I remember when I was in school, I had a special realization around 8th grade.
I was watching a random movie on TV called Grandma’s Boy.
This was when my real dream job came to light for me.
The movie was about a video game tester. The man used to get paid by video game developers to test their products. It never occurred to me that this was a real-life job.
The idea of getting paid just to play video games made me feel like I had died and gone to heaven. What can be a better job than that?
Well, I recently remembered the concept and thoroughly researched current opportunities around product testing.
While getting paid purely to consume is not an option, I’m happy to say that some cool options come close!
Who Is an Amazon Product Tester?
Amazon is easily the first website most people consider when they want to buy something.
It’s such a massive space that even the millions of affordable products can drown out under the billion-odd potential customers.
Obviously, that is the ideal website to look for product-testing opportunities in, right? The market is very competitive, so people who give honest, constructive feedback are desperately needed.
Imagine it from a new seller’s perspective. As they introduce their new products and launch their brand, they want to be seen as a good company.
Having reliable product testers lets them showcase the positives while getting good feedback.
Any person who gets a free product for writing a review on Amazon is considered a Product Tester.
I’ll talk about some ways to do that next, but remember that there are many ways to make these opportunities work for you.
How Do I Become an Amazon Product Tester?
First, understand that there are two main ways in which you can become a product tester:
1. Amazon Vine (The Official Way)
Amazon has an official program of its own for incentivizing product testers. It’s called Amazon Vine. You might not have heard about it because this program is invitation-only.
That means that you can’t sign-up, you can’t apply, and there’s nobody you can reach out to get accepted to Amazon Vine.
This is a secondary feature for Amazon; only the company can decide who they want to contact for invitations.
How Does Amazon Vine Work?
This program is made to provide better-quality feedback and customer reviews for the sellers on Amazon. Whenever a new product is about to be launched, Amazon will reach out to Vine members and give them a free sample.
The partners are expected to write a high-value and relevant review of the product they receive.
So you don’t get paid anything, you have to write an honest review, and you won’t be reimbursed for your time.
You will receive free samples, though, which is the biggest plus here. Well, if you can’t sign-up, then what can you do?
Amazon reaches out to verified purchasers with a history of writing excellent and unbiased reviews.
People are selected based on the quality of their reviews, and beyond that, it’s at Amazon’s discretion.
As far as we know, Amazon looks at the number and quality of reviews the user posts to make their decision.
How Can I Join Amazon Vine?
Since nobody can choose to join this program, and it depends totally on Amazon, there is no real guarantee that you will succeed.
There are some ways in which you can really improve your chances.
Try doing these things to improve your chance of getting an Amazon Vine invitation:
- Write a ton of reviews! Be sure to write a review for everything you buy on Amazon. No matter how large or small the purchase, the more reviews you can add, the better.
- High-quality reviews are appreciated. If the reviews are relevant and appropriate, that improves your chances. This means going in-depth for big buys when necessary, and keeping things short and crisp whenever possible.
- Add photos and pictures to your reviews. The quantity and quality of your reviews are the only things in your control regarding Amazon Vine.
- Hopefully, a ton of people will find your review helpful and give it a vote. This is the most significant factor that will make Amazon notice you.
Read till the end for my suggestions on how to make this work. For now, let’s look at the second way to do product testing on Amazon.
2. Third-Party Websites (The Unofficial Way)
That was the official way, which is quite a hassle. Since you don’t have any control, buying products just to do reviews doesn’t make sense, so you can receive more free products.
When the Amazon Vine program had just started, and before it came, there was still a ton of competition.
Sellers devised creative ways to connect with customers and encourage them to write reviews personally.
Unfortunately, too many companies abused this method to manipulate customers.
Instead of asking for tough but fair reviews, the companies incentivized people to give positive reviews.
That’s called bribery, where I’m from. Amazon took notice of this and shut down many sellers’ accounts that they found to be guilty.
Don’t put yourself at risk, and follow Amazon’s terms and conditions on this matter. In a nutshell: don’t take any bribes to write positive reviews.
This doesn’t mean product testing is unviable, though. Just look at these safe third-party tools that can be used to get into it.
Some Useful Tools
Amazon’s official product testing program might be closed to the public, but sellers still need better reviews.
Neither the sellers nor the testers will just sit around waiting for Amazon to connect them.
