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LaurenEll
02-24-2014, 11:13 PM
Hey everyone,

I recently launched a blog and put up a post featuring a product so I inserted Amazon affiliate links so users can buy the product if interested. I've received an email from Amazon saying that if I don't give a referral (make a sale) in 90 days that my affiliate account will be rejected. Do any of you have experience with this? It seems like Amazon affiliate program is not ideal for new blogs or websites.

vangogh
02-25-2014, 12:39 AM
I never heard of that. It's been awhile since I was an Amazon affiliate. My state tried to collect taxes from them based on affiliates having a physical presence in the state and Amazon dropped the affiliate program. I don't recall there being any requirement to make a sale within some number of days. Maybe I'm not remembering or maybe it's something new.

However an easy way to meet the requirement is to buy something. Odds are there's something you'd like to buy on Amazon. You (or ask a friend) to go through any link on your site that has your affiliate code and then buy something. You should get the credit and you'll have basically gotten a small discount on something you wanted to buy anyway.

A new site of any kind is generally not going to make a lot of money with affiliate programs or advertising. I'm sure some do, but in general it's a numbers game. You have to have people clicking those links in order to make some money and for that you need to have traffic to your site. I'm not sure what you're hoping for with the Amazon links, but the way I tend to think about things like for myself is that's it's side money. It's not something I'm going to rely on, but if it brings a little extra money each month, it's good. Even if it's only $10, it's still $10 you wouldn't have had for what amounts to little to no work. As you build traffic and learn which products work best and what's the best way to mention them and link to them, what might have been $10 becomes $100 and maybe $1000 or more.

LaurenEll
02-25-2014, 12:51 AM
Yes, I and someone else who made an Amazon affiliate account around the same time as me both received a warning email to make a sale in 90 days or our account will be closed. It's frustrating because our blogs are new and I hate to see my time of inserting links go to waste.

I agree about personally buying a product to continue the account, I just have to make sure my affiliate account is noted for the sale.

Harold Mansfield
02-25-2014, 10:10 AM
Hey everyone,

I recently launched a blog and put up a post featuring a product so I inserted Amazon affiliate links so users can buy the product if interested. I've received an email from Amazon saying that if I don't give a referral (make a sale) in 90 days that my affiliate account will be rejected. Do any of you have experience with this? It seems like Amazon affiliate program is not ideal for new blogs or websites.

Looks like Amazon has changed their policies. I've been never heard that before. At least I've never received any such notice.

In all honesty not many affiliate programs are good for new bloggers. It takes time to build the kind of targeted traffic that will make you any money. And even when you do, many of the major affiliate programs pay crap now. However, the problem with lesser known programs that pay more is that they come and go easily.

There really isn't an easy answer. Amazon is certainly one of the more trustworthy programs.

Also, I think you'll see that when you build a site that gets good traffic and a large following that better monetization opportunities open up.

LaurenEll
02-25-2014, 02:24 PM
In my blog I do make recommendations to particular products and services to assist my clients so it makes sense to add affiliate links even if traffic is not built. I just spoke with an Amazon Affiliate rep who said "We are geared towards developed websites" and that if the account closes the product links will remain but the associate will not be responsible for the sale. Upon re-starting an account all links will have to be manually re-inserted, ugh.

Of course they prohibit any sales directly from the associate, friends, family, clients, orders for clients, etc. but I'm not stoked about manually re-building links...

vangogh
02-26-2014, 02:25 AM
It definitely makes sense to add the links. Even if you don't make much because you don't have the traffic yet, it's still money you wouldn't have had and adding the links isn't a lot of work.

I'm sure they don't want you or friends or family, etc buying something, but realistically they aren't going to be able to connect all those people to you. Maybe you can't buy something through your own link, but how are they going to know if one of your friends does? As long as you haven't connected to each other's wish lists, I don't think Amazon could identify the connection.

JohnF
02-28-2014, 08:08 PM
Never heard of that. In any case, having a friend buy something should work. There's nothing inherently illegitimate about that; why wouldn't your friends be reading your blog? But I'd focus on getting traffic to your blog first and monetizing later.

Cheap Freight Pros
02-24-2015, 08:05 AM
However an easy way to meet the requirement is to buy something. Odds are there's something you'd like to buy on Amazon. You (or ask a friend) to go through any link on your site that has your affiliate code and then buy something. You should get the credit and you'll have basically gotten a small discount on something you wanted to buy anyway.

I am an amazon affiliate and they will not give you credit for a purchase you make through your own site. You are not suppose to get credit for any sales from friends or family either. One way amazon recognizes friends and family is through your facebook profile. If you have a facebook page for your website amazon may recognize your page fans as friends also and you might not get credit for any purchases they make.
I have a few really simple (and ugly, LOL) sites I made through weebly that typically make me anywhere from the minimum $10 - $100.

Cheap Freight Pros
02-24-2015, 08:11 AM
However an easy way to meet the requirement is to buy something. Odds are there's something you'd like to buy on Amazon. You (or ask a friend) to go through any link on your site that has your affiliate code and then buy something. You should get the credit and you'll have basically gotten a small discount on something you wanted to buy anyway.

I am an amazon affiliate and they will not give you credit for a purchase you make through your own site. You are not suppose to get credit for any sales from friends or family either. One way amazon recognizes friends and family is through your facebook profile. If you have a facebook page for your website amazon may recognize your page fans as friends also and you might not get credit for any purchases they make.
I have a few really simple (and ugly, LOL) sites I made through weebly that typically make me anywhere from the minimum $10 - $100.

David Hunter
02-24-2015, 03:39 PM
Never heard of this either. I'm an Amazon affiliate, but don't promote it much. I don't think I've even hit the payout threshold yet.

MKarp
02-24-2015, 04:32 PM
I made an affiliate account a few months ago just to try it out, and yes, this is in their policy.

I don't know how strict it is, because I haven't had an affiliate sale (didn't do much) and my account it still active.

But to be safe, work on getting that first sale within 90 days, then you can relax.