{"id":3512,"date":"2020-11-06T18:18:14","date_gmt":"2020-11-06T18:18:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.futurestatemedia.com\/?p=3512"},"modified":"2022-08-18T10:10:07","modified_gmt":"2022-08-18T10:10:07","slug":"using-affiliate-links-to-sell-your-own-products-on-amazon","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.futurestatemedia.com\/en\/using-affiliate-links-to-sell-your-own-products-on-amazon\/","title":{"rendered":"Using Affiliate Links To Sell Your Own Products on Amazon"},"content":{"rendered":"<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The Common Question; Is it OK or not to use Amazon affiliate links to sell your OWN products on Amazon?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">When asked by an Amazon Seller, this question is made up of 2 questions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ol class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>Is it within Amazon ToS on the Amazon Associates Programme to sell my own product using an Amazon Affiliate Link?<\/li><li>Is it within Amazon ToS for an Amazon Professional Seller to sell my own product using an Amazon Affiliate Link?<\/li><\/ol>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:100px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Is it ok to use Amazon Affiliate links to sell your own product?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:100px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">There are 2 sets of terms that need to be satisfied.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">This is where the \u201cblinkered\u201d Amazon Seller has gone wrong in the past, and therefore built up the myth that \u201cyou can\u2019t use Amazon Affiliate Links when promoting your own product\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">*If you are an Amazon Vendor, selling product TO Amazon, you are again under a different set of ToS which may contain suggestive language that Amazon EXPECTS you to do promotion outside the Amazon platform, SUGGESTING that you\u2019re not in a position to ask for a reward for this promotion using Amazon Affiliate links.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Once again, this could be a contributor to the myth.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">There are numerous public examples of people who are both an Amazon Seller AND an Amazon Associate (Affiliate), <a href=\"https:\/\/www.futurestatemedia.com\/en\/selling-amazon-products-on-your-website-guide-for-amazon-fba-sellers\/\">selling their products on Amazon<\/a> and making a commission for directing traffic to Amazon.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">And YES, you do earn the commissions for selling your own products, and other products the user shops for during that session.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Yet another benefit of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.futurestatemedia.com\/en\/how-to-drive-traffic-to-your-amazon-product\/\">driving external traffic to your Amazon listings!<\/a> Check out my epic <a href=\"https:\/\/www.futurestatemedia.com\/en\/how-to-drive-traffic-to-your-amazon-product\/\">list of external traffic sources for Amazon<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:100px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"A_Couple_Of_High_Profile_Public_Examples\"><\/span>A Couple Of High Profile Public Examples:<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3><div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_86 counter-hierarchy ez-toc-counter ez-toc-white ez-toc-container-direction\">\n<p class=\"ez-toc-title\" style=\"cursor:inherit\">Table of Contents<\/p>\n<label for=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-item-6a83689c0c149\" class=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-label\"><span class=\"\"><span class=\"eztoc-hide\" style=\"display:none;\">Toggle<\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-icon-toggle-span\"><svg style=\"fill: #999;color:#999\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" class=\"list-377408\" width=\"20px\" height=\"20px\" viewbox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\"><path d=\"M6 6H4v2h2V6zm14 0H8v2h12V6zM4 11h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2zM4 16h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2z\" fill=\"currentColor\"><\/path><\/svg><svg style=\"fill: #999;color:#999\" class=\"arrow-unsorted-368013\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"10px\" height=\"10px\" viewbox=\"0 0 24 24\" version=\"1.2\" baseprofile=\"tiny\"><path d=\"M18.2 9.3l-6.2-6.3-6.2 6.3c-.2.2-.3.4-.3.7s.1.5.3.7c.2.2.4.3.7.3h11c.3 0 .5-.1.7-.3.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7zM5.8 14.7l6.2 6.3 6.2-6.3c.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7c-.2-.2-.4-.3-.7-.3h-11c-.3 0-.5.1-.7.3-.2.2-.3.5-.3.7s.1.5.3.7z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/label><input type=\"checkbox\"  id=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-item-6a83689c0c149\" checked aria-label=\"Toggle\" \/><nav><ul class='ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1' ><ul class='ez-toc-list-level-3' ><li class='ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"https:\/\/www.futurestatemedia.com\/en\/using-affiliate-links-to-sell-your-own-products-on-amazon\/#A_Couple_Of_High_Profile_Public_Examples\" >A Couple Of High Profile Public Examples:<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-2\" href=\"https:\/\/www.futurestatemedia.com\/en\/using-affiliate-links-to-sell-your-own-products-on-amazon\/#So_Which_Rules_Are_Blinkered_Amazon_Sellers_Breaking\" >So Which Rules Are Blinkered Amazon Sellers Breaking?