Realistically, can Amazon provide a decent income for a newbie?

by aoket
41 replies
I am ready to start my IM career and I have to be honest, there is a lot of different opinions where a newbie should begin. I am leaning towards starting with Amazon products and building review sites as most of the products on Clickbank seems to be hyped-up garbage(Just my opinion).

I'm in this for the long-haul and plan on putting all my time into forming a successful business. My question to some of you experienced Amazon affiliates is how much can I realistically expect to earn within 6 months?
$500/m?
$1000/m?
$3000/m?

I realize that this isn't a "one size fits all" type of question but I'm curious to know how some of you successful Amazon affiliates fared your first couple of months?
#amazon #decent #income #newbie #provide #realistically
  • Profile picture of the author pdrs
    It is a really hard question to answer. It depends on what products you pick, whether you start with a training course or figure things out by trial and error. How lucky you get with rankings. How hard you work at driving traffic.

    To give you an idea, after my first 3 months I was making around $100-200 per month with one site and then it sort of leveled out for a month or so and then started growing again as I added more sites.

    There are other guys who have had way more success than me in 3 months. It just depends on so many things.
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  • Mileage my vary A lot of the Amazon success stories I read start off slow, and eventually they scale up ridiculously fast around 3-4 month of existence. Others take longer, but I very much doubt it would be done quicker, especially if you're new.
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  • Profile picture of the author Michael D Forbes
    Impossible to answer. To many variables in personal motivation and skills. Can you put up 1 review site a day for 6 months? You'll probably make a killing. Will it take you 6 months to get one up? Probably won't make a dime.
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  • Profile picture of the author simonbuzz
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    It depends on you how much you can make cause I made 140 in the first month and my income keep rising everyday...if you know what you are doing then you will see the result soon...And you can make more then that if you work hard..
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    • Profile picture of the author JBroyer44
      We started launching our amazon site the last week of February and so far we have pulled in around $225.00 in commissions. Now here is the catch- I launched 11 sites over the course of 3 weeks in this time period, a couple of the sites have only been up for 10 days.

      Most of these sites get 5-10 hits a day, BUT the hits are so super targeted and deep into the buying process that they are making sales. The last two weeks I have made sales everyday.

      I should be close to $300 by the end of the month.

      Keep in mind I run a content creation company and have access to writers, and graphics. I set up all the wordpress sites myself, did all the on page SEO and a lot of the off page SEO (still have a lot to do in that area) but what i am trying to say its a ton of work!

      Even though i wasn't writing the reviews or making the Graphics i was busting my but making the sites for about 2 weeks.

      If you are willing to put in the work and can put up 5 quality sites a month in 3-4 months you might just make $300-500.

      Just don't ove ranalyze it too much, take action, take action consistently and the money will come.
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      • Profile picture of the author aoket
        Lots good advice so far! I notice that a couple of you mentioning to make multiple review sites. Does that mean I'm going to have to keep buying domains, or is there a way around this? Seems like it can get mighty costly in the beginning stages if so.
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        • Amazon is a great business model to follow. As some of the others have advised, hunt around for a good book teaching you how to do this. What I would advise is that once you are up and running, make sure you diversify a bit. You wouldn't want to build a $10,000 a month business on Amazon sites, and then something happens to Amazon and they shut down. Ok, that's highly unlikely, but what if they change the rules for their affiliates or something. Just an example, but I think you will get the point. Once you've mastered Amazong, venture into other income methods online to cover yourself.
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          • Profile picture of the author mikeroosa
            Here's the deal with Amazon. Yes you can make a nice income, but it is going to take some work. You need to target the right products ($100+ products that people actually buy online), you need to get your site ranking well in Google, and you need to write lots of good content.

            The one thing that drives me crazy about Amazon, though, is it takes them 60 days after the end of the month to pay you for that month.
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            • Originally Posted by mikeroosa View Post

              Here's the deal with Amazon. Yes you can make a nice income, but it is going to take some work. You need to target the right products ($100+ products that people actually buy online), you need to get your site ranking well in Google, and you need to write lots of good content.

              The one thing that drives me crazy about Amazon, though, is it takes them 60 days after the end of the month to pay you for that month.
              I don't agree with the whole $100+ products thing. Smaller products also get huge search volumes, and a lot of purchases aren't even related to the product you were promoting in the first place =)

              Both models work, but using higher tier products just means less sales needed.

