Amazon dumping paid search affiliates / associates
I’ve just recieved an email from Amazon Associates.
They’re no longer going to be paying commission for traffic arriving directly from paid search.
They’re also only giving 2 weeks notice & will be auto-terminating accounts.
Oh – & if you happen to have got an affiliated (associated) link indexed by any of the search engines – they’re not going to be paying you for that either…..
This doesn’t effect me – but I know that it will hit some people very hard.
What do you think? is 2 weeks notice enough?
Here’s the email in full.
Dear Associate,
We’re writing to let you know about some
changes to the Amazon.co.uk Associates Programme.After careful review of our Associates programme,
we have made the decision that as of February 1, 2010, we will no longer
pay referral fees to Associates who send users to www.amazon.co.uk,
http://astore.amazon.co.uk or www.javari.co.uk
through keyword bidding or other paid search on Google, Bing, Yahoo!, or
any other search engine, or their extended search networks. In connection
with this change, as of February 1, 2010, we will no longer provide Associates
who engage in such paid search activities with access to our Product Advertising
API or datafeeds. If you are currently enrolled in the Associates Programme
as a Paid Search Placement Associate and wish to continue to participate
in the Programme after February 1, 2010, you must choose a new category
that most accurately describes the method you will use to send users to
the Amazon.co.uk or Javari.co.uk site. Of course, just choosing a new category
is not sufficient – you will also need to stop sending traffic via paid
search links, as you will no longer be paid for such traffic starting on
February 1, regardless of what category you choose. You may change your
category by writing to us using the Contact Us form available on Associates
Central or by following this link:https://affiliate-program.amazon.co.uk/gp/associates/contact
If you are enrolled in the Associates Programme
as a Paid Search Placement Associate and you do not contact us to modify
your category on or prior to March 1 2010 your Associates account will
automatically be closed.In addition, as of February 1, 2010 we will
no longer pay referral fees on purchases made by customers who are referred
to www.amazon.co.uk or www.javari.co.uk
via Free Search Results. Free Search Results are links containing an Associate’s
tag displayed in a search engine’s free, natural, or organic search results
in response to a search query which send customers directly to an Amazon
site without the customer first being sent to an Associate’s site and the
customer clicking on a link to arrive at the Amazon site.These changes do not prohibit you from purchasing
paid search advertisements or submitting links to search engines so long
as the links that appear on the search engines send customers to your site.
If customers arrive at the Amazon.co.uk or Javari.co.uk site by clicking
on Special Links displayed on your site (ie, links on your site pointing
to Amazon.co.uk or Javari.co.uk with Amazon Associates tags), you will
continue to earn referral fees in accordance with the Associates Programme
Operating Agreement. There are a number of tools available through Associates
Central to assist you with integrating Special Links into your sites, such
as aStore by Amazon, various customisable widgets, and the Product Advertising
API.These changes apply only to the Associates
Programme in the UK. If you are conducting paid or free search activities
in connection with one of Amazon’s Associates Programmes outside of the
UK, please refer to the applicable country’s Associates Programme Operating
Agreement for relevant terms and conditions.For a summary of these changes please visit
this page See what’s changed, and to review
the Operating Agreement please visit this page FAQs.If you have questions or concerns, please
write to us by using the Contact Us form available on Associates Central
or by following this link:https://affiliate-program.amazon.co.uk/gp/associates/contact
Best regards,
Your Amazon.co.uk Associates Team
January 15th, 2010 at 14:15
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