Amazon Star-Only Seller Feedback: What Changed & How to Protect Your ODR (2026)

On 4 August 2025, Amazon changed how buyers leave seller feedback: customers can now rate a seller with stars only, without writing a comment. More than a year later, star-only feedback is a normal part of seller metrics, and it still affects account health. This guide explains what changed, why it matters for your Order Defect Rate (ODR), and what you can do about unfair ratings in 2026.

• Star-only ratings: buyers can submit a 1–5 star seller rating without any written text.
• Reason for low ratings: for ratings below 4 stars, the buyer selects a reason from a list instead of writing a comment.
• Seller feedback, not product reviews: this applies to feedback about the seller and the order experience (shipping, packaging, communication), not to product reviews on the listing.

Amazon’s stated reason is that a simpler form gets more customers to leave feedback, giving a more complete picture of past order experiences.

Negative seller feedback (1 and 2 stars) counts towards your Order Defect Rate, alongside A-to-z Guarantee claims and chargebacks. Amazon expects sellers to keep ODR under 1%. Star-only negative ratings count the same way as written ones, so a handful of low ratings on a small number of orders can push you towards that limit and affect Buy Box eligibility.

The biggest difference for sellers is that a star-only rating gives you much less to work with: there is no comment explaining the problem, and the usual feedback removal route is not available.

Star-only ratings cannot be appealed through the normal Feedback Manager removal request. If you believe a rating breaks Amazon’s rules — for example it is abusive, or clearly about a product review rather than your service — use the Report a Violation option and provide evidence. Removal is not guaranteed, so prevention is more important than ever.

• Ship on time with tracking: late or untracked deliveries are a common cause of low ratings.
• Make listings accurate: photos, sizes and descriptions that match the product reduce “not as described” complaints.
• Answer buyer messages quickly: respond within 24 hours, including weekends.
• Use Amazon’s “Request a Review” button after delivery — it asks for both a product review and seller feedback within Amazon’s rules.
• Watch your Account Health dashboard weekly so you notice a rising ODR before it becomes a problem.
• Fix the root cause: group low ratings by the reason buyers select and fix the most common issue first.

Good feedback protects sales, but margins decide whether those sales are worth it. Use our free Amazon FBA profit calculator to see your profit after referral and FBA fees, or compare marketplaces with the eBay, Walmart and Shopify calculators.

Amazon changes seller policies often. Always confirm current rules in Seller Central under Help and Account Health before acting on them.

When did Amazon start star-only seller feedback?
4 August 2025.

Does star-only feedback affect ODR?
Yes. Negative (1–2 star) seller feedback counts towards your Order Defect Rate whether or not it has a comment.

Can I ask Amazon to remove a star-only rating?
Not through the normal Feedback Manager removal request. You can use Report a Violation if the rating breaks Amazon’s policies.

Is this the same as product reviews?
No. Seller feedback rates your service as a seller; product reviews rate the product itself.