              Not necessarily better.
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              • Profile picture of the author jan roos
                In my opinion Amazon is one of the easiest ways for anyone to get to a full time income online. It took me around 3 months to get there and I havent looked back.

                Many other people are making a killing with Amazon and the best part is after the initial work is done you pretty much get money on auto pilot without doing hardly any other work.

                My conversion rate is 7-9% on Amazon which is unheard of and the reason it's so easy to make money with them. People know and trust the Amazon website and if you send visitors there they WILL buy stuff.

                That's all there is to it.

                It does take some solid work in the beginning so be prepared for that.

                Cheers
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              • Profile picture of the author JBroyer44
                Originally Posted by Jason Perez O'Connor View Post

                I don't agree with the whole $100+ products thing. Smaller products also get huge search volumes, and a lot of purchases aren't even related to the product you were promoting in the first place =)

                Both models work, but using higher tier products just means less sales needed.

                Not necessarily better.
                and they do that whole boost your commission rate thing which is awesome! I have a site that jsut reviews and 15-20 accessory for a very popular amazon electronics product it makes sales everyday boosting my commission rate.

                also the thing about the states getting booted does make me nervous, but Amazon sites are not my IM endgame so it just motivates me to work harder on my other business ventures. But building amazon sites and getting them ranked and making sales is a great learning experience and confidence booster.



                Also I do advise about getting multiple domains for different products. Like 'Chainsaw reviews' and then another one on "usb micropone reviews" instead of one giant review site. It is muche easier to rank.

                Or if you really want to appease the almighty G pick a product or group of products that have that +$100 ticket item but also have lots of accessories and related products. Then you can build a massive authority site which has tons of content and kicks the 'long tail keyword' ass! Most amazon review sites are 5-10 pages of 500 word reviews, enough to rank and have relevancy but not really enough to cast a wide long tail net.

                So those are a couple options if you do not want to buy crap loads of domains. Also get a reseller hosting account, don't pay for new hosting for every site.
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          • Profile picture of the author Steve Faber
            Originally Posted by TBInternetMarketing View Post

            .........You wouldn't want to build a $10,000 a month business on Amazon sites, and then something happens to Amazon and they shut down. Ok, that's highly unlikely, but what if they change the rules for their affiliates or something. .......
            Especially since, as many affiliates in NC or IL can attest, they have done exactly that, thanks to government tax initiatives. One day you're an Amazon affiliate, earning decent money, and the next, NO SOUP FOR YOU!
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        • Profile picture of the author Mrs S
          Originally Posted by aoket View Post

          Lots good advice so far! I notice that a couple of you mentioning to make multiple review sites. Does that mean I'm going to have to keep buying domains, or is there a way around this? Seems like it can get mighty costly in the beginning stages if so.
          I personally shelved the "multiple domain" strategy last year. I work full time and so I only IM in my spare time, and I just couldn't keep up with the multiple domains, adding fresh content and maintaining backlinks. The majority of my Amazon income right now comes from two sites and I'm just going to spend this year adding more reviews and building more links to those two sites.
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          • Profile picture of the author cooler1
            Originally Posted by Mrs S View Post

            I personally shelved the "multiple domain" strategy last year. I work full time and so I only IM in my spare time, and I just couldn't keep up with the multiple domains, adding fresh content and maintaining backlinks. The majority of my Amazon income right now comes from two sites and I'm just going to spend this year adding more reviews and building more links to those two sites.
            Jan Roo's said once you have the sites setup it's pretty much set and forget and doesn't require much maintainence.

            As your working full time, couldn't you just outsource the backlinking.
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  • Profile picture of the author Manuelcrc
    Some really thought-out replies here.
    Guess I shouldn't bother jumping in.
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    • Profile picture of the author peter gibson
      Originally Posted by Manuelcrc View Post

      Some really thought-out replies here.
      Guess I shouldn't bother jumping in.
      So why did you bother? :rolleyes:
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  • Profile picture of the author Clyde
    1. Buy Amazonian profit plan.
    2. Learn real backlinking methods on linkvanareviews.com
    3. Profit.

