to be a verified buyer (although if they are, this will show as a tag by their name) to leave a review on your handmade items.
This is Amazon's policy because, while it doesn't really apply to handmade as much, anyone can purchase an item elsewhere. And Amazon wants them to be able to leave a review for that item on Amazon to help their customers.
Product reviews do not affect your metrics or overall account health, but they do affect that specific listing. If you get several 5-star views, that listing will get a bump in search. But, a listing with 1-star reviews could majorly hurt your listing. Eventually, Amazon might deactivate a listing if it has had multiple FBA returns, for example, for reasons of 'not as described.'
One thing to keep in mind when talking about product reviews, though, is that on Amazon 3 stars is actually considered okay. Don't freak out if you get the odd 3-star review! Trust me, it happens a lot with Amazon customers, and in the big picture, it's nothing to worry about.
Product reviews are much harder to get Amazon to remove. Unless it mentions personal information, like addresses or phone numbers, for example, you’ll likely have a hard time getting Amazon to remove it.
Let’s Give You The Cliff Notes:
Amazon Handmade Seller Feedback:
- Affects your entire shop and account health
- Can only be left by verified customers
- Needs to be about the customer experience, not the product
Amazon Handmade Product Reviews:
- Does not affect your entire shop but does affect that individual listing
- Can be left by anyone on Amazon
- Very hard to remove if you feel like the feedback left is unfair
Do you have any other questions about Amazon feedback or reviews? Let me know in the comments!
