I was not expecting to have a another update so soon but I received a email yesterday morning stating that our new Amazon Associates application was denied.  This time there was no issue with our blog but Amazon seems to think I may have violated the terms of service.

Here is the text from the email:

After careful review of your Associates application, we’ve decided not to approve your application to become an Amazon Associate. Accordingly, we’ve closed the account.

We have taken this step because, we have previously closed an account that we have determined belongs to you or a person affiliated with you or acting in concert with you for violations of the Associates Program Operating Agreement, the Product Advertising API License Agreement, or one of the other Associates Programs operated by our affiliates.

This is not true since our two previous applications were denied due to the lack of updates on our blog. The only thing I can think of is is that Amazon may have linked our account with a unrelated account somehow or that I might have inadvertently violated this part of the program policies:

(u) You will not directly or indirectly purchase any Product(s) through Special Links, whether for your use of for the use of any other person or entity, and you will not permit, request or encourage any of your friends, relatives, employees, contractors, or business relations to directly or indirectly purchase any Product(s) through Special Links, whether for their use, your use or the use of any other person or entity. Further, you will not purchase any Product(s) through Special Links for resale or commercial use (of any kind) or offer any Products on your Site for resale or commercial use of any kind.

Since I order stuff for our business all the time on Amazon and I was clicking some links with your associates ID, to make sure they linked to the right page, some of the business purchases might have been linked to our associates ID. The reason I think this might be what happened is that a tea I purchased for our break area showed up in our associates earnings. I did not see any of the other products purchased show up on our earnings report so I just thought it was a weird coincidence. However now that our application was denied it seems like it might be more than a coincidence.

I sent a email asking for clarification and will post a update if Amazon responds. In the mean time I have pulled all the Amazon Associates links from our website and will look for other options to generate revenue from our website traffic.

Perhaps NewEgg affilates? I never buy anything on NewEgg so it would be impossible for me to buy anything after clicking my own affiliate links. Maybe even reopen checkout on our website to sales and try keep those customers here rather than directing them somewhere else, however I really enjoy not having to make sure orders ship everyday so I would prefer not to go that route.

I rejoined the Amazon Associates program 22 days ago and so far our application has not be denied (but it has not been approved yet either). With the last go around it took 19 days for the application to be denied.

So far the earnings have been reasonable, $131.07, with a large chunk of that ($44.46) coming as the result of someone who purchased two Logitech MeetUp HD Video and Audio Conferencing System for Small Meeting Rooms. When I first singed up I expected there would be a few clicks on our items and and we would earn a few dollars here and there and did not expect the several expensive items ordered after visitors passed through our website (like the six LEGO MINDSTORMS EV3 31313 Robot Kit for Kids from our last application that was denied).

Removing the large purchase from the earnings we are averaging about $4.33 a day which would be almost $130 for a month  which would pay most of our monthly 3dcart and yearly Blue Host bills.

Amazon Associates earnings report 2/06/2018 – 2/26/2018.