Quick answer
Ask once, after the buyer has the item, with a neutral request that does not ask for a good rating or offer anything in return. Amazon gives sellers a Request a Review button, Etsy buyers review from their purchase, Depop suggests reviewing your buyer first, and all four marketplaces in this guide have rules against paid or manipulated reviews. In the US, the FTC rule at 16 CFR Part 465 also bans rewards for consumer reviews expressing a particular sentiment, whether positive or negative.
Nation, an AI store builder, publishes this page. It is pre-launch, with a waitlist on withnation.ai, so it is not in any comparison here. See where Nation fits.
How to ask for reviews on a marketplace: the short answer
To ask for reviews on a marketplace, wait until the buyer has the item, ask once, and keep the wording neutral. A neutral request invites an honest review of any kind. It does not mention stars, does not ask only happy buyers, and does not offer a discount, refund or gift.
Each marketplace runs its own review system and sets its own rules for how sellers may ask. The table shows the channel each one gives you, when buyers can review, and what each one bans. This guide covers Amazon, Etsy, Facebook and Depop only. Google reviews have their own guide.
How to get reviews on Amazon with Request a Review
Amazon already asks buyers for you: Amazon sends automated review requests for most products. Amazon allows sellers to ask customers for reviews in a neutral manner, and lists these ways to do it.
Use the Request a Review button
Open the order in Seller Central and use the Request a review feature on the Order Details page. Amazon then asks for both a product review and seller feedback for the order in the same email, in standard wording. You can send it once per order between 5 and 30 days after the order delivery date.
Or send one message instead
Buyer-Seller Messaging may be used to ask for a review only if you haven't used the "Request a Review" feature for that order. Keep it neutral and do not send both. Amazon treats extra requests as unsolicited messages, subject to Buyer's opt-out preferences.
Add a neutral insert card
Amazon allows you to Include a card in your product packaging to solicit reviews from customers in a neutral manner. The card asks for an honest review and nothing more. Amazon says outside channels such as websites and social media cannot be used to solicit sales, reviews, or feedback, so leave out QR codes and links to other sites.
Leave out what Amazon bans
Amazon bans incentives including money, gift cards, discounts, refunds, replacements, or future benefits. Sellers may not request positive reviews only, ask customers to change or remove reviews. Amazon also lists an insert that pre-empts negative reviews by directing unhappy customers to contact support first as a breach. In Buyer-Seller Messaging, Amazon prohibits Order status inquiries and simple thank-you messages as proactive messages.
Keep friends and staff out
Amazon does not allow family members, close friends, employees, or anyone with a financial interest in the seller's business to review the seller's items. Breaking the review rules can lead to account suspension or termination.
How to get more reviews on Amazon with Vine
Amazon Vine is Amazon's own program for early reviews. Amazon invites reviewers it calls Vine Voices. They try out your product free of charge, then share their honest, unbiased opinions in a review. Amazon says we maintain the anonymity of Vine Voices, so the seller has no say in who reviews or what they write.
To use Vine you need a Professional selling account and a Brand Representative or Reseller role assigned to a brand enrolled in Amazon Brand Registry. You also need eligible Fulfillment by Amazon (FBA) offers. An existing product qualifies only with fewer than 30 reviews on the product detail page, and you can offer up to 30 units. Vine has an enrollment cost per parent product, set by how many units you offer:
Amazon also says: If you don’t receive a Vine review within 90 days from the date of enrollment, you aren’t charged. Vine Voices give their honest opinion, so a Vine review can be negative. Enroll a product only when you are confident in it.
How to get reviews on Etsy
On Etsy, buyers leave reviews from their own purchase history, so your job is mostly to make the order go well. Buyers can review within 100 days, beginning on the delivery date or estimated delivery date, and they can edit a review any number of times during that 100 day period. Reviews can only be left for items sold through Etsy, so in-person sales do not add to your shop's reviews.
Your shop's score is a recency-weighted average of all the star ratings you've received. Recent ratings weigh more than old ones, so reviews from this month count for more than reviews from launch.
Etsy's seller policy says reviews may not falsely inflate a shop’s review score. One way to ask is a short thank-you note in the package that invites an honest review. Avoid repeated follow-up messages: Etsy Messages may not be used for Sending unsolicited advertising or promotions, requests for donations, or spam. Etsy's policy also says that, without the buyer's consent, you may not add any Etsy member to your email or physical mailing list.
If a review is poor, Etsy says you can reach out to the buyer or leave a response. Fix the problem first. Do not offer a refund on the condition that the buyer changes the review.
How to get reviews on Facebook
Facebook calls reviews Recommendations. Buyers recommend a business by answering Yes or No, then add tags, text and photos. To collect them, Recommendations must be on: turning them on lets anyone logged into Facebook publish a Recommendation on your Page.
The setting is under Settings & privacy, then Settings, then Page and tagging. The toggle reads Allow others to view and leave reviews on your Page?. Turning it off will remove the rating and reviews from your Page, so think before switching it off after a bad review.
