Earning as an Amazon affiliate marketer is an easy side hustle, but if you wake up one day to find your account closed, you might wonder why it happened.
Your Amazon affiliate account was closed because you violated any clauses in their Operational Agreement.
These clauses clearly state the required number of sales, prohibited marketing techniques, terms of service, and link-creation guidelines,
To help you figure this out, we have written a guide on why your Amazon affiliate account is closed at what you can do to get it back.
Why Is My Amazon Affiliate Account Closed?
Affiliate marketing is one of the simplest ways to earn from the comfort of your home. In past years, there has been a rapid increase in its awareness and popularity.
So that’s why many individuals have been jumping on the bandwagon.
After signing up for the Amazon Affiliate program, you might generate healthy commissions with a good strategy.
But when you unexpectedly receive an e-mail that your account has been closed, you want to know why it happened.
You need to fulfill certain conditions to do affiliate marketing with Amazon, which are part of their Operational Agreement.
Failing either of them not only gets your account closed but also puts all of your earnings at risk. Let’s discuss these conditions briefly.
1. Not Generating Enough Sales
Amazon expects you, as the new affiliate, to generate a sale within 180 days of joining the program. Amazon is allowed to terminate or close your account if no customer has purchased from your affiliate link after this period is over.
Until you generate the required sales, your Amazon affiliate account will be in a “Pending approval” state for 180 days.
After that, they reject your account and close it. You can, however, reapply for the program once you start generating traffic to your site.
2. Using Prohibited Marketing Techniques
In Amazon’s Operational Agreement, they have stated strict policies for affiliates on promoting their product. Spamming or using deceptive marketing techniques increases the risk of your account getting closed.
Moreover, it would be best to mention that you are working and earning as an Amazon affiliate on your website or blog.
A rule of thumb in affiliate marketing is not to post product prices on your website, as they are bound to change over time. This kind of deception can also get your Amazon affiliate account closed.
3. Not Following Link Guidelines
Amazon has also listed particular guidelines for creating product referral links. All links must be directly accessible from your site and should not be cloaked.
Upon noncompliance with any of these guidelines, your Amazon affiliate account will be closed.
4. Not Following Terms of Service
As a part of their Affiliate program, Amazon has set some service terms that you must abide by to continue working with them.
For example, it is essential to create a privacy policy for your website where you are going to post your affiliate links.
In many states of the US, having a privacy policy on your website is required by law if you are collecting users’ personal information.
Amazon also clearly states that their customers are not the affiliate’s customers; hence, any direct contact between them is also a breach of their policy.
Promotion of any non-approved, sexually explicit, illegal, or deceptive products is also strictly prohibited and can result in the permanent termination of your Amazon affiliate account.
Recovering Closed Amazon Affiliate Account
If Amazon has closed your affiliate account without any notice, don’t panic. According to their website, you have 5 days to appeal a complaint.
Firstly, review your account status and Amazon’s guidelines and terms again. Take responsibility for where you are wrong and accept your mistake before you move toward the appeal process.
In the next step, open their Contact Us form to start an appeal. Fill in your name and all the required details correctly. Then, state why your account was closed in the “Comments” box and owned up to your mistake.
If you feel your account was closed without any valid reason, mention it and be straight to the point.
Make sure to select “Closed Account Appeal” in the subject drop-down before you fill in the captcha and click “Send E-mail.”
Once you have successfully sent the appeal, wait for them to respond. If you’re lucky enough, Amazon might accept your request, and you’ll recover your account.
However, there are other high-paying affiliate programs you can join if it gets rejected.
Conclusion
This guide has discussed why your Amazon affiliate account is closed and the steps you can take to recover it.
Hopefully, this article covered all the required information, and you can try and save your earnings as an Amazon affiliate marketer and continue marketing their products.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does Amazon Affiliate Expire?
The Amazon affiliate cookies expire after 24 hours. Therefore, if a customer purchases within 24 hours of clicking your affiliate link, it will only be considered a sale.
How Many Subscribers Do You Need To Be an Amazon Affiliate?
To become an Amazon affiliate, you must have an established website or social media page with at least 500 subscribers in most cases.
Why Is My Amazon Affiliate Link Not Working?
If your affiliate link is not working, it’s probably because you have created it with the Amazon link generator. Each member has a unique code, so the generator ensures it’s present in all their links.
