PRE-PUBLISH REVIEW CHECKLIST FOR ONLINE STORES
From the Gather blog: https://trygather.ai/blog/ftc-fake-review-rule-ecommerce
Based on the FTC's Rule on the Use of Consumer Reviews and Testimonials (16 CFR Part 465)
and the FTC Endorsement Guides (16 CFR Part 255). A practical checklist, not legal advice.

A. EVERY REVIEW
[ ] Written by a real person who bought or used this product (no AI-written, staff-written or invented reviews)
[ ] Shown in the reviewer's own words; any translation is labelled as a translation
[ ] Not written by an owner, manager, employee, agent or their relatives, OR the relationship is clearly disclosed
[ ] Not obtained through an incentive that was conditioned (openly or by hint) on a positive or 5-star review
[ ] Not bought from a review seller, broker or "reputation" service

B. HOW YOU ASK FOR REVIEWS
[ ] The review request goes to all buyers (or a neutral sample), not only happy ones
[ ] Any discount, entry or freebie is offered for an honest review of any rating
[ ] Nothing in the email, insert or ad says or implies "5 stars" earns the reward

C. HOW YOU DISPLAY REVIEWS
[ ] Negative reviews are published on the same terms as positive ones
[ ] Reviews are only withheld for neutral reasons applied to every review
    (abuse, personal information, obviously fake, unrelated to the product)
[ ] The default sort doesn't bury low ratings (e.g. newest first, not 5-stars-first)
[ ] You don't threaten, pressure or pay customers to delete negative reviews

D. IMPORTED OR SYNDICATED REVIEWS (supplier listings, marketplaces, other stores)
[ ] The source listing is the identical product you sell (not a similar model or another variant)
[ ] Each review carries a visible source label (e.g. "Imported from AliExpress") without clicking
[ ] Review text is unedited
[ ] Your selection reflects the real spread of ratings; low-star reviews aren't filtered out to lift the average
[ ] Any minimum-star filter in your import tool is set to include all ratings
[ ] The star average is described as the average of the imported reviews, not as your store's rating
[ ] Imported ratings are not mixed into your own store rating or rich-result markup
[ ] You re-check the match when you switch supplier or the product changes
[ ] The source platform's own terms permit the use

E. RECORDS
[ ] You keep a note of where each imported review came from and when
[ ] You know how to remove a review quickly if it turns out to be fake or about the wrong product

Report fake review sellers or suspected violations to the FTC: https://reportfraud.ftc.gov/