    It all comes down to picking the right product to promote and finding the right niche to dominate.
    Exact match domains help.
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  • Profile picture of the author coreytucker
    amazon is great but how long is it going to last? They are cutting states out of the program with California being next.
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    • Profile picture of the author pavionjsl
      Originally Posted by coreytucker View Post

      amazon is great but how long is it going to last? They are cutting states out of the program with California being next.
      Amazon can be a dangerous cornerstone for any business. Many in some states have lost all their work because of tax changes and amazons response. Only you know if it is worth the effort.
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      • Profile picture of the author Ehsan_am
        Originally Posted by pavionjsl View Post

        Amazon can be a dangerous cornerstone for any business. Many in some states have lost all their work because of tax changes and amazons response. Only you know if it is worth the effort.
        I don't think that is "lost work". you can easily replace your amazon affiliate links with some other network like CJ or even direct retailer affiliate programs. The conversions will probably suffer but you still can make some decent money if you have the required traffic.
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      • Profile picture of the author cashcow
        Originally Posted by pavionjsl View Post

        Amazon can be a dangerous cornerstone for any business. Many in some states have lost all their work because of tax changes and amazons response. Only you know if it is worth the effort.
        I wouldn't let this stop you. If you are serious about building a business then you can form a corporation or LLC in a state that will not be affected by this and do your Amazon affiliate business through there or move to a state that has no sales tax.

        You can make a ton of money with Amazon just like any other thing online, it just depends on how hard you want to work at it.

        Lee
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  • Profile picture of the author ratracegrad
    Some people have recommended that you only sell products that cost over $100 (or $150) and have at least 10 reviews. Others say sell products that people buy in bulk. My suggestion is to have a combination of websites. Amazon jumps you from the base 4% commission to higher percentages based on the volume that you sell each and every month.

    Have a website that sells things that people buy in bulk like diapers or towels. This gets the quantity sold up so that you are in the higher paying commission bracket. Then you have websites that sell something like a $1,000 product. When somebody buys one of these then you are in the higher commission bracket. The cheaper stuff won't make you rich but it puts you in the higher bracket commission wise so that you do get rich off the higher priced items.

    I also recommend starting with multiple sites. Don't start with just one. If nothing else, you can see which site is converting and which site is not. If a site is not converting well, you can either change theme or content or sell it on flippa and pour the money into other sites.
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  • Profile picture of the author krjewellers
    Learn from my mistake. I sell a lot of small ticket items,
    so I get paid little. Focus on bigger ticket items from the
    start. Amazon is great and consistent. You can make
    sales almost everyday.
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  • Profile picture of the author GoingSomewhere
    making money on any business whether on the internet
    or offline depends on a number of variables:

    1. your knowledge in the field
    2. your willingness to learn new things
    3. your business plan
    4. whether you follow a mentor or you are on your own
    5. focus, consistency and directional action taking

    Anything short of the above will not make you $500
    even in 5 years time. I'm serious!
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  • Profile picture of the author richrajeevkistoo
    You will never know until you give it your best shot and you try.

    Stop thinking too much, take some action and good luck.

    Making it happen
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  • Profile picture of the author developyourlife
    It basically depends mostly on you. how many people you get to your site, what products you have, how you advertise them. Its basically all on you.
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  • Profile picture of the author Han Fan
    It's definitely possible...

    It took me one year to figure amazon out...
    but, when see my income, nowadays it's worth it..

    Keep it up...

    Han
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  • Profile picture of the author Point Blank
    Hmmm, good stuff here.. It seems there's ton of ways to monetize amazon. Thanks for the information guys.
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  • Profile picture of the author brik2500
    The short answer is yes. You just have to work it. Dana Forsythe is a warrior that has a great WSO that was on here before.....

    she was doing roughly 3k-4k/mo.

    I have her email address if you want it. PM me for details.

    BEST






    Originally Posted by aoket View Post

    I am ready to start my IM career and I have to be honest, there is a lot of different opinions where a newbie should begin. I am leaning towards starting with Amazon products and building review sites as most of the products on Clickbank seems to be hyped-up garbage(Just my opinion).

    I'm in this for the long-haul and plan on putting all my time into forming a successful business. My question to some of you experienced Amazon affiliates is how much can I realistically expect to earn within 6 months?
    $500/m?
    $1000/m?
    $3000/m?

