Become an Amazon Product Tester and Get Free Stuff

There aren’t many ways to get anything for free in this life, but Amazon product testers have been getting free gift cards and products sent to them since 2007.

There are several ways to make money with Amazon, but being a reviewer means you skip getting the money and go straight for what you would have bought anyway.

Want to know how to become an Amazon reviewer?

Well, then you’re in luck because I went searching for some concrete answers to find out what it takes to start reviewing Amazon products for free hauls.

Amazon isn’t the only company looking for product testers either.

These three companies are always looking for participants to share their thoughts on new products:

How to Become an Amazon Product Tester

There are two ways to get your free swag:

As an official Amazon product tester who’s part of the Vine program, you’d get access to a range of products from Amazon that you can choose to review. The prices for these products can range from anywhere between $1 to over $1000 and span every category on the seller’s website.

In addition to that, you can let companies find you and offer you free or discounted products in exchange for an Amazon review. This isn’t done via Amazon but is still a good option, as you’ll get to negotiate the deal yourself.

Feel free to go for either option or both, as I discuss the ins and outs of testing products for Amazon below.

Option 1: Join Amazon Vine

The Amazon Vine program is an invite-only initiative that was started by Amazon over 10 years ago.

It helps sellers get honest and credible reviews on their products and gives reviewers an incentive to voice their opinions.

You’ve probably seen the “Vine Voice” tag next to some reviews on the Amazon website.

These are people who have been invited into the program and are receiving products from Amazon to review.

If they’ve received the product they’re reviewing for free, a “Vine Customer Review of Free Product” tag also appears along with the review. However, if they bought it on Amazon with their login account and their own payment details, a “Verified Purchase” tag appears instead.

You can’t apply to become part of the Amazon Vine program but you can increase your chances of getting an invite by doing certain things, which I will outline below.

How to Get an Amazon Vine Invite

It isn’t entirely clear how Amazon chooses and invites reviewers, but here are some guidelines online along with a few tips from reviewers who have been picked for the program.

To become eligible for an invite to the program, you have to already be a reviewer on Amazon. Meaning you have to start writing product reviews for the website now so that you can build up a good reviewer’s rank and a great reputation for yourself.

This is purely anecdotal, but I feel like I see the most number of Vine badges under the Books category.

It may be a callback to Amazon’s humble beginnings, or that sending a free copy of an eBook is a lot easier than mailing out a physical product. Who knows? This is just an observation I’ve had.

Just like with any sort of influencer position, the people whose opinions are valued the most get the most opportunities.

You don’t have to be one of Amazon’s top reviewers to get an invite (though this certainly helps!), but you do have to leave valuable, informative reviews that are likely to get marked as “Helpful” by other customers.

It’s also important to know that the frequency with which you leave reviews isn’t everything as that doesn’t seem to be what Amazon is focusing on.

Rather, stick to quality reviews on products that you have bought as this is a good practice among product testers.

Amazon Product Tester Insider Tips

It’s hard to find out how many Vine reviewers there are and which products Amazon gives away for reviews, as this info isn’t made public.

However, a few reviewers have shared their tips on how things work when you want to become part of this program.

Here are some important pointers that you need to keep in mind:

1. Stick to one product category.

One thing that everyone seems to agree on is that it’s important to stick to one product category.

It would be even better if the product category you focused on coincided with your day job. For instance, if you’re a chef by day, you might want to concentrate on reviewing kitchenware.

That way, you can build yourself up as an authority in that area which will make more people trust your reviews. Customers don’t want to hear from a person that knows nothing about what they’re reviewing and Amazon doesn’t want that either.

2. Fill out your Amazon profile as much as possible.

Create a great profile and make yourself available through other social channels.

As with any other influencer gig, it’s all about visibility.

People—and by extension, Amazon—won’t take notice if you don’t make them look your way. Keeping up a good presence is key to getting that invite.

3. Study your chosen category.

Amazon seems to be choosing Vine Voices according to category.

So if they need a new member in computer hardware and you’re reviewing gardening supplies, then you’re simply out of luck.

The catch is that there’s no information available anywhere on how or when Amazon chooses new members, nor whether they’re currently looking.

Essentially, you just have to stick it out in your chosen category, publish high-quality reviews, and hope that Amazon is looking for Vine Voices in your category.

4. Quality is better than quantity when it comes to Amazon Vine.

Your rank isn’t your guarantee.

Some people claimed to have gotten an Amazon Vine invitation with over 80,000 upvotes on the Amazon store, while there are others who got in with only 300 upvotes.

This is something that Amazon considers, to be sure, but it won’t be the only thing that gets you in.

5. Newer reviews get a bit of a bump.

There’s no clear indication of how Amazon structures their review system, but it is clear that more recent reviews get more screen time.

Aside from reviewing products as frequently as you can, it’s a good idea to update some of your older reviews to give yourself a better chance of getting upvotes and getting noticed by Amazon.

6. Amazon Vine wants to hear your truths.

Should you leave negative or positive reviews?

Vine reviewers say it doesn’t matter, as long as it was the truth and it adheres to their posting guidelines.

Amazon is interested in honest reviews that talk in detail about what you like or didn’t like about the product.

7. Move as much of your shopping to Amazon as you can.

Most of what you buy in stores can be bought on Amazon.

If you don’t mind waiting a day or two for a product to arrive, be sure to buy it on Amazon instead.

This will give you more opportunities to leave proper, thorough reviews, with genuine photos, details, and importantly, the “Verified Purchase” tag.

Ultimately the best advice I can give you here is to just keep at it.

There’s no guarantee that you’ll be picked to become an Amazon product tester but following the advice above is your best shot at getting that lucrative gig.

