I Love To Review – Reviewing iLoveToReview!

*** November 2016 update: Unfortunately iLoveToReview has now ceased all the operations. I have received an email from the CEO Keith O'Brien, who kindly left a message to me back in July. Amazon (both US and UK) have issued their new "reviewer guidelines" which no longer permit reviews to be written in exchange for free or discounted products.

Accordingly I have now taken off the hyperlink to iLoveToReview sites. I'd just like to say thank you for providing such a great scheme, I have thoroughly enjoyed the membership. And I wish you the very best of luck with whatever new ventures you'll come up with in the future.

I Love To Review (iLoveToReview) is a site offering an incentive to Amazon customers to write an unbiased product review in exchange for the product for free or at a discount. The scheme is not for everyone, but likely to be suitable for us bloggers. Technically you're saving money (you will save money), but it is more about helping the merchandising mechanism. Help good products survive in the market and help people buy the best products available...

...How nicely put! But it is true. I'll tell you why, and how it works!

I Love To Review - Overview

Here's what happens - it's very straight-forward.

1. Sign up with ilovetoreview.com (US) or ilovetoreview.co.uk (UK)​. Only the residents in the US/UK respectively are allowed to sign up.
2. Upon registration you need to give your Amazon's public profile.
3. You also need to give your cellphone number for verification. If you don't have one, you're not qualified unfortunately.
4. When/if your application is approved, you'll start to receive product review invitations by email which you're free to accept or ignore.
5. If you'd like to review the product, click the button in the email to go ahead, click to sign the declaration (I'll explain the rule in a second).
6. It will give you a discount coupon code instantly.
7. Log on to Amazon from the link provided and proceed to purchase the product as normal. Upon checking out, enter the coupon code, so you'll either pay the small balance, or pay nothing.

The Rules

There are quite a few rules to follow, you'll receive a list of rules by email when your initial application's approved, but here are some major (and obvious) requirements.​

1. ​All reviews must be at least 35 words long.
2. You must mention in your review that you have received this item for free or at a reduced price in return for your unbiased review - say it at the end or middle of your review, but not at the beginning and not in the title.
3. You must have had the product in your possession for at least 3 days before you write a review. If it's a supplement/tablets, at least 2 weeks.
4. You must write reviews yourself, cannot be shared with anyone else.
5. You cannot mention I Love To Review - that'd be seen as promotional activity which is not allowed.

Unbiased Review

Writing an unbiased review can be mind-boggling, as it can easily be subjective. I think it helps potential customers if you put a little bit of your "background" in a few words. Here's what I mean;

I have had a chance to write a review about Matcha tea, which I'm familiar with as I grew up in Japan. The popularity of Matcha in the Western world has only shot up in the last 2-3 years, it has an acquired taste, like every other "new food".

I tried the Matcha in question with my English friend who regularly drinks Matcha. We both loved it, we found it quite bitter. But I knew the bitter taste meant that this particular product was not a good quality. As far as Japanese are concerned the better the quality of Matcha is, the milder and sweeter. Bitter (cheap) Matcha is not to drink but mixed in to make sweets such as ice creams and cakes, or Matcha Latte. I also found this vacuum packed product "not fresh" enough for "Japanese standard".

Having said that, would this be something that potential Amazon UK customers want to hear? Perhaps yes but not exactly. This product is not too bad. My Matcha lover English approves it too. But again my unbiased opinion is "it's so bitter I like it". I agonised over how I should put it, and it took me a day to complete my 100 words or so "unbiased" review.

Another thing is that if you've never tried the same class of products before, there's nothing to compare to.​ If you've never used an electric toothbrush, were to use one and review for the first time, you would never know there may be superior products out there in the market. But then your honest review should be made up by your own measurement.

So I hope you'll agree that, by mentioning a little bit of your past experience with similar products, it will give a bit more credibility to your review.​

I Love To Review - Write and Save Money

​This is one of the "Save Money" articles rather than "Make Money", but I wanted to share with you because it involves a little bit of work with fun. I hope you'll try it and like the experience.

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