Amazon Niche Sites FAQ

As I started researching and building my first Amazon niche sites, I realized there are a lot of moving parts, a lot of bits and pieces needed to get everything into the right place. Besides that, I saw in several Facebook groups that people are often asking (repeatedly) about Amazon affiliate related questions on things they don't know or are not sure of.

This is exactly what this page is for. To answer all those Amazon affiliate questions you might have but couldn't find the answer  or, you got the answer from someone but are not sure whether you should believe them or not. This page also covers frequently asked questions about creating and managing Amazon niche sites, questions that might be quick to answer and therefor not really suitable for dedicated blog post.

Your question not mentioned below? Don't worry, I'll update this page regularly. In the meantime please send all your Amazon affiliate question through this contact form. That way I'll include it on this page and help other people like you who are looking for the same answers.

Thank you,

Drazen Prastalo

How much money can I make with Amazon affiliate program?

Although Amazon gives only a small percentage to it's affiliates (starting from 4% to max of 8% per sale), it's still very profitable for many people. You can make any amount from 0 to infinity from Amazon affiliate niche websites. It depends on your skill, niche, experience and work (even money) you put in your niche sites. Many people fail to make money with Amazon while others keep making more each month.

Which payment withdrawal methods are available for Amazon affiliates?

There are several way of getting money from Amazon. You can either request payments by check, direct bank deposit, Amazon gift certficates or by Payoneer, which is preffered method of withdrawal for many non-US affiliates.

When will amazon send me my referral fees (money I've earned as affiliate)?

Amazon pays it's affiliates on a monthly basis, approx. 60 days after the end of each month. Meaning, if you earned some money in January you can expect to recieve it in April.

How to localize Amazon affiliate links?

There are several ways to localize your Amazon affiliate links, or better to say several WordPress plugins. Here on Azon Hacks we recommend EasyAzon, but you can also use Amazon Link Engine or Amazon Auto Links.

Where to find Amazon affiliate links for products I want to promote?

Once you are logged in your affiliate dashboard you can find product links by searching product you want to promote. You can get links directly from Amazon too if you logged in, just look at the top affiliate menu bar and you'll see a link saying Link to this page - click on it and copy your affiliate link from there.

Can I cloak Amazon affiliate links?

No, it is not allowed per Amazon TOS. Still, some affiliates cloak their links and get away with it, but for the safety of your Amazon affiliate account it's better not to.

Where can I see examples of some good, profitable Amazon niche sites?

The best thing is to search Google. Try searching with keywords like "best + product name",  for example Best coffee makers. After that you just look for website titles in Google search results saying something like Best coffee makers 2016 or Best coffee makers reviews and similar. The ones you find on the first page of Google are probably profitable and doing just fine.

Where can I find Amazon affiliate rules so that I am sure I don’t break them?

We have published an article on exactly that topic. You can find it here. Read it from beginning to end and make sure you don't break Amazon rules or they might close/ban your affiliate account.

If I promote one Amazon product, and my customer goes through my affiliate link and buy another Amazon product (which I am not promoting), will I still get a commission?

Yes, you will get commission for that. That's the beauty of Amazon affiliate program!

Can I click on my own Amazon affiliate links, is that against Amazon TOS?

You can click your own amazon affiliate links to test them. It does not violate Amazon TOS.

Can I copy/paste Amazon product reviews on my website, within my articles?

In short - no. However, you are allowed to display Amazon product reviews on your website if they are being pulled from Amazon API. You can do that with ScrapeAZOn WordPress plugin.

How to avoid getting banned on Amazon?

It's really simple - don't break Amazon affiliate TOS. To learn more about what can and cannot do, read this article.

Can I use paid traffic for my Amazon affiliate site?

Yes you can. But you can't send paid traffic directly to Amazon through your affiliate links. Sending paind traffic from Facebook or Google Adwords to your Amazon niche site is allowed.

Should I put entire Amazon affiliate disclaimer in my footer, or is it just enough to link to my affiliate disclaimer page with more info?

That's a good question. Per Amazon TOS you must put the whole affiliate disclaimer in the footer of your website so it is visible all the time to your visitors. Yet, some Amazon affiliate create a dedicated affiliate disclaimer page and link to it from footer and have no issues. If you want to be completely safe use the whole disclaimer in footer.

Is it Better to hide my domain’s Who Is  info or to keep it public, on my Amazon affiliate websites?

If you don't use Who Is protection for your domain names that means that anyone can look you up and see exactly which domains you own. In other words they can see what niches are you using to make money with Amazon. This can be dangerous if you brag on Facebook about money you make because some people can take advantage of that by creating websites in the same niche or even do some bad SEO for your niche sites. Maybe I am paranoid, but to stay on the safe side and not worry about it, use WhoIs protection. Name Cheap offers free WhoIs protection for all domains.

Am I allowed to mention Amazon product price on my niche site

Short answer - no. Amazon changes there product prices all the time. So if you manually put their prices on your website you are misleading the visitors. Therefore, you will get a ban from Amazon affiliate program. However, if you are using an API (that changes price automatically when Amazon changes it) to show the price, you are okay. There's one plugin called Amazon Product in a Post Plugin, which allows you to show Amazon products and uses their API to show pricing.

Can I sign up on Amazon associates and be Amazon affiliate even if my niche site is brand new?

Yes, you can sign up. But its best to have some contents on your website to apply for it. If you don't make any sale for 180 days the account will get closed, but you can apply again from the same computer. However, Amazon will review the website after the first sale and then make a final approval of your affiliate account. In other words, first make your website and start bringing some traffic, than make your Amazon affiliate account and add affiiliate links.

Should I use Amazon short links or long links from my affiliate links? What’s the difference?

There is no difference in terms of will you get commissions if anyone buys something from Amazon. Both normal links and short links are affiliate links, the only difference is that short links look nicer.

Can I use dollar signs ($$$) to show on my site to demonstrate product price?

Yes you can. Many affiliates do that to demonstrate the product price if they are not using Amazon API to automatically show prices for each product. In this case one dollar sign ($) represents products ranging from $0 - $9, two dollar signs ($$) represent products ranging from $10 - $99, three dollar signs ($$$) represent products ranging from $100 - $999, and so on. This tactic is often used in comparison charts.