<\/a><ul class='ez-toc-list-level-3' ><li class='ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-3\" href=\"https:\/\/www.futurestatemedia.com\/en\/using-affiliate-links-to-sell-your-own-products-on-amazon\/#Amazon_Affiliate_Program_Rules_are_more_aggressively_enforced\" >Amazon Affiliate Program Rules are more aggressively enforced<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-4\" href=\"https:\/\/www.futurestatemedia.com\/en\/using-affiliate-links-to-sell-your-own-products-on-amazon\/#So_How_Do_I_Comply_With_All_The_ToSs\" >So How Do I Comply With All The ToS\u2019s?<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-5\" href=\"https:\/\/www.futurestatemedia.com\/en\/using-affiliate-links-to-sell-your-own-products-on-amazon\/#FAQs\" >FAQs<\/a><ul class='ez-toc-list-level-3' ><li class='ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-6\" href=\"https:\/\/www.futurestatemedia.com\/en\/using-affiliate-links-to-sell-your-own-products-on-amazon\/#Can_I_use_my_own_amazon_affiliate_link\" >Can I use my own amazon affiliate link?<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Spencer Haws, Niche Pursuits &#8211; Niche Website + FBA Business &#8211; <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nichepursuits.com\/sell-amazon-fba-business\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Case Study Click Here<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Dave Bryant, EcomCrew &#8211; Niche Website + FBA Business <a href=\"https:\/\/offroading.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">offroading.com<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:100px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"So_Which_Rules_Are_Blinkered_Amazon_Sellers_Breaking\"><\/span>So Which Rules Are Blinkered Amazon Sellers Breaking?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The Amazon Associates Programme has a tonne of rules in the same way the Amazon Seller programme does.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">However, the Amazon Associates Programme overlaps with Amazon and Anti-trust legislation. So the Associates Programme provides a lot of \u201cToS Complexities\u201d that we don\u2019t even have to think about when exclusively on the Amazon Seller Programme.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">If you\u2019re compliant with the Amazon Seller Programme ToS, it doesn\u2019t mean you\u2019re compliant with the Amazon Associates Programme ToS.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Worse than that, the Associates Programme actually has different ToS for different regions because the nature of affiliate marketing crosses into the area of \u201ctrade law\u201d which has its own nuances depending on where you are in the world.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Blinkered Amazon Sellers don\u2019t take the time to understand the bigger world of ToS that they\u2019re heading into when they decide to join the Amazon Associates Programme.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:100px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Amazon_Affiliate_Program_Rules_are_more_aggressively_enforced\"><\/span>Amazon Affiliate Program Rules are more aggressively enforced<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Amazon are also more aggressive with the Amazon Affiliates because they\u2019re not forcing affiliates to follow rules that Amazon made up themselves. Amazon are trying NOT to get into trouble with the FTC (in America) themselves, so they\u2019re actually enforcing EXTERNAL rules via the programme, onto the Affiliates.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In comparison, it\u2019s the wild west on the Amazon Seller Programme where you can pretty much break all of the rules about images, even use of restricted words and so on. Amazon Associates are clamped down on, because Amazon has the FTC breathing down their neck just waiting to cart Bezos off to Folsom.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The typical things that Amazon Sellers don\u2019t do properly:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>FTC Disclaimers to comply with Federal Regulations<\/li><li>Amazon Affiliate Disclaimers to comply with Amazon AND the FTC<\/li><li>Link referrer cloaking &#8211; breaching Amazon Associates ToS<\/li><li>Link destination statements &#8211; breaching Amazon Associates ToS<\/li><li>Using product images, NOT the API to pull Amazon Hosted Data &#8211; breaching Amazon Associates ToS<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">There are a few others that could be deemed derivatives, or sub-categories of those above, but they\u2019re the main ones.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">These are ToS that you ALSO need to get acquainted with if you want to have an Amazon Associates account.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">As an Amazon Seller, it\u2019s easy to think \u201cI\u2019ll just put a link in here\u201d and that\u2019s all that needs to be done.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">There\u2019s so much more to it than that &#8211; and the world changes often.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Amazon send out a statement every now and then telling it\u2019s Associates to update their disclaimers with no real clear guidance on exactly what they mean. Useful!