100% FBM: ~3,000 orders / 6 seller feedback in 12 months — why so low? How are others getting thousands?
Hi all,
I’m 100% FBM (no FBA). In the last 365 days I’ve processed just under 3,000 orders and I’ve collected only 6 seller feedback.
I did try sending feedback requests via Buyer-Seller Messaging for a period and got zero improvement, so I stopped.
Questions for other FBM sellers:
Is this kind of feedback rate normal now (buyers just not leaving seller feedback anymore)?
Does anything actually move the needle for FBM without risking policy issues?
Are sellers with thousands of feedback mainly older accounts with years of accumulation, or are they doing something specific?
Is the “Request a Review” button meaningful for FBM (and does it affect seller feedback vs product reviews)?
Not trying to game anything — just want to understand what’s realistic in 2026 for FBM and what’s worth focusing on.
Cheers
100% FBM: ~3,000 orders / 6 seller feedback in 12 months — why so low? How are others getting thousands?
Hi all,
I’m 100% FBM (no FBA). In the last 365 days I’ve processed just under 3,000 orders and I’ve collected only 6 seller feedback.
I did try sending feedback requests via Buyer-Seller Messaging for a period and got zero improvement, so I stopped.
Questions for other FBM sellers:
Is this kind of feedback rate normal now (buyers just not leaving seller feedback anymore)?
Does anything actually move the needle for FBM without risking policy issues?
Are sellers with thousands of feedback mainly older accounts with years of accumulation, or are they doing something specific?
Is the “Request a Review” button meaningful for FBM (and does it affect seller feedback vs product reviews)?
Not trying to game anything — just want to understand what’s realistic in 2026 for FBM and what’s worth focusing on.
Cheers
38 replies
TaylorR_Amazon
Hi @Seller_ZhCQ2NQuPgtTc, it looks like this spurred a great discussion.
I wanted to jump in and response, but your fellow sellers have hit the nail on the head already. Like they said, getting 6 feedback from 3,000 orders is unfortunately not unusual for FBM sellers today.
As noted, there are policy-compliant options worth exploring:
- The "Request a Review" button: This is Amazon's official, approved channel for soliciting both product reviews and seller feedback. The button requests both at the same time. It sends a standardized Amazon-branded message.
- Automation via SP-API: Developers can help you automate the "Request a Review" feature by pre-setting rules (e.g., send after delivery + 7 days). The message content remains Amazon's default template, so there's no policy risk.
- Buyer-Seller Messaging: This carries more risk of policy friction if not done carefully. Amazon's approved channels remain the "Request a Review" feature and Buyer-Seller Messaging only.
Realistically, it's a time, numbers, and consistency game. Most sellers with large feedback counts built them up over many years of volume.
Seller_1O3FoOeIpwuQ6
30,000+ orders in last 12 months on FBA, 25 ratings. We feel your pain!
Seller_5P8EBcBkt8JMu
Hi all,
This has become quite frustrating for us. Over the past three months we have been selling on average around 600 units per month, yet during that entire period we have received only 9 reviews. Fortunately, all of them are 5-star and very positive, which we are grateful for, but the reality is that customers simply do not seem to leave reviews anymore.
As many of you will have noticed, there are listings with hundreds or even thousands of reviews, but most of those brands have been established on Amazon for many years and built up their review base over a long period of time. For newer or growing brands, it can feel extremely difficult to reach that level of social proof.
The challenge we face is that even though sales volume is strong, the relatively low number of reviews limits conversion. I strongly believe that if we had a larger review base, our sales could increase significantly.
We even use a service called AMZIGO, which costs around $25 per month, and they help prompt customers to leave feedback. While it’s a low-cost tool and worth trying, even with that support we still see very few customers actually leaving reviews.
From my perspective, this suggests a wider issue across the platform. Amazon is certainly aware that many customers simply do not leave reviews, even when they are satisfied with their purchase. I wonder whether Amazon could consider making the review process more automated or simplified, perhaps prompting customers more effectively after delivery when there have been no complaints, returns, or issues.
Even something very simple — a quick confirmation prompt or short feedback acknowledgement — could help increase participation. It wouldn’t need to be a lengthy review, just a brief piece of feedback confirming that the customer received the product and was satisfied.
I’d be interested to hear whether other sellers are experiencing the same issue, and if anyone has found effective ways to encourage more genuine reviews while staying fully within Amazon’s guidelines.
Seller_09AvwP3QGwNRq
I used to write personal messages to the buyers congratulating them on their excellent taste in books or music and ask for a one word positive feedback like 'Thanks' and explain how tough it is against the mega seller corps as a small seller. but I'm a small seller so only had about 5 sales a week. Am now closing seller account on amazon. But this method had success. When I stopped doing it I got one neutral and one positive on a whole year, opposed to about 30 positive when writing. Why is ebay so much better with feedback? Good luck mate.