Option 2: Sign Up With Amazon Review Sites

While getting the official invite from Amazon Vine is something to strive for, there are easier ways of becoming an Amazon reviewer: namely, through Amazon review sites.

These are sites that either help sellers get in contact with Amazon reviewers in order to send them their products to test or offer products at huge discounts for Amazon product testers.

Amazon doesn’t regulate this process, but it’s completely acceptable to pick this route instead of waiting for Amazon to choose you as long as you follow Amazon’s terms of service.

It’s important to remember that even though we call them “review sites,” you CANNOT BE REQUIRED to leave a review in exchange for your free products. However, leaving high-quality reviews for items you actually did purchase may get you noticed by the Amazon Vine people and you might just be invited.

Also, NEVER indicate that you received an item in exchange for your review. This is a violation of Amazon’s TOS and there may be consequences for you and for the Amazon seller.

Another tip is to sign up for Amazon Prime so you can save on shipping as well.

Here are some Amazon product tester review sites you can consider joining:

1. Snagshout

This website offers discount vouchers with different values ranging from 25% to 90% and sometimes even 100% on various items in exchange for reviews.

The items you can get discounts on range from sports supplies to electronics.

Snagshout was one of the first websites to do this, and it’s been featured in plenty of high-ranking media outlets. It remains one of the most popular Amazon review sites out there.

2. AMZDiscover

AMZDiscover is a reviewer database created for Amazon sellers to find reviewers.

Simply sign up with AMZDiscover through the Google Form in the link, and indicate what type of products you review so that the site can hook you up with a seller who wants a review.

3. TestZon

Here’s another website where you can find free or heavily discounted items.

Once again, you’ll have to sign up and will get a coupon to redeem.

They have a wide range of products to choose from and, interestingly enough, you aren’t required to leave a review but it is certainly encouraged.

4. Cashbackbase

This site offers 100% cashback products and deeply discounted Amazon items to its buyers.

Choose a product to buy, send a request to the seller, receive a product link that you need to use to purchase, wait for the seller to verify your purchase, and get the cashback through your PayPal account.

5. Deals Juice

There are a variety of products here, some for free, and others discounted for as low as 99% off.

Electronics, kitchenware, and beauty products are the more popular product categories.

6. Giveaway Service

Giveaway Service features hundreds of pages of different products, including home products, activewear, supplements, electronics, toys, and many more.

They emphasize the need to follow Amazon’s TOS and the advantage of a complete, detailed profile to get noticed by Amazon sellers and be eligible for more promotions.

7. Jump Send

There are hundreds of Amazon products discounted at up to 90% off on Jump Send, featuring women’s jewelry, beauty products, electronics, novelty items, and travel accessories, among many other product categories.

8. Rebaid

Rebaid is an online marketplace that lets shoppers enjoy rebates, coupons, and discount codes.

Once your purchase has been verified, you’ll get your rebate through check or direct deposit.

Items on Amazon are showcased, but you can also find rebates and discounts for items on Target, Walmart, eBay, and Etsy.

Not only can you get products essentially free or with deep discounts, but you can also win free products and cash prizes through Sweepstakes.

9. Vipon (formerly AMZReviewTrader)

This is one of the oldest sites where one could become an Amazon product tester and get free products.

Nowadays, though, Vipon provides deep discounts (at least 50% and up to 90%) for Amazon products upon approval of the sellers.

10. Elite Deal Club

Elite Deal Club is a mailing list where those who sign up get up to 200 exclusive deals on their emails from their Amazon seller partners.

Deals go live at 10am, 2pm, and 8pm Eastern Time, and you can only claim one coupon between 10am and 2pm. After that, you can grab up to four more products at deep discounts.

11. Home Product Testing

If home goods and health items are your favorite items to shop for, Home Product Testing is the best place for you.

Free items are rare here, but there items priced as low as $0.01.

12. Juicer.deals

Juicer.deals is an Amazon coupons site that works a bit differently than others on this list.

Instead of posting your review on Amazon, they’ll ask you to post your honest opinions on your social media and your blog, with a few required hashtags plus the Amazon product link.

13. Tomoson

Tomoson connects influencers and product testers with brands looking for reviews and exposure.

Tomoson’s software was designed towards influencer & micro-influencer outreach.

As a member of the Tomoson community, you can use the unlimited content tool to create, curate, and post to your social accounts regularly. Plus, you get free exposure from Tomoson, too!

14. ProductTestingGroup.com

Want to test new products?

Sign up as a product tester and be among the first to test new products, which includes Amazon products.

Product testers can get free and discounted products.

15. Chick Advisor

Chick Advisor is a community of product testers, showcasing their opinions on one blog.

When you’re a reviewer, product tester and member of this club, you can get free and discounted products.

The rule here is pretty simple: “You agree to leave a review for every item purchased on our site on social media (not on Amazon).”

Consider it as a practice for real reviews on Amazon.

Join via Chick Advisor or at their official community, Butterfly.

Amazon Product Tester Warning

When you work with third-party review sites, you might be breaking official Amazon rules.

Note that Amazon has specific policies regarding product reviews and incentivized reviews.

Always check Amazon’s guidelines and disclosure requirements when participating in these programs, so you won’t be blocklisted. After all, your goal is to work towards an Amazon Vine invite, right?

Additionally, the availability and legitimacy of these third-party platforms may change over time. Even if they were legitimate at the start and you’ve read their terms back to back, they could change policies along the way.

As such, it’s essential to exercise caution and verify the credibility of the websites before participating in any product testing or review programs.

Start Becoming an Amazon Product Tester Today!

Learning how to become an Amazon product tester is the easy part.

Finding sellers that are willing to send their products to you, however, will take time as you build up your reputation as a reviewer.

If time isn’t on your side, then you could always consider becoming a product tester. You’ll still be talking about the products you get but with actual people, plus you’ll get paid too!