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Dom Wells from onfolio.co wrote an article providing his interpretation of an update in November 2019 here: <a href=\"https:\/\/onfolio.co\/amazon-associates-link-disclosure-compliance\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">https:\/\/onfolio.co\/amazon-associates-link-disclosure-compliance\/<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:100px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"So_How_Do_I_Comply_With_All_The_ToSs\"><\/span>So How Do I Comply With All The ToS\u2019s?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">As a busy Amazon Seller without the time to invest in learning \u201cthe ways of the Associates Programme\u201d my advice is to work with a partner or an agency to help you navigate the waters early in the process.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Getting your website or your Ads setup correctly in the first place is the biggest challenge. You have the least amount of knowledge and the most amount of work to do.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">This is particularly true for websites.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">There are many things you simply won\u2019t learn just by reading the ToS, as they\u2019re not practically instructive in many cases.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Instead, it\u2019s a case of learning about the wider Amazon Associates network and understanding how the rules are being practically applied and enforced.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">When it comes to being compliant in email, chat bots, social posts and other communication based medium it can get even more tricky.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">You\u2019re not only thinking about complying with:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ol class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>Amazon Associates Programme ToS<\/li><li>Amazon Seller Programme ToS<\/li><li>FTC Regs (and other global equivalents)<\/li><\/ol>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">But now you\u2019re also needing to comply with things like:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ol class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>Facebook\u2019s Branded Content Policy<\/li><li>Pinterest\u2019s Acceptable Use Policy<\/li><\/ol>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Among others. It\u2019s a bit of a minefield.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">For that reason, our recommended approach is to direct traffic from social media TO YOUR WEBSITE, where there are less terms to comply with directly related to Affiliate Links.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">(The landing page you\u2019re sending people to still has to comply with the social network\u2019s individual content policies! \u201cHeadless pages\u201d or pages without menus have long been a problem for Facebook for example. Funnily enough, Facebook might still run your Ad but you won\u2019t get the high value placements you would if your page was compliant. Now that\u2019s sneaky!)<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:100px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"FAQs\"><\/span>FAQs<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Can_I_use_my_own_amazon_affiliate_link\"><\/span>Can I use my own amazon affiliate link?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">It&#8217;s against Amazon Affiliate Program Terms of Service to use your own affiliate link to purchase products on Amazon.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">BUT it&#8217;s not against Amazon Associates ToS to use your affiliate link to sell your own products available on the Amazon Marketplace.<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The Common Question; Is it OK or not to use Amazon affiliate links to sell your OWN products on Amazon? When asked by an Amazon Seller, this question is made up of 2 questions. Is it within Amazon ToS on the Amazon Associates Programme to sell my own product using an Amazon Affiliate Link? Is&hellip; <a class=\"more-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.futurestatemedia.com\/en\/using-affiliate-links-to-sell-your-own-products-on-amazon\/\">Continue reading <span class=\"screen-reader-text\">Using Affiliate Links To Sell Your Own Products on Amazon<\/span><\/a><\/p>","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[24],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-3512","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-amazon-fba","entry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.futurestatemedia.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3512","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.futurestatemedia.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.futurestatemedia.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.futurestatemedia.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.futurestatemedia.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3512"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.futurestatemedia.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3512\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.futurestatemedia.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3512"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.futurestatemedia.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3512"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.futurestatemedia.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3512"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}