Years ago I was blocked from reviewing anything and everything on Amazon.com–including all the products that I buy–not just books.
Amazon refuses to reinstate all of my reviews or allow me to leave reviews on products that I purchase because they believe that somehow I violated community guidelines. My guess is that somehow they discovered that I have a book blog (or read for NetGalley and other ARC websites) and believe my reviews to be biased. Although, I’ve seen people actually mention that they’ve received books from NetGalley in their Amazon.com reviews, and they’ve not been removed. I don’t have a clue what caused this to happen and haven’t been given an explanation as to why since the beginning.
Like many others I know, an immense amount of our family income is spent on Amazon.com. My family has been Amazon Prime members from the jump. We purchase thousands of items on Amazon from groceries, books, movies, toys, pet products, clothes, health products–you name it.
I don’t like supporting Amazon.com, and I feel bitter about what they’ve done to me and others–leaving us no explanation. It doesn’t seem like they care about buyers leaving honest reviews on products at all. Being that Amazon.com is the largest Internet company by revenue in the world, they should have someone running investigations on the so-called ‘violators with crooked reviews’ because I know other honest reviewers who’ve been blacklisted for no reason as well.
As billionaire Jeff Bezos launches human spaceflights time and time again, Amazon.com refuses to speak with me about this reviewing matter, and it’s infuriating. My point is: I’m no longer sharing Amazon.com links here. Unless Amazon.com reinstates the reviewing process for me, I’m not linking the books I review to Goodreads.com (Amazon subsidiary) or Amazon.com any longer. It will be inconvenient to readers and may even hurt authors, but I just can’t bring myself to support book purchases for this company any longer. I will still review books on Goodreads.com because it’s really the only platform I feel comfortable using for books.
How important is it for you to have Amazon.com book links on blog posts? Have you or someone you know been blocked from reviewing on Amazon.com? Feel free to share your thoughts below.
❤ Mischenko
ReadRantRock&Roll 
I still can’t believe they have not reinstated your reviewing privileges, Jen. Unbelievable. I do not need links to books on blogs. Yes it is more convenient, but I can search on my own as well.
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I can’t either, Carla. It’s good to know that you don’t mind doing your own search for books because the links are so convenient. The links help authors too, but I just feel real strongly about this. I’m also going to seek out purchasing items from elsewhere whenever possible. It may seem ridiculous, but this is just flat-out wrong what they’ve done. Thanks for sharing your opinions.
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I support you with this post Jen, but in the long-run, they are so big and they can’t see that people like you actually helped and still help put them there. Just a sad state of affairs. 😟
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LOL I know I’m not even a tiny speck in the Amazon.com universe. If only I had a larger following on social media; maybe then they’d listen. Thanks for your thoughts and support. 👍
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I don’t blame you, J. Amazon is a giant bully, and not a courteous one. I’ve been thinking about jumping ship for a long time. Though not blacklisted like you, I’ve had quite a few reviews taken down over the years and have finally gotten to where if I’ve had any interaction at all with an author, I don’t even try to post a review of their work on Amazon.
From the standpoint of an independent who writes books and is struggling to break into an over-saturated market, it’s a difficult decision to leave the biggest bookseller in the world, but I’m seriously looking into it for my forthcoming novel. Goodreads is another story. I was disappointed when Amazon purchased GR and haven’t been happy with most of the changes. They’re squeezing in more and more advertising and the site is looking cluttered. Author’s have to pay to do book giveaways now as well, so many have stopped doing them. Anyway, I think there’s a lot of us, both on the writing and blogging sides that are unhappy with Amazon.
And Bezos? To me he personifies a great deal of what is wrong with this world.
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Wow, that is just crazy. It’s totally understandable why you wouldn’t want to leave Amazon though. It’s such a convenience. Goodreads is a mess compared to what it used to be too. I get blocked on there all the time if I like too many things too quickly, and they tell me it’s to stop spammers. Shouldn’t the system know by now that I’ve been a GR member since 2008? Ridiculous. And you’re right—how can an author spend that much on a giveaway, give free books, and pay for shipping? I’m surprised they do them at all.
Good luck with your new novel, Michael. I’m excited to read it! 👍
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Good on you! I think I might do the same for purchases but will keep the Goodreads link.
I too was blocked from posting reviews on Amazon about two years ago, without explanation. That’s after having 10 years of reviews posted—and removed from my profile. I have requested explanation on at least five occasions and never received a response, let alone a reason. It’s actually a disgrace.
I’m sure there are many other bloggers out there in our same circumstances. Thanks for taking this stand and offering me an opportunity to do the same.
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Wow, Jo, did you already tell me that? That’s insane! It’s exactly what happened to me too—all those reviews just gone. I’m amazed at the number of people online who this has happened to. They all say the same thing; no one ever gave them an explanation. I’m glad you’re taking a stand as well. 👍 Thank you.
