Before you can start getting paid for promoting Amazon products, you need to register as an affiliate. This article walks you through the process of signing up as an Amazon Associate.
First, go to the Amazon Associates page and click on “join now”. You’ll get asked to fill out a few details, but the procedure is pretty straightforward.
Wait for your application to be approved. This may take 3-5 days, although sometimes it only takes a day. During this time, you’ll be given access to Amazon’s Associates Central, which is the resource area for affiliates. In there, you’ll find a whole range of features that allow associates to update account information, build new links, generate online earnings reports, learn how to increase referrals, etc.
Once your application is approved, you’ll get your own unique Amazon referral ID, which is incorporated into each of your affiliate links. These links are created each time you select a product to promote, and you simply place the code on your site at the relevant point. When a visitor to your website clicks on the approved affiliate link and buys the product you referred, you get credit for the sale. You earn commission on the selling price (this excludes the cost of shipping).
When your total sales reach a certain minimum level (you can set this up to $10, $100, $1000, etc), Amazon.com will pay your commission according to the agreed payout method. Commissions are paid monthly, but not until 60 days from the end of the month in which the sale occurs. So, for example, commission from any sales made in January will be paid at the end of March. If your total sales don’t reach the cut-off level, the amount will be carried over to the next payment date until you qualify for a payout.
As mentioned earlier, Amazon’s Associates Central section provides tools and advice to help associates with their promotions. In the next article, I’ll be discussing these and the other ways in which Amazon supports affiliates and helps promote sales.
In the meantime, why not sign up and let Hyaroo help you select the hottest products to sell? We’ll get your site created and use our expertise to place your Amazon links in the optimum position for maximum click-throughs.
