I'd like to point out, that you may DISPOSE of the item at ANY time you want to. You simply may not TRANSFER ownership for 6 mo's. Also, you do NOT need to make a video, nor take a picture: ever. Not required for reviews. Mine are 100% text. Also, you do not need to keep "using it" in the sense that you have to frequently order things. I'm gold level and as you stated, you need to do 80 items over 6 months. You do not need to do any set amount per day, per week, per month. It's voluntary. Nothing happens if you don't except they'll send you an email saying hey what's up? Also, ALL of the Amazon envelopes ARE recyclable. The paper ones, just remove the labels and recycle with cardboard. The plastic bubble ones? Remove the labels and return them to your Grocery Store lobby where they take their plastic bags for recycling. A lot of people do not know this.
You legally own it the moment it's delivered, even Amazon says so "... delivery to the Vine Voice, at which point all right, title and interest in such unit passes to the Vine Voice." (taken from seller, not Viner, TOS). The whole contradictory bit about being disallowed "transfer" isn't legally binding, though if they found out, I'm sure they'd kick you out. However, I've also heard that Vine CS is extremely useless for anything but removing etv and items for review so probably nobody actually cares. More likely to get kicked out for something NOT against TOS than something that is. If you ARE re-selling, is anyone paid enough to care, doubtful IMO? I don't have any interest in reselling, but looking at how fast things that hold value disappear I would be willing to bet that a healthy percentage of Viners ARE reselling! There's already a guy in my 'hood dealing hemp oil, cake toppers, and (probably fake) gummy supplements on the street corner, kidding.
Something something... possession is 9/10ths of the law... at least that's what my brother used to say when he stole my stuff. Seriously though, this kind of issue comes up with the Walmart checkers too, violates the Constitution to search because immediately after POS, it's your stuff. Here it isn't exactly POS... though if it wasn't entirely yours, how could you have to pay taxes on it for anything ordered after June? If it doesn't legally belong to me, how is it legal for Amazon to send a 1099-NEC essentially stating that it does? If they still hold ANY ownership rights, they can pay my tax bill... they're just squawking, it's not illegal to be wrong nor to have your own "rules"... those rules aren't law though. I agree with everything else you've said, btw. And you didn't differentiate between legal obligation and Vine obligation to remain in the program, so I'm likely not even arguing with you. Also, if you got that foot callous remover, BE CAREFUL. The insane razor they send in that is not at all safe (he says, while limping around on a stump).
@@vivifieduniverse1032 I don't know if I got ya with the hemp oil dealer or the callous death razor... the second one is actually true, I got a little cut and I usually use a utility razor blade so I got mad skills, but that flesh shaver is legit dangerous!
So I don't have to request a certain amount of items within 6 months? Just joined Vine and definitely wanna try to become a gold member as quick as possible. I heard they do reviews every 6 months, is that correct? Hoping to become gold in 6 months. And then be able to request whatever.
I recently became a Viner and I am loving it! First off, I have always enjoyed doing reviews for the simple fact of helping other consumers. I find it very helpful to read reviews when shopping online because it could save me time, money, energy, gas, etc., for having to return something. You completely left out showing a shot of the 'CATEGORY' list on the left!! Why?? That wasn't being a very good reviewer! lol, There are categories on Everything there, and drop downs from those. You don't have to sit there and spend hours scrolling. You can go straight to the categories you are interested in. But seriously, it also depends on your STATE and your tax bracket. I look for items I can use, and that have No Taxable Income bracket. If you get things you need it won't be hard to "find a way to use it" to make a review! I'm not a seller or influencer, so I am not looking for "likes" nor is there an Actual dollar Income being a Viner. I just enjoy helping others, and I am retired so I don't mind spending half an hour to shoot some pics, edit if necessary, upload and write a review. For me it's a Win, Win opportunity. I receive things I need or want, and a seller get's a review. What's not to like about that!? If I were a seller, I would hope folks would take a few minutes and leave a review. If you are in a high tax bracket, just don't do it. Simple.
i'm a viner as well and am so far enjoying it. I luckily am really into skincare and it was some of the first things I selected, all skincare products are $0.00 taxable income because you have to use them up so you can't resell them. Because I ordered skincare right off the bat I frequently get skin care on my for you page so I get lots of products I can review for $0.00 taxable value. I've been impressed too with some of the brands- Kiehls, Caudalie, Sol de Janeiro, Innisfree- lots of good skin care brands (I never see these brands on the additional items page- only on the for you page). I haven't had to buy my own skincare all year. In addition to skincare products I've been able to update a lot of things in my apartment- sur la table brand silverware, new rugs, a countertop juicer machine, etc. I really can't complain as i only select things I want or need. If you order something that comes in broken or you don't like you can still return it within 30 days and it won't count against you. I think whatever you select initially helps set you up for the products that are shown to you on your for you page.
It does seem like a worthwhile program in some niche product categories, but for general reviewers and sellers hoping to get reviews, I'm skeptical there's reciprocal value. But actually very interesting to hear it's working out for you, keep it up!
@@MattRamseyTube some other things I’ve noticed when I see other viners review products- they do really in depth reviews and include photos…. The consensus in Reddit seems to be you might be kicked out of the program if you don’t… when I started I fully expected to get kicked out after my initial 6 months because I wasn’t doing long reviews - literally two to four sentences and only posted three pictures…. I never had a review rejected and was upgraded to gold….. I don’t know if I will retain gold but I don’t stress out about it…. I have a full time job so don’t stress out about vine reviews and even if they don’t renew me I would be happy with the time I had in the program…..
@@559mile You are actually doing Vine right, most Amazon customers don't want to read hugely in-depth reviews unless the product is complicated or expensive or both. And the Redditors in the groups on Amazon Vine forget that the real audience for the reviews is the 3rd party sellers who pay Amazon to get reviews so they can get their product served 1st in search results, be the top product in a category or get designated an 'Amazon's Choice', the Vine review is secondarily for the actual Amazon customers. You have to balance honesty with a potentially upset 3rd party seller who didn't get a 4 star or higher review or didn't get a review with a video or photos (not required & since all that equipment costs money & since Amazon isn't giving me that for free, I just do written reviews) but it is on 3rd party sellers to not put garbage items into Vine in the 1st place (& a significant number of 3rd party sellers do this so that's 100% within their control & on them) Also to just merely stay in Vine, you only have to review 60% of the items you select (which can be none for weeks or months on end) & spend $50 per year with Amazon (not in the form of an Amazon Gift Card, use your credit card or bank account or one of those pre-paid credit card gift cards as your form of payment). The 'must review at least 80 items & must have 90% of your turned in reviews accepted & approved' rule is just for getting into or staying in the Gold tier (which gets you 8 selections per day instead of 3 per day & items valued at $100+ in addition to all the $0-$99.99 items). Gold may not matter to you if you plan on not buying much at all on Amazon or not buying expensive items all that often. From what I saw of Matt's stats, he'll pass his evaluation as a Silver member just fine even if he doesn't ever take out another item to review for the rest of this period (6 months). And he could let it lapse in the 2nd 6 month period if he wants to.
Same, I love skincare & hair & nails lol! Lucky for me that's usually the 0 ETV! I'm a stylist, so, all of these things are right up my ally lol! I'm not interested in getting profit from this, I'm interested in saving some money & getting to try some new brands that I might not have otherwise & using my knowledge as a cosmetologist to help others in their purchasing, etc. I've gotten hair tools, face creams, shavers/clippers, face wipes & towels for 0 that I now don't have to buy, all sorts of things, even an AWESOME name brand Harry Potter Bath set, full sized, in a really cool display case (I'm keeping this awesome item lol), full birthday gift spa sets that, in 6 months I can gift to some of my nieces & nephews if I want to ~ this is great! I'm having a blast with vine. I'm not going to stress myself out trying to resell anything. Most of it I get for myself, family or some items I will be purchasing again in the future I like them so much (That is, if I ever run out of the 0 ETV things I keep getting lol)! I was thinking if anything, I might donate some of the wigs & hair tools & clippers to my local domestic abuse center, I think some of the people there would love to have some of these things! The bummer is, there's so many viners using the program as a business (no hate, just saying), that the people who are trying to use it as this guy does, won't have a chance. The good stuff he would want will be gone almost as soon as it populates.
@@559mile Ah, you post actual reviews unlike the Viner I saw that reviewed dozens of items with... Title: Awesome Review: Awesome... I'm not kidding. I can get long winded, but mostly try to keep it brief for simple things. How much can you say about a bar of soap or wrapping paper? No, I'm literally asking... please help me review this wrapping paper?!?! I've got "looks nice, cuts nice, not translucent"... I need some filler 🤣 Ah I got it "Warning: improper handling may cause paper cuts. Please do not eat this, it's not food"!
Matt - thank you the great info! You are one of the few people that speak honestly about the down side of the program, other videos say "Why Amazon sent me 60,000 dollars of products free" I almost exclusively use the search feature. As you said it is WISE to buy ONLY what you were already are planning on buying. I have a list, my shopping list, really :-) I add to it all the time, then when I find an item it gets crossed off. As you remind people - There IS A TAX obligation. Matt - 2 things - you can contact Amazon and they will remove those items that 'disappear' since it seems like you will be withdrawing from the program - that info is more for your viewers 🙂 Second If you are in the U.S. Target stores accepts all those plastic mailing bags, also many grocery stores do. Sometimes it is hard to find exactly were, but typically it is in the front of the store.
YES on the recycling! Trex decking also has a community recycling project you can check out, they accept a variety of "film" plastics through many local places, Kroger is one Target might be as well. With that amount of plastic waste it's defiantly worth checking into.
Been a voice for a month myself. Taxes suck, although for my tax bracket and being a hobbyist I think I only have to pay 15.3% If I had to warn anyone about anything outside the obvious tax responsibility, it would be that this is counted as income and can hurt people on SSI/SSDI and food stamps, etc.
The hobbyist route is interesting, I've seen discussions saying that's a legit classification and others saying that the IRS could take your house, car and pet hamster for filing as such.
@@Mike_H76 Be very careful with the assumption that it could not hurt. If you are in NY and QMB status for instance, then you have a maximum monthly income limit if you wish to utilize it. That amount is only a total of about 1700 dollars. This means that an average recipient is only going to have a few hundred dollars a month to "play with". Vine income is Earned Income in the eyes of Fed and NY state. There may be *some* disregards for individual cases such as if elderly or disabled.. You simply MUST contact your county DSS and ask "what is the MAXIMUM amount of Earned Income I can have each month without losing any of my benefits?"
@@tvtoms Thanks for the additional info. I lived the first few decades with no insurance of any kind... nor doctor/dentist visits. When the ElectroPhysiologist suggested an implantable loop recorder (which I never got)... I said "I don't think Medicaid would pay for that", he replied "I would make them"... he must have been a wizard in a doctor coat! I'm not concerned about myself, I'm in Vine through my "girlfriend", 28 years unmarried, SSI hates marriage. She's off the books (I didn't say that) so likely will just file for Vine... though I'm trying to encourage her to declare SOME income since she got a good amount in personal checks with the memo "landscaping services" and her name!!! Add in the cash she deposits fairly regularly and I'm scared to death about an audit (for her, but that's for us as well). Pretty sure the first year on Vine, she should hire an accountant... then copy from him as usual in subsequent years. I hadn't thought of Medicare at all for indigent elderly. I feel like I should delete my comment so I don't get someone messed over by my ignorance!
I've been in Vine for a few years and you can't get the full idea in 30 days. Yes, most of the time it's "weird" items and junk, but good stuff pops up as well. Also, the 6-month thing is only for selling or gifting. You can throw away any item the day you receive it, or any time after. I've been able to get name-brand food and household products that have a $0 tax liability and has saved us quite a bit of money. I can't remember the last time I've had to actually buy things like laundry detergent, name brand shampoo, and things like that.
@@missali81 Gold level is just anything valued over $100 and you can get up to 8 items in a day, where Silver is 3 items. Items that have $0 tax liability are usually things that are health items like supplements, food, consumables like laundry detergent and things like that, beauty items like shampoo and lotions and makeup, and some baby items. There are occasionally food items offered, but since there's a limited number of each product, it goes so fast, you rarely see it. When a 3rd party seller or Amazon itself list items on Vine, it usually 30 of each product and there are probably thousands of Vine Voice members, so competition to get those food items is tough. I got a case of assorted Kebler crackers once and another time I got Quaker granola bars, and a few other things, but food is tough to get.
@@missali81 Gold just means items valued at over $100 and you gan request 8 items instead of 3 on silver level. Some consumable things that are health related like supplements, heating pads, medical supplies, beauty items like makeup, shampoo, lotions, etc, some household products like laundry detergent, cleaners, etc, some baby items, and food are considered $0 tax liability. Food is hard to get because it's not offered often and when it is, it goes very fast. There's a limited number of each Vine item and good stuff like food can be gone in less than a minute after it's offered. Same with any of the good $0 tax items.
I really wish when I called amazon they would not be rude and say they have nothing to do with Chase bank. I mean they couldn't even give me a phone number.
As a fellow silver-level Vine participant, I can agree with everything you said. After using search terms to make it easier to find things I might actually be interested in, I did manage to find about 25 items that I have now received and largely reviewed (I haven't yet used a few, and I don't feel like I should review anything I haven't legitimately used). However, it has become VERY difficult to find anything new to order that I want. Loads of crap I can't imagine anyone going onto Vine to look for. And since I'm trying to stay under the $600/year limit (after which I will be taxed), I've gotten very choosy. I also don't like that you can't return things you don't like. For instance, I ordered a piece of clothing I just didn't like, but within the program there's no way to return it, and it will stay on my list of orders and count in the value of my orders. After the initial fun wears off, this program loses its appeal.
@@MattRamseyTube It's best to think of Vine as a (maybe) deeply discounted stuff program where instead of paying Amazon you pay the IRS & other state & local tax authorities.
Sort of. There are a lot of teas, coffees & non alcoholic drinks, there are a lot of cake decorating items (like edible glitters & sprinkles for cakes, cupcakes & donuts, also food colorings) more rarely there are spices & seasonings but anything else edible is super rare & disappears within seconds.
Yes. There are tons of food items, but there are over 20,000 vine reviewers in the US, and each item on vine only has a max of 30 (most have 1-2 available), so when food comes up, if you're not refreshing the page at the exact second that the food is posted, you aren't getting it.
@@ekat1 True food literally goes in seconds, this morning I saw a kilogram (2.2 pound) package of coconut flour (use it in baking it is keto & gluten free) & it was gone in 90 seconds.
Must be a bronze tier cause platinum knows not to talk about stuff prohibited by the contract you know "inner workings". Vine ain't for everyone, I wouldn't know though I'm definently not platinum tier. Not cool talking about a program I'm definently not a member of and love more than the air I breath.
