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Help: Amazon account closed for TOS being Broken - No resellers?

by Dnovaes
17 replies
Hello -

I am new to the amazon associates program - Opened it like Mid March.

I know a group of online resellers who purchase from various different websites in big qty's - Like 50k-80k a month and export items overseas. I started moderating a email news letter to these contacts and they have bough a decent amount of the items i have been recommending.... I had made like 1400 bucks so far.

These people are not my friends - Just people I have bought stuff from in the past or sold something to in the past.

Basically today i get an email from Amazon saying that I broke there TOS Saying
"We found that the majority of the orders placed have been for personal use, resale or commercial use."

I did buy from my own affiliate link however i was under the impression i was allowed to do that and they would just not give me commission for it?

Can anyone shed some light or give me some recommendations?
#account #amazon #broken #closed #resellers #tos
  • Profile picture of the author EllesBelles
    If most of your sales were to resellers, haven't they got a point?

    I haven't read the TOS, as I don't sell on Amazon. Are re-sellers prohibited?
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  • Profile picture of the author Dnovaes
    Yes well then i wouldnt see why sites like Slickdeals.net dont get banned. a select group of the people who see deals there order in mass qty's for resale. That is basically what i am doing here...
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    • Profile picture of the author Farish
      Originally Posted by Dnovaes View Post

      Yes well then i wouldnt see why sites like Slickdeals.net dont get banned. a select group of the people who see deals there order in mass qty's for resale. That is basically what i am doing here...
      Slickdeals.net is completely different. I know you might want to make the argument that it is not, but they have been establish and doing this for years. There 1000s of people who buy through slickdeals and not for resale. Its quite possible they do not even go through the affiliated program and have a corporate relationship with Amazon. You stated yourself that you started your account in mid March. You set off some sort of red flag. I would suggest you should try to get a detail reason from Amazon.
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    • Profile picture of the author jiajo
      slickdeals.net and dealpursue.com and many more similar site are not selling amazon product but they do have affiliate link. as my knowledge they can no manully enter the price and they can not use amazon log into their site. but i don't they are still using those stuff and they still not receiving any waring fro them. because i know one of my friend got waring for his site when he used amazon logo and manually enter the price. Amazon might be getting more traffic from big sites. that's why they don't care. as long as they putting money on their pocket.
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  • Profile picture of the author Dnovaes
    Yea i sent an email to their appeal team...

    What i am doing isnt rocket science. I basically send out a news letter to all my past customers with great deals online i find. I then embed my affiliate link in the news letter. People then buy from it. Some of the buyers buy in large qty like 5k or more on a specific day. Is anything wrong with this?
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    • Profile picture of the author Farish
      Originally Posted by Dnovaes View Post

      Yea i sent an email to their appeal team...

      What i am doing isnt rocket science. I basically send out a news letter to all my past customers with great deals online i find. I then embed my affiliate link in the news letter. People then buy from it. Some of the buyers buy in large qty like 5k or more on a specific day. Is anything wrong with this?
      Yah, I think you just answer your own question. Needs to be blog or website. I bet that somebody complained to them about spam.
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  • Profile picture of the author Dnovaes
    I doubt someone did. There are only like 40 people on it but i know they are big buyers and they opted to be apart of the list. I also have a blog / website about tech stuff. but i havent seen much revenue from it.

    As far as i see newsletters are ok in their TOS.
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  • Profile picture of the author salegurus
    I doubt anyone here can help you get your account reinstated.
    As far as Amazon closing your account, you can send an appeal but
    don't get your hopes up, once your account has been flagged you are
    fighting an uphill battle.
    Best advice is move on...
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    • Profile picture of the author Farish
      For example, you will not engage in any promotional, marketing, or other advertising activities in any offline manner, including by using any of our or our affiliates' trademarks or logos (including any Amazon Mark), any Content, or any Special Link in connection with an offline promotion or in any other offline manner (e.g., in any printed material, mailing, email or attachment to email, or other document, or any oral solicitation)
      Does this help?
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  • Profile picture of the author Dnovaes
    Damn - Well i could make my Newsletter just a daily post on a website..

    Damn TOS.
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  • Profile picture of the author Media_Mogul
    Sorry this has happened to you, Dnovaes, but the newsletter/email is probably not the problem. This is the last condition from the Associates Program Participation Requirements:

    29. You will not purchase any Product(s) through Special Links for use by you or for resale or commercial use of any kind. Similarly, you will not request or encourage any of your friends, relatives, or associates to purchase any Product(s) through Special Links for use by you or them or for resale or commercial use of any kind. Further, you will not offer any Products on your site for resale or commercial use of any kind.

    I think this might be the provision that is causing the probem. Best of luck to you, though. Hopefully you can find a way around the problem. I hear people talking lately about Skimlinks. Maybe you can direct people to your site, let them follow Skimlinks to the products you're promoting and do a revenue share. Since you have the system in place, it might be worth consideration.
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    • Profile picture of the author Dnovaes
      Originally Posted by Media_Mogul View Post

      Sorry this has happened to you, Dnovaes, but the newsletter/email is probably not the problem. This is the last condition from the Associates Program Participation Requirements:

      29. You will not purchase any Product(s) through Special Links for use by you or for resale or commercial use of any kind. Similarly, you will not request or encourage any of your friends, relatives, or associates to purchase any Product(s) through Special Links for use by you or them or for resale or commercial use of any kind. Further, you will not offer any Products on your site for resale or commercial use of any kind.

      I think this might be the provision that is causing the probem. Best of luck to you, though. Hopefully you can find a way around the problem. I hear people talking lately about Skimlinks. Maybe you can direct people to your site, let them follow Skimlinks to the products you're promoting and do a revenue share. Since you have the system in place, it might be worth consideration.
      Hey man thanks for your reply.. Are you available to chat on Skype about Skim Linking and so on. I could easily be making an additional 3-5k a month or more with this Amazon stuff but need to figure out a way to make it work. I myself also buy in bulk from amazon like 30k a month and need to figure out a way to get a kickback. Perhaps we could work something out. let me know

      Skype: Novaesd182

      Would have PM'd but dont have enough posts.
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  • Profile picture of the author Randall Magwood
    Wish you had asked me before you started off with Amazon. Why is that you ask? Here's why:

    Selling On Amazon.com Sucks !

    And yes, i have shed many tears after they took down my $100 a day income for NO apparent reason.
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  • Profile picture of the author Dnovaes
    Im not selling there im using them for affiliate commissions.
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  • Profile picture of the author Tarik93
    im kinda lost here
    orders placed by "resale or commercial use."
    what does that mean exactly?
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    • Profile picture of the author Dnovaes
      Originally Posted by Tarik93 View Post

      im kinda lost here
      orders placed by "resale or commercial use."
      what does that mean exactly?

      Basically the people i know are buying these items from Amazon and reselling them either online or overseas.... So i think that is the problem?
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  • Profile picture of the author BKenn01
    Couldnt this happen to anyone who is an Affiliate? I mean how do you control people who buy for resale.

    One other thought is that your ratio of buyers that buy for resale may have been the problem. It sounds like all you did was market to resellers. Just curious, what were they buying? I ask because I buy stuff to resell on Amazon all the time but they generally limit the items I buy to a quantity of 3
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