Selling on Amazon - the downside

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   TessSchlesingerposted 6 years ago

   "Every Amazon product in an article should contain significant, useful information beyond what can be found on Amazon, as well as your personal experience and opinion. Always provide this information when adding products or reduce the number of products in the article."
   
   So basically, as Amazon does not sell to South Africans (or any other third world country), it means that I cannot advocate any Amazon product.
   
   Effectively, the above conditions for linking to products means it's pretty much useless to earn money, and hubbers must rely solely on the revenue coming in from ads.
   
   It's very disappointing.

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      wildernessposted 6 years agoin reply to this

      Confusion.  Are you saying that you live in South Africa, have never used any products Amazon sells and thus have no experience with anything there so cannot give a personal evaluation of it?
      
      Bear in mind that HP is not an advertising agency.  It is not intended to produce long winded advertisements pushing readers to a seller that has the same thing to say.

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         TessSchlesingerposted 6 years agoin reply to this

         I've been back in South Africa for two years. Even paypal payments are 'different.' One has to sign up with a particular bank, then when one wants to draw from paypal, one has to sign into that bank's website, go through a 5 minute rigmarole, then that bank takes one to the paypal page when one withdraws, then back to the bank's page. Then one has to tell that bank to pay into one's own bank. Then the process takes 10 days.
         
         This happens because the American IRS told the South African banking fraternity that they wanted to know exactly what money was coming into South Africa from America. So South African banking regulations are so stiff and so crazy that many internet companies won't deal with South Africa.
         
         That includes Amazon.
         
         Of course, I've bought from Amazon - both in the States and in the UK. However, I don't write about products. Products are incidental to what I write about.
         
         So, for instance, I just wrote a hub (nearly 1700 words) and mentioned 3 products, not because I'd used them, but because they were the best options in terms of global warming. I don't have to use them in order to know that they are the best in the market. I can read the specs, see thousands of reviews, etc.
         
         I'm not sure how to take your statement about HP ot being an advertising agency.
         
         The initial comment I wrote was what Hubpages wrote to me.

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            wildernessposted 6 years agoin reply to this

            "I don't have to use them in order to know that they are the best in the market. I can read the specs, see thousands of reviews, etc."
            
            That's the point.  So can anyone else; to add one more comment that they are the best, because other people say so, is worthless.  You might as well go on record as saying that God exists because millions of other people have said so.

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               TessSchlesingerposted 6 years agoin reply to this

               But I wasn't advocating that people use a product. I waas saying things like smartphones have multiple uses and are therefore earth friendly because one can use them as a camera, a calculator, a phone, a computer, etc. This meas that one can one product instead of buying four or five products. This is a multi-functioal product and so it is earth friendly.
               
               People can then buy whatever smartphone they like.
               
               Why must I advocate that they use a particular brand.
               
               The article is on gifts for minimalism. It is talking about ranges of products, not advising people to buy one particular product.
               
               I removed all links and still got another email back saying that it was spammy.
               
               I want to know how it is spammy.
               
               Only in very rare occasion would I advocate products, e.g. a mosquito net and Black Cumin oil. I couldn't name a specific product because it is not the brand that is important . It is the product
               
               It doens't matter what brand it is. I don't advocate brands ever.
               
               So what hubpages is saying is that unless I advocate a particular brand, I'm not allowed to mention a product.
               
               So no saying that using bicyle is more user friendly than using a car, because I have to say which brand of bicycle is better than a car.
               
               I am not advocating a particular brand of bicyles. I would be advocating a range of products because the one range is earth friendly and the other is not.
               
               Can you see what I mean?
               
               From the comments at the bottom of my article, everybody else got the point. Hubpages doesn't, though.

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   2. 60

      TessSchlesingerposted 6 years agoin reply to this

      The point is that Hubpages no longer permits one to advocate a product one hasn't used oneself.
      
      In other words, earning money from Amazon is now no longer a matter of earning as an affiliate, as one can now only earn as an affiliate if one has actually bought and used the product, and can think of saying something about it that no one else has said before.
      
      In other words, one cannot read 30 or 40 other reviews, look at the specification of the product, read the trade magazines, etc, and provide a link to a product without saying anything about it oneself
      
      So you are telling me how to buy the product for $300 online so that I can write a nice review on it that will earn me maybe $5 over the next year if someone actually buys the product.
      
