# What is wrong with this Amazon review ? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [March 13, 2015, 1:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-wrong-with-this-amazon-review/714907 "2015-03-13T13:31:23Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 13\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![am77494](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/d2c977/32.png) [@am77494](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/am77494)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2015, 1:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-wrong-with-this-amazon-review/714907/1 "2015-03-13T13:31:23Z")
I recently bought a blood glucose monitor and test strips through Amazon Prime.Both the products received had the marking “Not for Retail Sale” - although on the strips - white tape was used to cover up the marking. I went and posted my review - verbatim - “The package says “Not for Retail Sale” on which the seller has put some white tape. I am not sure if this is illegal.” which Amazon sent me an email saying “Your review of XXXX could not be posted to [Amazon.com](http://Amazon.com)” “We encourage you to revise your review and submit it again.” and a link to their policy - which I read and did not find anything relevant. My question is - “Which policy did I violate ?” ---
**Author:** ![Thudlow\_Boink](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thudlow_boink/32/320_2.png) [@Thudlow\_Boink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thudlow_Boink)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2015, 1:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-wrong-with-this-amazon-review/714907/2 "2015-03-13T13:46:27Z")
Were you posting your review as a review of the product, or as seller feedback? If the product you were sent doesn’t match the description, that sounds to me like the seller’s fault and not a criticism of the product itself. ---
**Author:** ![SJL4041](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/73ab20/32.png) [@SJL4041](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SJL4041)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2015, 1:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-wrong-with-this-amazon-review/714907/3 "2015-03-13T13:48:09Z")
Was it long enough in word count? I’ve seen reviews which suggested the seller was selling counterfeit merchandise and they left it up. ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2015, 1:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-wrong-with-this-amazon-review/714907/4 "2015-03-13T13:55:05Z")
I think that selling something labeled “Not for Retail Sale” is not illegal but may be a violation of the contract between the manufacturer and the Amazon seller. ---
**Author:** ![Saint\_Cad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/saint_cad/32/18907_2.png) [@Saint\_Cad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Saint_Cad)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2015, 2:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-wrong-with-this-amazon-review/714907/5 "2015-03-13T14:01:02Z")
Maybe they use the same algorithm as Yelp which no one knows byt negative increases the chance of rejection. ---
**Author:** ![Hail\_Ants](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/dc4da7/32.png) [@Hail\_Ants](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hail_Ants)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2015, 2:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-wrong-with-this-amazon-review/714907/6 "2015-03-13T14:43:40Z")
> [@Dewey\_Finn](#): > > I think that selling something labeled “Not for Retail Sale” is not illegal but may be a violation of the contract between the manufacturer and the Amazon seller. With medical stuff it often means they were ‘samples’ given to doctors free as perks to give to their patients (to get them to become customers). Nothing illegal or even particularly unethical (IMO) with someone selling some. Falls under the heading of ‘grey market’ items. Although if these were items meant for distribution at free clinics to lower-income patients, selling them like that is kind of a lowlife thing to do (again, just IMHO). Either way if Amazon doesn’t allow the selling of stuff like this then it’s their (and the user selling them’s) problem. They shouldn’t be asking you to censor your review… ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2015, 3:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-wrong-with-this-amazon-review/714907/7 "2015-03-13T15:51:46Z")
Or if Amazon is neutral on the sale of “Not for Retail Sales” items, they may be right to ask the OP to change the review (especially as the OP’s review mentioned the question of illegality). ---
**Author:** ![Mops](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mops/32/16494_2.png) [@Mops](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mops)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2015, 4:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-wrong-with-this-amazon-review/714907/8 "2015-03-13T16:07:24Z")
I very much doubt that Amazon reviews are routinely checked by humans at Amazon, so perhaps they object to using the the _word_ ‘illegal’ at all in a review because they want allegations of an item being illegal to be addressed to them privately (there is a ‘report this content as inappropriate’ link) rather than published on the product page. ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2015, 4:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-wrong-with-this-amazon-review/714907/9 "2015-03-13T16:08:00Z")
> [@Dewey\_Finn](#): > > I think that selling something labeled “Not for Retail Sale” is not illegal but may be a violation of the contract between the manufacturer and the Amazon seller. I would resubmit the review, leaving out the word “illegal”. ---
**Author:** ![Thudlow\_Boink](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thudlow_boink/32/320_2.png) [@Thudlow\_Boink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thudlow_Boink)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2015, 4:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-wrong-with-this-amazon-review/714907/10 "2015-03-13T16:18:18Z")
> [@Mops](#): > > I very much doubt that Amazon reviews are routinely checked by humans at Amazon, so perhaps they object to using the the _word_ ‘illegal’ at all in a review because they want allegations of an item being illegal to be addressed to them privately (there is a ‘report this content as inappropriate’ link) rather than published on the product page. This does strike me as the most likely explanation. ---
**Author:** ![bob\_2](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bob_2/32/3341_2.png) [@bob\_2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bob_2)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2015, 4:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-wrong-with-this-amazon-review/714907/11 "2015-03-13T16:24:49Z")
Post the same review exactly but substitute ‘legal’ for ‘illegal’ ---
**Author:** ![furryman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/furryman/32/99_2.png) [@furryman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/furryman)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2015, 2:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-wrong-with-this-amazon-review/714907/12 "2015-03-14T14:50:45Z")
This product is for ill eagles ---
**Author:** ![md2000](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/73ab20/32.png) [@md2000](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/md2000)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2015, 3:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-wrong-with-this-amazon-review/714907/13 "2015-03-14T15:50:14Z")
I agree with the posters above - I assume posting something that suggests someone is doing something illegal, allegations of criminal wrongdoing essentially, may be something Amazon does not want on their boards. If true, then something more than a bad review is called for (plus it draws attention and opens Amazon to the risk of lawsuits - “what do you mean you did not know this one article out of 10 million was violating laws? Don’t you read your 100 million reviews?”) If false, it opens Amazon to complaints or lawsuits from the seller. As in this case, where “not for resale” is s provision that cannot (AFAIK) be legally enforced once the product is given to someone. But as others have pointed out, likely a keyword scanner bot is all that reads and censors the reviews.