Hey there! If you’re new to the world of affiliate marketing, let me help you understand the Amazon Affiliate program, sometimes called Amazon Associates.
It’s a cool way for people like you to make some money by sharing products from Amazon on your website, blog, or even social media.
When you sign up for the program, you’ll get special links to Amazon products that you can share. If someone buys something using your link, you’ll get a little bit of cash for that sale.
In this guide, we’re going to look at why sometimes you might see people clicking on your links, but you’re not seeing any money from it.
I’m going to walk you through some common reasons this can happen. Maybe someone canceled their order, the item was out of stock, or the item just doesn’t earn you any money to begin with.
Ready to solve the mystery? Let’s jump in and find out why those clicks aren’t turning into earnings for you!
Why You Might Get Clicks Without Earnings as an Amazon Affiliate
Orders Canceled or Returned by Customers
If someone clicks on your affiliate link and buys something from Amazon, but then cancels or returns their purchase, you won’t earn money from that sale. Here’s how it works:
- Cancellations: Customers can cancel orders before they are shipped. They just go to their Amazon account, look for the order in the “Your Orders” section, and choose to cancel it.
- Returns: If the order has already been sent out, the customer has to wait until it arrives and then send it back to Amazon.
When a customer either cancels or returns their order, you lose the commission you would have made. This is a normal part of being an affiliate because you only get paid for sales that actually happen.
Amazon Can’t Complete the Order
Sometimes, Amazon can’t send out an order because the item is no longer in stock or it’s only available for pre-order.
If this happens, the customer’s order won’t go through, and as an affiliate, you won’t earn a commission since no sale was completed.
Remember, you only make money when a customer successfully buys something.
Items That Don’t Earn Commission or Unapproved Discounts
It’s important to know the rules about what you can and can’t do with your affiliate links. Here are two big no-nos:
- Personal Purchases: You can’t use your affiliate links to buy things for yourself or to give special deals to your friends and family. The affiliate program is meant for you to promote products to others, not for personal benefits.
- Breaking the Rules: If you don’t follow these guidelines, Amazon might penalize you. They watch what affiliates do very closely, and if you’re caught breaking the rules, you could lose your affiliate account.
By understanding these rules and reasons behind not earning despite clicks, you can work on making more money and keeping your Amazon Affiliate account in good standing.
Keep an eye out for the next section, where I’ll share tips on how to boost your earnings and succeed with the Amazon Affiliate program.
The Amazon Affiliate 90-Day Cookie
The Amazon Affiliate program has a cool feature called the 90-day cookie.
When customers add items to their basket but don’t complete the purchase, Amazon gives them 90 days to complete the sale.
Think of a cookie as a little reminder that sticks on someone’s web browser when they visit Amazon through your link.
If they buy the items in the basket within 90 days, you get paid a commission, even if they don’t click on your link again.
So if someone takes their time deciding what to buy, you still have a chance to earn from their purchase.
Keeping Up with Your Amazon Affiliate Account
Amazon keeps your affiliate account fresh with the latest info. This means you’ll know about your clicks and money earned almost right away.
Stay on top of these updates by checking your account dashboard. This way, you can see how well you’re doing and make smart moves in your affiliate marketing game.
When Do Amazon Affiliates Get Paid?
As an Amazon Affiliate, you’ll get your commission around 60 days after the month ends.
For example, if you earn some cash in January, you’ll see it in your account by the end of March.
This wait time lets Amazon handle any returns or cancellations that could change your earnings.
Choosing How to Get Paid and Handling Taxes
When you set up your Amazon Affiliate account, you’ll pick how you want to get paid. Amazon offers options like direct deposit, gift cards, or checks.
Pick the one that works best for you to get your money smoothly and safely.
Also, don’t forget to give Amazon your tax info to meet legal rules and ensure your payments go through without a hitch.
Amazon Affiliate Earnings: Pay-per-Sale Explained
In affiliate marketing, there are different ways to earn money. Amazon’s program is based on pay-per-sale, which means you get paid when someone buys something after clicking your link.
This is different from pay-per-click, where you’d get paid just for clicks, sale or no sale.
With Amazon’s pay-per-sale, your commission varies by what’s bought, with different rates for different types of products.
Remember, Amazon uses a 24-hour cookie, so you’ll only get a commission if the person buys within 24 hours of clicking your link. Knowing this can help you focus on getting more sales to boost your earnings.
Conclusion
Summary of Why You Might Get Clicks Without Earnings
In this article, we’ve looked at why someone might click on your Amazon Affiliate links but you don’t make any money. Here’s a quick review:
Order Cancellations or Returns
If a person decides to cancel their order or send it back, you won’t get any money from that sale.
Amazon Can’t Send the Order
Sometimes Amazon can’t send out an order because they’ve run out of the item or it’s a pre-order.
If that happens, you won’t get paid a commission.
Non-Commission Items or Rule-Breaking Discounts
If you buy things for yourself using your own affiliate links or give special discounts that aren’t allowed to your friends and family, you’re breaking the rules.
Doing this could get you in trouble and you might lose your earnings.
Are you wondering why people are clicking but you’re not making money on Amazon? Maybe it’s about the pictures you use.
Take a look at my other post, ‘Can I Use Amazon Images On My Affiliate Website?‘ to get some helpful tips!
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