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This is truly outrageous thing. We also buy a lot from Amazon but I do take care not to review more than 3 products in a week as I read somewhere someone cautioning about it. I’m affiliate member but I don’t get much from Amazon by sharing links so if I have to stop linking Amazon it wouldn’t affect much.
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That’s interesting. The dumb thing is, they can see when you have verified purchases, so I’m not sure why any number of reviews would be bad if they’re verified. I’m glad the links aren’t a big deal for you. Thanks, Yesha. ❤️
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I too was blocked for no reason and, haven’t bought from them or promoted any of their services since. It’s ben a good 4-5 years since I stopped using Goodreads as well and do not post links to them either. We now source everything we can via other online retailers or not at all.
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Good for you, Alex. It may not matter to them, but it feels good to actually have some control, doesn’t it? I’m going to try the same thing. 😉
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Amazon is a catch-22, especially for authors. It’s the platform that generates the most sales for me, it’s also one that gives me the most grief. I’ve been fortunate that Amazon has never NOT posted one of my reviews, but they’ve removed reviews from almost all of my books for one reason or another. I’ve pretty much given up trying to figure them out.
For book reviews, have you thought about BookBub? I LOVE it!! It does take time to build a following, but I love all the recommendations I get. Most of the books I’ve purchased have come as the result of BB reviews or promos.
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Mae, I need to go back to BookBub. I actually set up an account years ago and it just sort of fizzled out. I vaguely remember, but can you actually buy books on that site? Thanks, Mae.
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BB links to sites, Mischenko. So when you view a book there is a “buy from” link and then you pick your store. It links to Amazon, but I think it links to other retailers as well. I just always use Amazon. I do LOVE my BB account!
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Amazon is far too big and controls far too much of the market. I had a review refused just recently because I so called violated community guidelines, which basically was a load of rubbish. I’ve haven’t ever heard of someone being banned before though. It’s disgraceful.
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I’m with you, Cathy. It’s so true. Something tells me I had a review or two rejected before I was blacklisted. I’m not sure what their algorithm is for doing this to people. 🙄
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I’m sure they don’t care about the individual or being fair…
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I totally agree. I’m a nobody to them as well.
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Why do think this will inconvenience your readers? Do you get a lot of click throughs on your affiliate links?
I think I’ve got 5 reviews on Amazon? I just never clicked with it for some reason.
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I do get link usage quite often from Goodreads and Amazon. I actually click links myself on other blogger’s posts when I want to add a book and sometimes purchase. Plus, author’s almost always ask for Amazon reviews, and because I can’t do it, adding the link seems like the least I can do to help them get book purchases. Are you using Amazon links?
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I only link to other reviews on my own site. Nothing outside.
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Well, I wasn’t linking to reviews, but just to the page so that people can purchase the book if they want to. It’s good to know that others don’t link at all.
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Yep, no links at all.
It’s a subject I’ve thought about writing a post on, but I have a strong opinion on it and would probably end up putting my foot in my mouth 🙂
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You should write it. It’s crazy how many blogs I see that are loaded with links. I’m also considering the time it takes to link to all those sites, social media links, author pages etc. I also used to link up Shabby Sundays and even music albums. Forget it. If Amazon gave me a percentage of the sales, I’d consider linking up; although, who knows how many actual sales are generated from my tiny blog anyhow. 🤣 I’d definitely be interested in reading your post on links.
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Do you think people would like a post where they get called whores though?
Because whenever I see a link to a store, I assume affiliate links, even if they’re like you and not using them.
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You lost me there. 😂 I don’t usually assume affiliate links, but how do you ever really know if the person is making a small profit unless they tell you? Yesha just told me she’s on an affiliate account for her blog and I never even knew it.
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See? most people aren’t going to want that either 🙂
Anytime someone has a link, you have to assume it’s an affiliate link. Otherwise why are they putting up the link? And when they have things like “buy me a coffee” at the end of every post, or asking for money, well, yeah.
A blogger has every right to try to earn money. But not at my expense.
And i have every right to call that behavior exactly what it is.
My goodness,. Quite the rabbit trail we ended up going down, hahahahhaa 🙂
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I get what you’re saying now. To me, links can also just be convenient for adding a book. I usually add links when authors ask for them for support, but GR links can also be very helpful for those who just want to add a book to their TBR and not necessarily spend money. I use those links all the time on other blogs, and my thoughts were that maybe those would be missed. I often read authors who aren’t that popular who need all the support they can get. I’ve never really thought about making money, except for when I tried WordAds. 😂 I just wanted my blog to get paid for each year, but that turned out to be a flop. That’s a story for a different post though.
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Thanks for this conversation. I’d never even thought about other blogging just wanting to get the word out. I guess I’m too cynical 😀
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Well, you don’t even use GR, right? Some people don’t use those types of sites at all, whereas I have all my books and reviews on there. It’s the main site where I review and add books, so I’ve always considered these links important. GR has changed so much though. BookBub is one I’m going to check out for sure, but regardless, I’m done sharing links. I appreciate your thoughts on this! 👍
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They haven’t done it to me …yet…but I do know quite a few whom they have. It makes no sense to me why there’s isn’t a process to undo it. That’s what I hate the most. There should be some kind of investigation and/or dispute process.