Once the setting is on, ask customers to recommend your Page with a plain link to its Reviews tab, in a post or after an order. Facebook lets people report Recommendations that are fraudulent, spam or paid for, so do not pay for them.
How to get reviews on Depop
Depop reviews go both ways: buyers review sellers and sellers review buyers. Depop's own advice is leaving a review for your buyer once the purchase is complete. It says this helps build trust and encourages your buyer to leave you a review in return.
Depop also advises sellers to ship as soon as you can, because quick shipping leads to better reviews. An accurate listing with honest photos does the same. Depop's terms say users may not Interfere with or manipulate any ratings system or user feedback system, so do not trade reviews with friends or offer discounts for good ratings.
What the FTC consumer reviews rule says
In the US, the FTC rule on consumer reviews and testimonials, 16 CFR Part 465, went into effect on October 21, 2024. It applies on top of each marketplace's own policy, and the FTC says it civil penalties for knowing violations.
This section is general information about a federal rule, not legal advice. State consumer protection laws can add their own rules, and those vary by state, so check with a lawyer if you are unsure about a review program.
- Paying for reviews that say a certain thing. The rule bars a business from offering compensation or incentives for consumer reviews expressing a particular sentiment, whether positive or negative. A disclosure does not fix it: offering rewards for five-star reviews and asking reviewers to disclose them would violate Section 465.4. The rule only applies to the businesses that provide compensation or other incentives, not the buyers.
- Rewards for honest reviews. The rule itself does not prohibit giving incentives for reviews that the review say something particular. Marketplaces can still ban them, as Amazon does, and failing to disclose incentives could be a violation of the FTC Act.
- Asking only happy customers. The FTC says the rule has no specific ban on review gating, but this practice could violate the FTC Act.
- Paying to remove bad reviews. The FTC says paying consumers to change or remove truthful negative reviews may violate the FTC Act.
- Threats over reviews. The rule bans using an unfounded or groundless legal threat, a physical threat, intimidation, or a public false accusation to stop or remove a review.
What to write: review cards and messages for customers
Review cards for customers work on every marketplace in this guide when the wording stays neutral. The same wording works for a message where the marketplace allows one. Example wording, written for this guide:
- Card: "Thank you for your order. If you have a moment, an honest review on the marketplace helps other buyers decide."
- Message after delivery: "Your order should have arrived. If you would like to, you can leave a review of the item on your order page."
- Avoid: star images, "if you are happy", "contact us before you leave a review", discounts or gifts for reviews, and links to outside sites.
Send one request per order and stop there. A buyer who had a problem needs help with the order, not a second review request.
Where Nation fits
Nation
Category: an AI store builder
Nation says one description of what you make builds the store, then agents handle orders, customers and delivery and run ads, content and social posts, with you approving the work. This page covers marketplace review rules, which Nation does not set.
Limits today
- Status: pre-launch, with a waitlist on withnation.ai.
- Pricing and fees: not announced yet.
- Shopper marketplace: no shopper marketplace has been announced.
- Track record: no independent reviews or public stores yet.
Nation publishes this page. Nation has no review system of its own to describe here.
Describe what you makeQuestions about asking for reviews
How do you ask a customer for a review?
To ask a customer for a review, wait until they have the item, ask once, and keep the request neutral. Do not mention stars, ask only happy buyers, or offer a reward. On Amazon, use the Request a Review button; on Etsy and Depop, a short note in the package invites an honest review.
How do I use Amazon's Request a Review button?
Amazon's Request a Review button is on the order's Order Details page in Seller Central. It sends Amazon's standard email asking for a product review and seller feedback. You can use it once per order between 5 and 30 days after the order delivery date. If you use it, do not also ask through Buyer-Seller Messaging for that order.
Can I offer a discount for a review on Amazon or Etsy?
Offering a discount for a review breaks Amazon's policy, which bans incentives including money, gift cards, discounts, refunds, replacements, or future benefits. Etsy's policy says reviews may not falsely inflate a shop’s review score. In the US, the FTC rule also bans rewards for consumer reviews expressing a particular sentiment, whether positive or negative. Ask for an honest review with nothing attached.
How do I get more reviews on Amazon as a new seller?
A new Amazon seller gets more reviews by letting Amazon's automatic requests run, using Request a Review on each order, and enrolling eligible products in Vine. Vine needs a Professional selling account and a Brand Representative or Reseller role assigned to a brand enrolled in Amazon Brand Registry, plus FBA offers. Products qualify with fewer than 30 reviews on the product detail page.
Can I ask only happy customers for reviews?
Asking only happy customers for reviews, known as review gating, is banned by Amazon, which does not allow sellers to request positive reviews only, ask customers to change or remove reviews. The FTC says its review rule has no specific ban on it, but this practice could violate the FTC Act. Send the same neutral request to every buyer instead.
How long do buyers have to leave a review on Etsy?
Etsy buyers can leave a review within 100 days, beginning on the delivery date or estimated delivery date. They can edit the review any number of times during that 100 day period. A note in the package reaches buyers while the item is new, which is the easiest time for them to review it.