A little over a month ago, I got an early birthday present. Amazon was inviting me to join their Vine program, something I had always wanted to be a part of, but never thought would happen. It was pretty exciting! So what does that mean?
The Amazon Vine program is an exclusive, invite-only group, chosen for giving helpful and honest reviews on a regular basis. I do always strive to give honest reviews and to look at something from multiple perspectives. I share what I like and what I didn’t like, but can also acknowledge when it may just be personal preference and that others may better appreciate it. So I am glad that others acknowledge that and find it helpful!
So how does it work? You can get the full FAQs about the Amazon Vine program here. But basically, vendors are permitted to submit their items to the Vine program for consideration by the reviewers. Reviewers can peruse the catalog and request items to be sent to them to review. You are limited in how many you can choose in one day, in order to give others a chance to claim some items. Some of them are from brands you have never heard of. Still others are name brands you will immediately recognize. Some products are available prior to being released to the public. Others are currently on the market. There are literally thousands of options available.
Do I get paid for my reviews? No. But I do get to keep the items. They are for my personal use. I cannot sell or donate them for at least six months. I cannot return them. This is usually okay, but occasionally not so much.
How do you know which products are Vine products? I’m sure that if you’ve read reviews on Amazon, you’ve likely come across some Vine reviewers. We all have the title “Vine Voice” after our names. And if the product was received for free as a part of the program, it will say so directly under our names. So you know that those are trusted reviews.
What does all of this mean here? Well, I plan to share some of my thoughts and reviews of items with you all right here at CCC. This way I can let you know what I’m finding useful and maybe not so useful. I’m not going to share reviews for absolutely every item that I choose, but I do want to share some with you. And I can promise that they are honest. I’ve already had some amazing products and some stinkers come my way. So stay tuned!
