Splitting and merging variants of VINE reviews causes violations. Let’s talk about the precautions for merging variants on Amazon

Recently, some Amazon sellers have been banned for abusing the VINE program (free credits), which has attracted widespread attention. Some sellers split variants, collected free VINE reviews separately and then merged them, or created multiple links for VINE reviews and merged them. These actions are all illegal operations. Amazon clearly stipulates that variant splitting to participate in the VINE program is not allowed. Once detected, it may lead to listing demotion, delisting, or even store closure.

1. Basic requirements for Amazon variations

1. Three elements of variation:

• Parent product: Virtual link, for display only, not available for purchase.

• Child products: Specific variations that can be purchased.

• Variation theme: defines the differences between child products (e.g. color, size).

2. Criteria for determining valid variants:

• The products are essentially the same and belong to the same brand.

• The products differ only in a few aspects (e.g., color, size).

• Products can share a product name.

3. Inappropriate variant types:

• The products are too different or belong to different brands.

• The item requires a completely different description.

• Buyers don’t expect to find these items on the same page.

2. Common Behaviors of Illegal Merging of Variants

1. Change the product detail page so that it looks completely different from the original product.

2. Add ASINs that have been out of stock for a long time to variations.

3. The sub-product images are inconsistent, especially the main image.

4. Add wrong subvariant.

5. Add multi-pack variations that were not created by the manufacturer.

Sources of risk of noncompliance:

1. Competitive product reporting: especially when product rankings or sales are rising rapidly.

2. Amazon system detection: automatically monitors violations.

3. Appeal ideas after violation

1. Attribution and Fault Admission:   Emphasize employee errors and provide detailed information on the offending ASINs.

2. Corrective actions: Conduct self-inspection and modify non-compliant variants, organize policy training, and establish an audit system.

3. Long-term prevention mechanism: Regularly train employees and learn Amazon’s latest rules.

Summary: Amazon's tolerance for variant violations is decreasing year by year. Sellers should abandon the mentality of "taking advantage of loopholes", strictly abide by platform rules, and avoid the risks brought by illegal operations.