For a growing number of shoppers, browsing product reviews on Amazon suddenly feels like peeking through a keyhole instead of opening a full door. Instead of endless scrolls of mixed opinions, they are being funneled into a tiny slice of “top” reviews that often lean heavily positive.
One frustrated user posted on Reddit saying, “For the first time in probably over a decade, I’ve been unable to sort reviews by most recent or by stars given when I’m shopping on Amazon. As a viner, and also just as a consumer, this is appalling!” That’s from a post in r/AmazonVine, where even program participants — who get free stuff to review—are griping about their own feedback getting buried.
It’s not isolated to the elite reviewers, either. Over in r/amazonprime, folks without Vine access are piling on with similar stories. One thread from early-November calls out the “review sorting gone” issue, noting how the “most recent” option has evaporated. “This is terrible for consumers,” another user fired off.
The problems cropped up around early November, possibly tied to site tweaks for holiday traffic, and they hit desktops hardest — mobile apps seem to hold onto some old functionality, at least for now.
On X, the chatter’s heating up too. Just yesterday, one user blasted the change for Black Friday timing: “Click on any star review and it takes you only to 5 star reviews. No way to get to the 1-star reviews without scrolling through all.”
Another called it a ploy to dodge scrutiny on fakes: “Amazon has now ruined your ability to see all the reviews by star rating. It only shows a handful… maybe it’s trying to hide all the obviously spoofed reviews.”
A third lamented losing the “newest first” sort, key for sniffing out counterfeits or batch issues.
So what’s the play here? Amazon hasn’t issued a peep officially, but whispers point to curbing review abuse — fake positives have long plagued the site — or streamlining for quicker scrolls. But the way it’s implemented makes it seem quite weird and broken, at least from the buyer’s perspective.
The whole point of having customer reviews is for other potential buyers to get a better idea about what exactly they’re purchasing based on first-hand accounts from others. So with Amazon limiting the number of reviews shoppers can see, it defeats the purpose of the feature.
That said, it’s worth noting that not everyone is reporting the issue. Some users claim they still see reviews just fine. So this might very well be a bug that’ll get fixed soon. We’ll just have to wait and see.
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Dwayne Cubbins
1373 Posts
For nearly a decade, I've been deciphering the complexities of the tech world, with a particular passion for helping users navigate the ever-changing tech landscape. From crafting in-depth guides that unlock your phone's hidden potential to uncovering and explaining the latest bugs and glitches, I make sure you get the most out of your devices. And yes, you might occasionally find me ranting about some truly frustrating tech mishaps.
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