I understand what you're saying, but there are 2 things you listed incorrectly:
1) In the Amazon Vine terms and conditions, it states explicilty that it is not required to write a review, and no action items are expected. Now, in order to get selected into the program, they look at users who previously wrote review and then they ask if they want to join. And yes, they can throw you out at any point, but this actually is NOT bartering, as I am in no way contractually obligated to write any reviews. Amazon goes out of its way to make sure that is clear when saying that we're not required to do anything for these products, and they only look at our history of reviews to decide who to keep in the program.
2) There are NOT items being sold by Amazon, they are product samples being given by the companies themselves, using Amazon to distribute them with the hope that we will like them and write a good review. Which again, we are not required to do so, but that is what they are hoping for. So this is not something Amazon is giving us that they would otherwise be selling and is therefore the value of the item to them
3) Something I mentioned on point 1- this is not promoting, it's reviewing. Part of the IRS criteria is if I have previously done similar activity for a profit. I have written thousands of reviews on Amazon and other websites, never for a profit of any sort, until Vine. So there is a history of the same activity, with no profit
So yea, I don't see this being barteting at all, given that I in no way contractually agreed to do anything with it