That’s why a range of options has come up to give a solution. Let’s check them out as well before I give you the final picture:
1. AMZDiscover
I’m starting with the most relevant tool I could find for our topic of product testing.
This tool is there to help those sellers that are about to launch their new products and want reviews on them.
Amazon is a huge company, so it can take a long time for someone to help each new seller during this process.
That’s why many sellers would prefer to reach out to consumers themselves.
AMZDiscover is a website where those sellers can find verified Amazon reviewers to write for them. How it will work will depend on the Seller.
Typically, sellers ask people to buy their new product on Amazon and write a review as a verified purchaser. Then the product tester reaches out to the seller to get a refund directly.
If you write many reviews on Amazon and have not heard anything from them, you should check out this platform and figure out the sign-up process.
Company Website: https://www.amzdiscover.com/
2. My RebateBuddy
This is actually a Chatbot on Telegram. If you’re not tech-savvy, don’t worry about what that is; just look at the image and check out the website.
It’s pretty simple; just install Telegram and join their group. After that, the bot will share promotional products with you.
You can order the products, write a review, and receive 100% cashback from the company.
The companies are up-and-coming ones that want to promote their products.
Sometimes they might ask you to post reviews on social media and give you a refund on your purchase in exchange.
I have not used these services myself, so be careful not to incriminate yourself in any way. For the most part, this looks legitimate. Check it out for yourself.
Company Website: https://www.myrebatebuddy.com/
3. Snagshout
Now I am venturing into related territory. The whole point of product testing is getting to receive a free product. That’s why I think Snagshout deserves to be on this list.
This Amazon-focused tool can get you discounts and cashback on all kinds of products.
Check their product page below and see the options. Basically, this is a fancy-looking coupon-code website.
It used to be focused on Amazon itself, but now it’s slowly expanding to other marketplaces.
So how does it work? Sign-up on the website, find a product you want, and you will get codes for discounts and cashback.
Company Website: https://www.snagshout.com/
4. VIP Power Club
I won’t bore you with repeatedly explaining the same type of website. Simply put, VIP Power Club is another coupon code website for Amazon.
If you plan on doing product testing long-term, having many options is better.
The more you do something, the better returns you will get.
So having multiple sources for coupons and free products will give you a better supply of relevant products.
Company Website: https://thevippowerclub.com/
5. Tomson
This one is definitely the least likely to be a scam. I mean, come on, I know you’re thinking it too.
If it seems too good to be true, it probably is. Free stuff never usually comes without strings attached.
Still, we live in a competitive world full of guerilla marketing. That’s why we have platforms like this one.
Tomson is a place where influencers and content creators can connect to businesses.
That’s why their tagline is “Hate Content Less.” I think it’s actually pretty cool. They have a bunch of different options on the website, from freebies to paid partnerships.
Hands down one of the best options here for dedicated content creators.
Company Website: https://www.tomoson.com
In Conclusion
Now we’ve seen the official way to test products for Amazon, and some other ways to leverage this practice.
You might be wondering, at this point, who is this for? I think there are different ways you can benefit from these opportunities.
First and foremost, as a side hustle to make money. Multiple TikTok and other social media accounts have decided to run with this concept.
They make a short video on a product they found on Amazon.
The products are usually physically bought and utilized to showcase their utility. Then the caption has an affiliate link to the product. Pretty simple, right?
If the products are free, then that’s even better. Many of these accounts are relatively successful since Amazon has so many hidden gems.
You can start a similar account and post a written review on Amazon for each product.
By getting products for free, you can give your honest review with no strings attached and little risk to yourself.
Secondly, you don’t need to be a digital marketer or content creator.
If you are well-known in your community, anything you recommend in this way can earn you some money.
This platform is all about accessibility, so don’t think twice before making product testing work for you.
FAQs [Frequently Asked Questions]
That depends totally on what you can do with the free products since product testers don’t actually get paid for writing reviews. I think there is at least some earning potential for product testing with affiliate marketing.
Yes. Amazon Vine and many of the tools mentioned above are totally legitimate opportunities for product testing offered by people well within their rights.
There will always be some demand for legitimate feedback in the market. New products must always be released, and testers are needed before launch.
Not at all. Most products are made user-friendly nowadays; if they are specialized, you can stick with what you know. Obviously, if you test drive a car and don’t know how to drive, that will be difficult.
You should absolutely make it a point, to be honest and provide a full assessment. Product Testers are valued on the quality of their reviews and how useful they are for other customers.
