New products have a chicken-and-egg problem: shoppers don't trust a listing with no reviews, and you can't get reviews without sales. Amazon Vine is Amazon's own way around it, and it's the only approved way to give products away in exchange for reviews.
How Vine works
You enroll a product and choose how many units to give away (up to 30 per parent ASIN). Amazon offers them free to Vine Voices, a group of trusted reviewers Amazon invites based on their review history. They order the product, use it and write an honest review, marked with a green "Vine Customer Review of Free Product" badge.
You can't choose the reviewers, contact them or influence what they write.
What it costs
In the US, Vine enrollment fees are charged per parent ASIN:
| Units enrolled | Enrollment fee |
|---|---|
| 1–2 | Free |
| 3–10 | $75 |
| 11–30 | $200 |
You also cover the cost of the units themselves and their FBA fees. The fee is only charged once the first Vine review is published, and it's generally waived if no reviews come in. Fees can change, so check the amount in Seller Central before enrolling.
Who's eligible
- A Professional selling account, with the brand enrolled in Brand Registry
- The product fulfilled by FBA, in new condition, with stock available
- The parent ASIN has fewer than 30 reviews
- The product is live, buyable, and not in an excluded category (adult products, for example)
How long it takes
Vine Voices usually claim units within a few weeks, then have time to use the product before reviewing. Most sellers see their first reviews within four to eight weeks of enrollment. Not every unit will be claimed, and not every claimed unit will be reviewed.
Benefits
- Early social proof at exactly the point a new listing needs it.
- Detailed reviews. Vine Voices tend to write longer reviews, often with photos.
- Honest product feedback before you place a large reorder.
- Fully within Amazon's rules, unlike any off-platform review scheme.
Drawbacks
- Reviews are honest, not guaranteed positive. If the product has a flaw, Vine reviewers will find it, publicly.
- Cost on low-margin products. The fee plus 30 free units and FBA fees can be significant.
- Timing. It's not instant, so plan it into your launch.
How to get the most from Vine
- Get the listing right first. Reviewers review against what the listing promises. Accurate images and copy prevent "not as described" reviews.
- Check product quality. Test samples from the production run you're actually selling, not the pre-production sample.
- Enroll the parent ASIN, not just one child. Reviews are shared across variations in the family.
- Think about the number of units. Two free units can be enough for a low-risk test. For a key launch, enrolling more increases your chances of several early reviews.
- Combine it with the Request a Review button on regular orders, so reviews keep coming after Vine ends.
- Read Vine reviews as research. Common complaints tell you exactly what to fix in the product or the listing.
Is Vine right for your product?
It usually is if you have a new or under-reviewed product with healthy margins, confidence in its quality, and a listing that's ready to convert. It's less useful for very cheap, low-margin products, or products with known quality issues you haven't fixed yet.
Reviews are one part of a well-optimized listing. Vine gets you the first few; good products and good customer service keep them coming.