Had my Amazon Associats account shut down.

17 replies
It looks like I was using a link shortener that wasn't approved by Amazon. Here is what they said:

You are not in compliance with Participation Requirement Number 26(https://affiliate-program.amazon.com.../participation) because you are sending traffic indirectly to the Amazon site via automatic redirection from another web site.

Has anyone else had this problem, and were they ever able to get their account re-instated or open a new one?

Looking for advice.
#account #amazon #associats #shut
  • Profile picture of the author Long Beach Nathan
    Wow, surprised to see that, and sorry that happened to you. They've never said anything to me and I use Pretty Link, but that might be different since it looks like it's just coming from a page on my site. I'm guessing you were using bit.ly or similar?
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    • Profile picture of the author dgiles63
      Originally Posted by Long Beach Nathan View Post

      Wow, surprised to see that, and sorry that happened to you. They've never said anything to me and I use Pretty Link, but that might be different since it looks like it's just coming from a page on my site. I'm guessing you were using bit.ly or similar?
      No, I was using GoCodes--but since that isn't being updated, I have been systematically moving every thing to Pretty Links.

      They don't say exactly what they had issue with. I'm not sure if it is the link shortener with posting to twitter and facebook, or from Web 2.0 syndication of the links to blogger, tumblr, wordpress.com, and 25 other accounts.

      If I posted to twitter, I would shorten it again with bit.ly. Bit.ly appears to be working with Amazon, and would put the link as amzn... or something like that--I wasn't trying to work around them. I was just trying to do some counting to see which links were being clicked.

      I wish that I knew exactly what they had a beef with, so I could definitively say whether it was something that I did, or something I just wasn't aware would happen.

      Any advice is welcome...
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      • Profile picture of the author JohnMcCabe
        Dean, you're in the US. Pick up the phone and call them.

        I've had to do this twice over the years (although not for account suspension), and I got quick answers.
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    • Profile picture of the author SuperKristen
      Originally Posted by Long Beach Nathan View Post

      Wow, surprised to see that, and sorry that happened to you. They've never said anything to me and I use Pretty Link, but that might be different since it looks like it's just coming from a page on my site. I'm guessing you were using bit.ly or similar?
      I have seen a few guys are using bit.ly to promote in Facebook and they making money. So i don't think it's an issue.
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  • Profile picture of the author kindsvater
    #26 involves fraud, not link shorteners. For instance, if you do pay per view advertising dropping an ad over an Amazon affiliate site, and your ad has your affiliate link, then #26 applies.
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    • Profile picture of the author dgiles63
      Originally Posted by kindsvater View Post

      #26 involves fraud, not link shorteners. For instance, if you do pay per view advertising dropping an ad over an Amazon affiliate site, and your ad has your affiliate link, then #26 applies.
      No pay-per-view.

      No fraud that I am aware of.
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    • Profile picture of the author CyberAlien
      Originally Posted by kindsvater View Post

      #26 involves fraud, not link shorteners. For instance, if you do pay per view advertising dropping an ad over an Amazon affiliate site, and your ad has your affiliate link, then #26 applies.
      Which rule would apply to link shortening, #30?
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      • Profile picture of the author dgiles63
        Originally Posted by Chase Watts View Post

        Which rule would apply to link shortening, #30?
        That is the only one I could see that I thought that I could "possibly" be infringing. It is repeated here QUOTE: 30. You will not cloak, hide, spoof, or otherwise obscure the URL of your site containing Special Links (including by use of a redirecting page) or the user agent of the application in which Content is displayed or used such that we cannot reasonably determine the site or application from which a customer clicks through such Special Link to the Amazon Site.

        but, that isn't the one I am being called on the carpet for, it is 26: QUOTE: 26. You will not attempt to intercept or redirect (including via software installed on users' computers) traffic from or on, or divert advertising fees from, any site that participates in the Program.

        So, I believe that I have not done any such thing--so I have contacted them via chat. They had me send an email, using their help form, and said that it might take 8 days.

        I just hope I can get re-instated.
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  • Profile picture of the author SunilTanna
    It sounds like they think you have advertised on one of those adware programs that take over people's browsers or websites.

    The rule appears to be targeted at people who use these kinds (or other kinds) pf technical means to divert other amazon associate's traffic to be their referrals.
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  • Profile picture of the author misterkailo
    Amazon can be super strict about what affiliates can and cannot do. They can ban you without one warning
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    • Profile picture of the author JohnMcCabe
      Another possibility is that your site has been hacked and someone is clickjacking your visitors or something without your knowledge.

      If that proves out, you might get your account back. Or they might take the Adsense approach of "you still might be a risk to our business, so you're SOL"...
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  • Profile picture of the author kindsvater
    Hacking was my next thought, especially since it appears you are using WordPress.

    Next up would be looking at the "syndication" of Amazon links to about 30 different sites.

    .
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    • Profile picture of the author JohnMcCabe
      Originally Posted by kindsvater View Post

      Next up would be looking at the "syndication" of Amazon links to about 30 different sites.

      .
      We may have a winner, especially if the "syndication" is by RSS scrapers or autobloggers who pick up your links without knowing or caring and post your content as their own on trashy, spammy sites.
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  • Profile picture of the author pizzatherapy
    My question is:

    where were you using the link shortener?

    Was it on your own site?

    Did you have the link in a pdf?

    FYI: amazon will alow you to post to Twitter and Facebook using the ribbon on the amazon site.

    Seems like what you did was clearly a violation of TOS.

    I'd love to hear exactly what you did...so we can all learn something from your bad Amazon experience...
    Please let us know what you hear from Amazon...
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    • Profile picture of the author dgiles63
      The link shortener was on my site. It is a Wordpress plugin called GoCodes. I have found some articles that it say it may be targeted by hackers because they can insert their links between the source and target.

      I am moving all of my links to the Pretty Link plugin, which is being maintained.
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  • Profile picture of the author DubDubDubDot
    #30 is pretty clear cut. It involves things like illegal cookie stuffing and using adware to redirect Amazon traffic to your own code.

    A few possibilities:

    - Buying traffic marketed as being great specifically for Amazon affiliates.

    - A competitor using your code for shady activity to get you banned.

    - Installing a WP plugin that promises to increase Amazon revenues seemingly just by installing it.

    - A rogue WP plugin with an otherwise useful feature.
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  • Profile picture of the author Cecil Dee
    In the future see if you can incorporate their own link shortener, I think azn.co or something like that shows how you do it. I know they do allow web 2.0 and twitter but with some conditions.
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