      That would be a very bad business deal for me
      
      
      This is no longer affiliate marketing. This is a reviewing service in that one can only advocate a product if one had personally used it.

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2. 87

   Marisa Wrightposted 6 years ago

   Amazon is not selling its own unique products. I can look at Amazon.com and see hundreds of products that are available from retailers in Australia.

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      TessSchlesingerposted 6 years agoin reply to this

      Yes, but they aren't available in South Africa, and if they are, they are twice the price, plus the average salary in South Africa is about $360 per month.

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         watergeekposted 6 years agoin reply to this

         Tess, from my own experience, I would assume that South Africans are not the only ones reading your articles. People from the US and other countries read them also, do they not? And they can buy from Amazon. So your links will help them, as long as you advocate from personal experience with the product.

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3. 60

   TessSchlesingerposted 6 years ago

   What do you mean? Amazon doesn't service South Africa. If I click on a product, a notice immediately comes up and says, "This product is not availble to South Africa."

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      Marisa Wrightposted 6 years agoin reply to this

      That means the product is not available for you to order FROM AMAZON.  However, it's very likely the product is available for you to buy from other retailers. Very few products are exclusive to Amazon.
      
      Especially books, of course. You could have  read those books in the library or ordered them from a bookshop. Hubpages can't prove otherwise.

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         TessSchlesingerposted 6 years agoin reply to this

         No, I can't read the books in a library. The libraries here have very little budget and books are 10 years old and older.
         
         I haven't been able to read a book on the bestselling list since I returned to South Africa.
         
         One other thing, no international postal service will insure parcels to South Africa. This is because of the high incidence of them 'going astray.'
         
         Also South African internet is still in the 90s. You only know otherwise if you have lived in the first world.

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   psycheskinnerposted 6 years ago

   There will still be things you already own or could easily access that are for sale on Amazon.  Paper, pens, cotton thread, beverages, medicines, shampoo... pretty much anything.  Not every example will be there, but I guarantee some are.

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   1. 60

      TessSchlesingerposted 6 years agoin reply to this

      You are right about that. The problem is that I don't write hubs to sell products. I write hubs to sell ideas.
      .
      So, for instance, if I was explaining how solar panels work, how they are mounted, etc, it would be a good opportunity it link to a solar product.
      
      Now I don't need to have used a solar panel in order to know that in terms of global warming, it is a far better choice than fossil fuel.
      
      I also have the capacity to read dozens of reviews, plus look at the specifications of the product. and decide which is the product best suited to my hub.
      
      The Amazon link is incidental to my hub - not the purpose if my hub.
      
      As I am anti-consumerism because it is destroying our planet, I am not going to be writing about products in order to sell them.
      
      So it is very distressing to me that the few times I actually can link to a product because it fits with what I am advocating, I can't link to it without dreaming up a reason that is different to the ones offered on Amazon.

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         tritrainposted 6 years agoin reply to this

         Even when selling an idea, you could reference a product, such as a book for further reading.  Especially if you enjoyed a version of the book yourself.
         
         I think there's a lot about South Africa that is unknown to much of the world, especially the US. 
         
         I know that one of the things that SA is particularly known for is sustainable agriculture.  I know I learn every time I read about it from SA's experience.

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            TessSchlesingerposted 6 years agoin reply to this

            That's what I did, but because I didn't give my personal review and just inserted a text link, it wasn't accepted. To me, it's more important that the idea is accepted than a product is sold. So if there is a conflict, my higher duty is towards humanity, not to my self
            I am a humanist.

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            TessSchlesingerposted 6 years agoin reply to this

            Yes, but you can't advocate the product unless you have used it yourself.

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5. 87

   Marisa Wrightposted 6 years ago

   I lived in Africa so I understand what you mean, but I was able to order books. Retailers don't insist on insurance. It was my risk if they went astray.

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      TessSchlesingerposted 6 years agoin reply to this

      Marisa. Again. My monthly income is between $250 and $350 per month. My rent is $250 per month and that is about as low as it can go in Cape Town which has the third highest real estate in the world. The other $100 is spent on food. I barely come out.
      