    I realize that this isn't a "one size fits all" type of question but I'm curious to know how some of you successful Amazon affiliates fared your first couple of months?
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  • Profile picture of the author Andy Money
    Amazon wouldn't be my first choice if I was just getting started all over again. It's a better idea to start selling digital products where you can earn more, faster then branch out to Amazon affiliate sites later on when you want to move into physical products. Also this will help you sort of "diversify" your portfolio so when your digital product sales aren't doing so well you still have physical products (which are always in season) selling and making some passive income to offset the difference.
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  • Profile picture of the author businessmarketing
    Hi,

    Plimus offers also great products and great commissions just like clickbank with lesser competition. There are programs that offers real income and easy to start with like one week marketing and easy paycheck formula. Learn the easy stuff first and from there you can build different sources of income.

    Jen
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  • Profile picture of the author LauraJames
    Like almost everyone else who has responded, I agree that there is no way to determine this in advance. Since I live in Canada, I do not have direct experience with how the program works in the USA, or elsewhere for that matter. I am involved with the Amazon program, but I do know others who are. Most have told me it would not be their first choice for income. However, no one expressed regret about trying the system.
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  • Profile picture of the author angeliat1
    This guy grew his business in a few months - not breaking the bank, but $1000 in a month is a great start: http://www.warriorforum.com/main-internet-marketing-discussion-forum/359038-my-first-1-000-amazon-very-happy-so-far.html

    So if he can do it, it you can. Just find a product, create an optimized site for it, promote it, then move on to the next product.
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  • Profile picture of the author 60MinuteAffiliate
    One of the reasons why Amazon is so popular for promoting is the brand and the reputation that it has in the market place. I see threads all over the place where people say shame this isn't on amazon cos i'd buy it there immediately.

    There's big trust involved and I put up an amazon review site and it has made close to $80 in its first month, just with a handful of articles and the promotions that I've done.

    The people are very targeted and you've got a higher chance of getting commissions given the fact that they trust amazon as a retailer so much.

    The other thing is that people can buy anything on amazon once they've clicked on your link so you end up getting commissions for products you're not even promoting.

    Regards

    Colleen
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  • Profile picture of the author Bruce NewMedia
    Its a tough call.

    In my state, Illinois, 9,000 people watched their Amazon business go up in smoke recently. Sure, some will move out of state, many will give it up, and some will go to the hassle and expense of forming out-of-state corporations. ...and they will assume this will keep them safe. Who knows though?
    _____
    Bruce
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  • Profile picture of the author Vanfenix
    It's Really up to how hard you work and how much time you put into it. You need a niche - and you need to use Social Media Outlets. Find something you can sell - and stick with it !!

    Hope that helps!
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  • Profile picture of the author HaydenR
    Yes. You can definitely make a decent income stream with Amazon. In fact, it's one of the better places for a newbie to start off. Better than clickbank anyway..

    Target bestsellers with decent user reviews and build review sites around the product keywords. Then get the site ranked for its keywords like "review", "for sale" or "buy".

    The toughest part in this method is getting the sites ranked. As it can take time and effort. You'll need the patience for it. But if you're in it for the long term, this shouldn't be a problem.
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  • Profile picture of the author omk
    That's like a catch 22 question. Why? Because Amazon CAN provide a good income for a noob, but noobs usually don't have enough knowledge or experience to earn anything from them!
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  • Profile picture of the author celente
    There are some great tips in here.

    I suggest you use the advanced search feature and go back and have a look.
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    • Profile picture of the author arkhamindustries
      Im curious if it really hurts you that much in SEO rankings if say for instance instead of having a hundred different domains such as "productxreview.com" and "productYreview.com" you had mydomain.com/productxreview ?
      does that make any sense? What if your domain had the words "best" and "review" already in it and then your subdomain had the name of the product? would this still work as good?
      such as www.bestreview.com/productX
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  • Well to answer your question all depends on you. What's your skill level. Do you have the right coach/mentor? If you really want to start making $500 to $3000 a month you will need to find someone that is making that amount of money or more now. Picking the right products so sell is the key. You want to find a product that's the market want's and their is little competition on. The key to selling amazon product is to get to the first page of google. And if you looking to build a real business then you want to get a new domain name for each product. The reason being is you building up equity in that domain name and you can sell it later once you get it to start making money.
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