I don’t need links. Sometimes I post links, and other times I don’t. I’ve taken to posting Goodread’s links lately as they offer many buying options, but that’s only if I remember to post any links. For blog tours, I list whatever links they send me, but there are usually lots of buying options with that.
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Exactly, why wouldn’t they look into it? Literally they bounce you around when you call and send you to all these different people who lie to you and then blow you off. It’s so demeaning.
I’m glad you don’t need links. I thought I’d continue to share Goodreads links like you mention, but no. I appreciate you sharing your thoughts, Tessa. 👍
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I have had a review declined before but I haven’t been blacklisted. Honestly I can never remember to post my reviews on Amazon. I do post on Goodreads all the time though. I have started using StoryGraph and I love that site.
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I’m going to have to check out StoryGraph because I’ve never heard of it. It’s a lot to have to post to a bunch of different sites. I hear you. 😉
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I love the stats that StoryGraph has.
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What exactly can you do on there?
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I’m still learning myself but it’s pretty much like Goodreads. You can keep track of what you’re reading or what you want to read or have read. You can review books. They have half star ratings. They have all kinds of stats that they keep up with all year. They have reading challenges you can join. You can add friends and follow people.
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I’ll definitely check it out then. Thanks, Misty.
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I honestly never use Amazon links on book reviews. I’ll jump on Goodreads and add it to my TBR list instead. Then buy from where-ever when the mood hits me.
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That’s good to know! Thanks for sharing. 👍
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I can’t figure them out either, Jenn. I’ve had a couple book reviews I’ve done kicked back to me for reasons I can’t understand. It’s mind-boggling. We also give Amazon a substantial amount of money every year. As Mae said, it’s a Catch-22.
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Yeah, I’m to the point where I don’t really care because they won’t yield. I’m simply not sharing links anymore. When I go back through the blog and weed, I’ll likely take them out. Sorry your reviews were rejected. So many people are saying the same thing. 🙄 Thanks, Teri.
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Ugh, that makes no sense at all, but this isn’t the first time I’ve heard of this happening, unfortunately. I wouldn’t worry about not including links — people who read book blogs know how to find books to purchase! I set up an affiliate account with Amazon finally, earlier this year, but didn’t generate enough clicks within the first 6 months for it to remain active… fine by me.
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Wow, I wondered about the affiliate link account. So it didn’t work out for you, and it just goes inactive? Interesting.
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Yup, I got a notice saying that I hadn’t met the minimum requirement and that my account would be deactivated. Which is actually fine with me… I wasn’t actually expecting to start raking in piles of money!
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Let’s hope BookBub and Goodreads (yeah I know who their daddy is) keep growing.
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Is BookBub an Amazon subsidiary too?
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I don’t think so, but it’s growing nicely. BRB–I’ll DDG that… It looks like it’s still independent.
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I sympathise with your experience. In the past I read horror stories about Amazon and their book-selling tactics and other things. I feel very bad about having Amazon links on my website. I don’t consider them “important”, but I do have them because they represent a possible income to support my blog after all. I have always thought that the more powerful a company is the more it thinks it can do whatever it wants and it seems in your case they showed their true face.
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It’s so true; Amazon is so huge they simply don’t care. I can totally understand why a blogger would want to use affiliate links. Having a book blog isn’t easy, and some blogs (like mine) cost money. Why shouldn’t we be able to make some of that back to help pay for things? I totally agree, but I’ve never actually tried the affiliate account. Thanks for sharing your thoughts. 😊
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That’s terrible – I have heard of that happening with other people. I don’t post reviews on Amazon anymore and in fact, I recently tried to see my profile but I couldn’t find it. So it’s possible the reviews have been taken down. I always thought it was dumb that book reviews were mixed in with other products. Of course, I often buy things on Amazon so I’m a bit of a hypocrite. If I’m talking about a book, I usually link to Goodreads if I haven’t reviewed the book myself, but Amazon owns them, so…
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It’s unfortunate that they don’t have a better process with this. I’ve read of countless others having the same issue. Hopefully your reviews are still there. I, too, buy things from Amazon on a regular basis. They’re so huge, they just don’t care about being fair. I appreciate your thoughts, Barbara.
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Hi Michenko.
Yeah that’s frustrating. Especially when you consider how much manipulation that Amazon itself gets away with: https://greenstarsproject.org/2021/01/15/can-you-trust-amazon-reviews/
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Definitely! Thanks for sharing your link with me.
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I can fully understand why you won’t share their links anymore. Sounds pretty outragious that they can’t even tell you what you’ve supposedly done wrong 😑
I love Goodreads too btw. No idea they were connected to amazon.
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Amazon is not cheap. There are many others where you can buy and cheaper.
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