Frequently Asked Questions

• Read the Associates Program Operating Agreement.
• Sign up. Fill out a brief online registration form. You'll immediately gain access to Associates Central, which provides you with a fast and easy way to link to virtually any page on our site through the Build Links section. You'll also find helpful merchandising tips.
• Start earning referral fees. You are eligible to earn referral fees for sales generated by your links once you have signed-up. You can access your earnings and traffic reports through Associates Central. The reports will show you what your visitors are buying, how much they are buying, and what your earnings are for those purchases. With that information, you can optimize your site and make the most of your relationship with us. Referral fees are paid at the end of each month.

The Associates Program offers many benefits to Web site owners including the opportunity to generate revenue via their site, a wide range of relevant products to promote from Amazon's huge selection, easy-to-use tools to create and customize the links that work best, detailed reports to help you better understand your visitors' preferences and link performance, an association with Amazon.com, and the chance to interact with a broad community of other Web site owners.

3. Does it cost anything to become an Associate?

There is no charge to apply, and there is no minimum referral requirement or quota you must reach before earning referral fees with our program. You start earning right away. Please refer to the Associates Operating Agreement for additional information.

4. Can I participate if I live outside the United States? Does my Web site qualify?

Yes, you may participate in the Associates Program if you live outside the United States. We have Associates from all over the world and are working hard to add even more. All you need to join is a Web site that does not violate intellectual property rights or promote sexually explicit materials, violence, illegal activities, or discrimination based on race, sex, religion, nationality, disability, sexual orientation, or age.

For those Associates who want to link to other Amazon sites, you can also join the Associates Programs on those sites. They are separate programs from the Amazon.com program, and you must sign up on each individual site to participate.

5. I have more than one Web site. Can I link to Amazon from each site?

Yes, you may participate in the Associates Program through multiple Web sites. If you want to track the performance of each Web site separately, contact Associates Customer Service to request the number of unique tracking IDs you would like. You can then use each tracking ID to measure the performance of a different site, promotional strategy, or layout.

6. Can a nonprofit join the Associates Program?

Yes, we encourage nonprofits to join our program.

7. How does Amazon track orders coming from my Web site?

An Associates ID is assigned when you sign up through our online form. Links from Associates Web sites to Amazon use a special format that includes this code. Every time a customer follows one of those links to our site, this unique URL tells us which page to display as well as which Associate sent the customer to us. We keep track of the Associates ID as the customer browses through our Web site, and even if they close their browser and come back later that day.