Seller_tQCfsb3zoC4AP
On Amazon getting 6 feedback for 3000 sales is quite high it would be utterally appalling on any other sales channel. For myself I get one feedback for approx 1800 sales if that feedback is negative it has a devastating effect and gives a very misleading interputation of my account.
I have even had customers on other sales channels report my Amazon page to me as a cloned account they have sent me messages saying look some rip off merchant is trying to pretend to be you as they looked at the feedback on the other channel and saw perfection while on Amazon multiple complaints od which 95% of the complaints were for items sold by other people but the customer left for us they would privatly apologise for the mistakes but Amazon would refuse to remove them
Seller_IiLCzWNcEixPU
🔹I agree that silence should be interpreted as satisfaction. Let’s be honest: most people only remember the feedback button when something goes wrong. If a customer is happy enough to stay silent for a month, that should count as a win. This rewards reliable sellers without forcing them to pester buyers for recognition. Currently, Amazon treats that silence as a "zero," which is a massive missed opportunity to reward reliable sellers.
📊 Amazon needs to look at what’s working elsewhere, and follow the lead of, but not limited to, platforms like Vinted and eBay, who have already recognized this reality by automatically awarding five stars after a set period if no feedback is left. This simple shift allows consistent businesses to build a solid reputation organically. It removes the need for sellers to "beg" for reviews, a practice that honestly feels desperate and often results in annoying the customer more than helping the seller.
📢 Since unhappy customers rarely hesitate to complain, an auto-rating system would provide a much more accurate reflection of a seller’s true performance relative to their total sales volume. Right now, feedback scores are heavily skewed, because unhappy customers are far more motivated to vent than happy ones are to praise, so a seller’s rating often reflects a vocal minority rather than their true performance that is reflective of volume of sales.
🛡️ An auto-rating system would turn feedback scores into a realistic and accurately measurable metric / data point, but most importantly, it would provide a "buffer" that prevents a seller's account from being suspended due to one or two "squeaky wheels" or ensuring that a single finger-pointing customer or a one-off logistical hiccup doesn't unfairly tank an ODR / risk account suspension due to one off difficult customers who are impossible to please.
😴 Review fatigue is very real; people (including myself) are tired of being hounded by automated emails from everywhere they purchase, asking for feedback on everything from a pack of gum to a new laptop. By automating the 5-star reward for successful, quiet transactions, Amazon would actually be protecting the customer experience by removing the incentive for sellers to pester them, and still giving the seller the credit they’ve earned through good service.
🤫 It’s time the platform moves toward a system that values the "silent majority" of happy customers as much as the loud ones. Seriously, it's a win-win for everyone involved and Amazon really should consider this, seriously. Its about data accuracy, seller account safety and customer satisfaction.
✅ If the transaction was smooth enough that the buyer didn't need to say a word, that’s the definition of a 5-star experience. Amazon needs to start treating it as such.
⚖️ We all know a 1-star review carries way too much weight currently, and this simply balances the scales.
@TaylorR_Amazon
Seller_6HXPDZ2n6YG3n
It is perfectly normal nowadays, people are quick to leave negative feedback, but they do not bother to leave positive feedback when they are satisfied.
From my experience, I received around 70 feedback entries out of 14,000 sales. Out of those 70, 10 were negative.
According to this, the positive feedback rate from happy customers is extremely low, almost 0.4%, while the likelihood of an unhappy customer leaving negative feedback is close to 95%.
Seller_tw4gxjaNaG26j
Ebay had the right idea. They automatically leave positive feedback on the seller account (not visible to the public) if the item has been dispatched and delivered on time with no issues flagged. It keeps the stats correct or more accurate so a negative feedback doesn't have much impact, if any. Amazon unfortunately are only a money making machine and are on the side of the customer. Fraud and fake reviews, fake claims of non delivery are rife, and fraudulent returns are also a major issue. It's a joke and amazon will do nothing about it. Amazon FBA will push hard for reviews and product reviews to push item and account ranking, but they limit the number of review requests you can send on FBM. If we had the staff and resources we would simply call people and ask for reviews, emails are ignored, a high number of people don't even have access to the email they used to sign up to amazon with. The unfortunate reality is that the type of people who shop on amazon will be the first to complain if the slightest thing goes wrong or even a slight delay. It doesn't happen on other platforms. It's like a self entitlement on amazon. Everyone thinks their item comes direct from amazon and thinks that it's ok to get a refund or return something to the 'big company'.
Seller_ybQ0GmzzGMTMi
This isn't Ebay, nobody cares about seller ratings. Amazon is moving away from that setup
Seller_QivTqbXPl4ewN
I think buyer positivity is just down generally with the current retail climate in this country.
It shows as I too have stopped paying for the software for reviews for the same reason, as have many others I know.
I think Amazon should change to a model where this is default given as 5 stars after say 6 weeks, unless there is an issue raised. Easy to assume satisfaction if they haven't received complaint as we know how quick people are to complain when something is not right.
