Amazon Terms of Service Discussion: RebateKey, ManyChat, and Rank Manipulation

Certain policies in Amazon’s TOS have always been somewhat hazy – and we have reason to believe they are intentionally done so.

In late 2021, a moderator post in the seller forums pinned down off-Amazon rebates as a form of rank manipulation – which violates seller policies. The post focused on RebateKey and ManyChat as tools often abused by sellers to manipulate rank by giving away rebates outside of the Amazon platform. The question is – how do we discern which rebates are allowed and which ones would result in an immediate flag-down?

There are two things you should remember as a seller following Amazon’s policies:

1. Amazon will always act in the best interest of their customers – meaning every single rule in the Amazon TOS is geared towards a great customer experience. This is why they always come down hard on rank manipulation because it can lead to false impressions and a negative experience down the line.
2. Amazon is all about making money inside the Amazon ecosystem. They have strict rules against directing or promoting other eCommerce sites within their platform.

By knowing these two things, you should have a basic understanding of the main drivers behind Amazon’s TOS – and which of the strategies you have in your arsenal could violate these. As Paul Baron repeatedly pointed out in the featured video below – it’s never about the tools, but what sellers do with these tools – do you use RebateKey or ManyChat to manipulate product reviews or direct your customer to get rebates off Amazon? In that case, you shouldn’t be surprised if you wake up with a flag on your account one day.

Watch the video to pick up some gems from Amy, Paul Baron, Troy Johnston, and Tim Jordan – all Amazon rockstars sharing advice, wisdom, and insights on Amazon’s seller policies: