I frankly find it annoying. It's sad to say, but unless the item was either really good or really bad, I don't feel compelled to review it.
The other problem is most people probably review their things as soon as they get it. Very few go back and edit their reviews if the thing disintegrates six months later, with the net result that the product has overwhelmingly positive reviews despite having the durability of the Dead Sea Scrolls.
If the product hasn't been used for at least a few days / weeks (dependant on the item), then it's not a true review; more a reflection on how good Prime is at getting stuff to you on time and with no hassle.
There is always someone who comments that they don't have the answer.
WTF just dont post if you don't have the answer.
The email from amazon makes it appear as though the question is being posed to you directly, and you can't see other answers while replying.
If it just showed answers others had given it would cut down on that a lot.
> I suggest putting that at post-checkout because it's a point where Amazon still has the user engaged, so asking is not annoying (like their emails currently are), but the user is done shopping so they aren't preoccupied with something else.
And I addressed your second point as well in my comment.
Sellers can trigger them to remind you to post a rating.
Off the top of my head I would suggest that on the post-checkout screen they should list the customer's most recent purchases asking "Please rate your current satisfaction with your recent purchases". Just a quick 5-star rating, a small button to write a textual review if the user wants, and a note clearly stating that their review can be changed later if their opinion changes.
I suggest putting that at post-checkout because it's a point where Amazon still has the user engaged, so asking is not annoying (like their emails currently are), but the user is done shopping so they aren't preoccupied with something else. In other words, it is the least annoying time to ask. They should, of course, also have a rating box on the home page (again, a list of recent purchases, possibly muxing in older purchases at random).
And then weighting reviews is super important. Reviews given by users later in their ownership of the product should be weighted higher than reviews given just after receiving the product. Changed reviews should be weighted higher, as well as reviews on returns.