Amazon Is Changing How Variation Reviews Work — Here’s What Sellers Must Do

If you share reviews across different versions of a product as part of your Amazon sales strategy, a big policy change is coming. If you don’t pay attention to it, you could lose sales, visibility, and money.

In early January, Amazon quietly changed the rules for how reviews from different varieties of the same product can be shared. At first sight, the change might not seem like much, but it changes the way variation listings can get and show reviews in a big way.

Sellers have been using Amazon’s review-sharing scheme for years. Sellers could quickly build up strong-looking review counts and star ratings by putting related products (even if they were very different) under one parent ASIN. This helped sales, conversions, and organic ranking. That time is coming to an end.

1. We will go out the following in this article:
2. What changes Amazon is making
3. How it affects the listings you already have
4. What you need to do now to get used to it

📌 What Amazon Is Changing

The main point of Amazon’s new policy is to be honest and correct. Under the new restrictions, exchanging reviews will only be allowed for versions that are only slightly different, like:

1. Differences in color or pattern
2. Different sizes that do the same thing (like Queen vs. King bedding)
3. Different amounts in a package (single vs. multi-pack)
4. Small modifications that don’t affect how well it works, such smell options
5. Same item made to work with multiple types of devices

But if the differences in function, materials, structure, or use case are significant, their reviews will no longer be combined. Instead, each child ASIN will only show the reviews that are really for it.

Starting February 12, 2026, this policy will go into force. It will be rolled out in stages across categories until May 31, 2026. Amazon will give out alerts about big changes to reviews, but a direct communication often comes after the adjustments have already had an effect on performance.

📉 What This Means for Your Listings

This change isn’t just about how many reviews you get; it also influences how well your ads work, your conversion rates, and your edge over the competition. Sellers should expect the following:

1. The number of reviews may go down

Changes that used to get star ratings from the parent may suddenly get a lot fewer reviews, even if they had hundreds before.

2. It’s getting harder to launch new products

Brands regularly released new or improved versions of products with an existing ASIN to take advantage of reviews that were already there. Because people can’t share ratings, new items can start with almost no reviews. This means that companies will have to spend more on advertisements and getting reviews.

3. Advertising data can become less reliable.

Based on past performance linked to shared reviews, many sellers set advertising goals and optimization plans. Those benchmarks may not be reliable anymore once the reviews are separate.

4. The quality of reviews gets better

On the plus side, the new approach stops fake reviews from affecting customers, which can assist lower returns and build trust with buyers over time.

📊 What You Should Do Now

You can lose money if you wait for Amazon to make modifications for you. Instead, do these things ahead of time:

1. Check the structures of the audit variations

Look over each parent ASIN in your catalog. Find out if the kid variants really meet the requirements for review sharing under the new policy, or if they need to be kept apart.

2. Separate Products That Work Differently

If two kid ASINs are really different (for example, wired vs. wifi or cotton vs. polyester), unlink them immediately so you may choose when to make the change.

3. Change how you advertise

Set up campaigns for each ASIN, especially for versions that are medium or high risk. This makes it easier to see how well you’re doing after the review sharing changes.

4. Get real reviews by focusing on them

Use Amazon Vine, “Request a Review,” and post-purchase marketing to produce real reviews. Don’t use structural tricks to boost ratings.

5. Strengthen Your Listings

Because distributing reviews is limited, the material itself is more crucial than ever. Make sure that titles, bullets, A+ content, and FAQs are all clear about the benefits and distinctions of each version.