Amazon Vine got so bad I finally kicked my addiction to it
I joined AV March 2025. I suppose I caught the very tail end of an era. Back then the offerings were over 100,000 a day. There were less Viners. Back then, an item would sit long enough for you to actually read the description before deciding whether to take it.
I rushed to meet the 80 item requirement to make Gold. Ignoring the tax implications I achieved that goal in one month, and went on to review another 160 items.
I got addicted to the thrill of finding "goodies" and getting multiple packages each day. It was like Christmas, only with a tax liability attached.
Slowly reality set in. First, with all of the boxes I had to dispose of, then later, realizing a good percentage of what I ordered was either junk, or something that I really had no use for. I covered a ping pong table with a lot of it, and ended up constructing a shelf unit, as well as using folding tables for the rest of it.
Over time, these past 6 months, with the increased number of reviewers, plus the shrinking inventory, and the use of Ultraviner with all of the advantages it gives those willing to pay for the sophisticated extension, it became near impossible to get anything good.
Emotionally, it was so frustrating to either see a desirable item disappear almost as fast as you saw it, or to be deluded into thinking that even though you might be able to select it, by the time you went through the normal ordering process (as opposed to the Rocket function in Ultraviner), at the very end you found you couldn't get it - someone else already did, maybe even as you first spotted it.
At first, I kept trying to snag the good stuff. But, time after time it was an exercise in futility, regardless of the time of day that the drop occurred.
It took me a month or two of utter frustration before I finally gave up trying. Instead, I waited patiently for something good to appear in my RFY bin. Even then, there have been times when it was sniped before I could order it.
Now, like so many others, I realize that after making Gold two times in a row, it's probably the last time I'll achieve it unless something changes with Amazon's current Vine system.
I hoped that I would finally get a chance to grab a large screen TV, a fancy BBQ grill, a PC or laptop, or some other expensive offering. Nope, nothing like that happened for me. The best I have been able to get in my RFY was a nice $200 leather coat, another $200 item - a full body massaging with heat pad, and yet another $200 item, a wi-fi 30 day pill dispenser.
After reaching the 6 month "do what you want with it" point, I gave away a lot of the semi-decent things like candles, a golf club, some billiards supplies, and a few baking items I didn't really need.
The addiction is gone. I only check my RFY bin, and that's when I think about it. 2 months into my 3rd term, I only have about 20 reviews under my belt. To date, I have over 400, but no longer feel the investment of my time is justified by the minimal returns I am getting.
The extensions, particularly Ultraviner make it an uneven playing field. I looked at it, played with it for a day or two, but ultimately decided it wasn't for me.
So I'm focusing on the positive. Thanks to the poaching and slim pickings, I'm no longer addicted to the process of grabbing as much as I can, whether it's useful to me or not. I have more time for fun things that don't frustrate me. My wife likes it that there's less clutter. Somehow I feel liberated.