If you’re part of the Amazon affiliate program, it’s important to know how to use your affiliate links correctly.
As an affiliate, you share special links to Amazon products and earn money when people buy through those links. But there’s a big no-no: you can’t let your family use your affiliate links.
When you sign up to be an Amazon affiliate, you agree to follow certain rules. These rules are written in something called the Amazon Associate Program Operating Agreement.
One of the key rules is that you can’t ask or tell your friends or family to shop through your links. It’s like giving them an unofficial discount, which isn’t allowed.
Here is the excerpt from Amazon:
(u) You will not directly or indirectly purchase any Product(s) or take a Bounty Event action through Special Links, whether for your use or for the use of any other person or entity, and you will not permit, request or encourage any of your friends, relatives, employees, contractors, or business relations to directly or indirectly purchase any Product(s) or take a Bounty Event action through Special Links, whether for their use, your use or the use of any other person or entity. Further, you will not purchase any Product(s) through Special Links or take a Bounty Event action for resale or commercial use (of any kind) or offer any Products on your Site for resale or commercial use of any kind.
Associates Program Participation Requirements (“Participation Requirements”)
If you don’t follow this rule and get caught, Amazon can shut down your affiliate account.
That means no more earning money from those links.
Even if you’re just starting out and need to make a few sales to keep your account active, don’t ask your family to buy stuff using your links. It’s not worth the risk.
I learned this the hard way. When I first joined Amazon’s affiliate program, I didn’t make enough sales, so they closed my account.
I had to start over and apply again. The second time around, I made sure to get those sales without bending the rules.
It’s better to play it safe and find other ways to reach your sales goals.
Amazon Affiliate Links and Family
Understanding the Rules
If you’re part of the Amazon Affiliate program, you might be wondering if it’s okay to tell your family to use your affiliate links when they shop on Amazon. The simple answer is no, you can’t do that without breaking the rules.
What Amazon Says
Amazon has clear guidelines for people who join their Affiliate program. They say that you should not get people you know, like your family or friends, to click on your affiliate links.
This is part of their operating agreement, which you agree to follow when you join the program.
So, remember to play by the rules and only use your affiliate links in ways that Amazon allows. That way, you can keep earning from the program without any trouble.
What Happens When You Ask Family to Use Your Amazon Affiliate Link?
Breaking Amazon’s Rules
If you tell your family to use your special Amazon link to buy things, you might get in trouble.
Amazon has rules against this, and if they find out, they’ll send you an email to let you know they’ve closed your affiliate account.
How to Fix the Situation
If Amazon shuts down your account, you have five days to ask them to change their decision. Here’s what you should do:
Step 1: Contact Amazon
Go to Amazon’s “Contact Us” page. Look for the option that says “Closed Account Appeal” and click on it. This is where you can tell Amazon you want them to reopen your account.
Step 2: Prove Your Case
When you appeal, you need to show Amazon that they made a mistake. This means you have to give them evidence that you didn’t break the rules like they think you did.
In Conclusion
Remember, Amazon doesn’t allow you to ask your family to use your affiliate links. If you do this, your account might be closed.
But if you think Amazon got it wrong, you can use the appeal process to try and get your account back.
Just use the link in the email they sent you or visit their “Contact Us” page to start your appeal.
Are you noticing clicks on your Amazon Affiliate links but your earnings aren’t budging? You’re not alone!
Check out my other article, ‘Amazon Affiliate Account Has Clicks But No Earnings‘, to understand why this might be happening and how you can possibly fix it.
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