      With what money must I order books?
      
      Bear in mind that I am on the autistic spectrum closer to 70 than 60, living in a third world country that has a high crime rate, plus oodles of other negatives, and my options are not even remotely close to yours.
      
      The bottom line here is that I cannot link to Amazon because I cannot meet the requirements.
      
      I accept that.
      
      Just sometimes I just want to give up.

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         Marisa Wrightposted 6 years agoin reply to this

         Tess, what I'm suggesting is that you pretend. If you have done thorough research and you're confident the product is the right one, and it's available on Amazon, then link to it and say why you think it's the best. Let HubPages prove you don't have personal experience of it! Of course they can't.
         
         What you can't do is pick a random example of that product.  There is little point in selecting a random example of the product anyway, because it probably won't sell.

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            TessSchlesingerposted 6 years agoin reply to this

            Marisa. I'm austistic. I am absolutely and utterly incapable of lying and pretending. I understand what you're saying, but that doesn't work for me. I also apologize. I just went back to the article and found that I hadn't removed the Amazon link. I forgot about it. Also, I didn't realize that the link that spoke about the multifunctioning clothing was a shopping site. I clearly got mixed up with an article about it.
            
            My thanks for your constant kindness to me.

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6. 87

   Marisa Wrightposted 6 years ago

   To put it bluntly, HubPages staff have no idea of the limitations of your location, and they can't prove whether you have used the product or not. If you give a solid review couched in personal terms, drawing on other sources outside Amazon,  you should be fine

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      TessSchlesingerposted 6 years agoin reply to this

      I understand that. I guess I just find it too uncomfortable to do that.

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   tritrainposted 6 years ago

   That's weird.  When I was an Amazon seller I shipped everywhere, it seemed.  But you shouldn't have any problem being an Amazon Associate.  You can sign up for Australia, if you're not already.

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      TessSchlesingerposted 6 years agoin reply to this

      My issue is that I live in South Africa. Amazon does not ship to South Africa because a) it is too expensive and b) there is no insurance for normal services because about half the things that get shipped to South Africa get stolen
      
      Please just accept for reasons I have enumerated several times on this thread that I cannot comply with hp policies regarding Amazin
      
      
      it is now 4am and I would like some sleep.

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8. 87

   Marisa Wrightposted 6 years ago

   You're welcome

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   newbizmauposted 6 years ago

   I agree with Marisa. I had the hardest time trying to save an article I wrote a very long time ago on Squidoo. https://hubpages.com/living/compact-com … -guest-bed I changed the name from something more generic to Why I Love My Sert EZ Queen Bed , I also changed the picture from a picture of the bed to a picture that related to the mood of the review, a guy or guest laying on your sofa meant to descibe how it looks when guest come over and you don't have guest rooms. It wasn't until I changed the entire mood of the review to focus on all the reasons I don't like having guest sleep on the floor or my sofa that it was finally approved. It isn't the get right to the point review article I'm used to writing but I can live with it. I researched a while ago saw review pages that were doing well had to oversell the feeling of not having the item they are reviewing. While I still think it's over kill at least now I know what is working.

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      TessSchlesingerposted 6 years agoin reply to this

      I truly, truly understand what you are saying, and I thank you for sharing your expertise with me.
      
      However I have a certain life view, and I am not comfortable with doing that.
      
      I will consider it.

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10. 86

    paperfacetsposted 6 years ago

    Tess,
    The bottom line is I also feel HPs cuts off our Amazon modules too fast. I have whole articles about a product and have the module edited out.
    And why?
    The links I do have get sales once in a while. A surprise and a happy moment. I still believe every cent counts for some people.
    So many on the forum say give new info, well, when I write about a product and used the product all the experience is new to me. That is the joy of writing to give others your experience or in some cases your "point of view". The cuts of Amazon links may not be thought out, because the editor may have not read your whole review and give the link a second thought.
    Is there a quota? If HPs see X number of Amazon links too many, time to cut some?
    People say it is easy to feature a Amazon link, but I had too many cut to have that opinion.

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    watergeekposted 6 years ago

    I've been confused about how HP handles Amazon links too, so I've been experimenting. Recently I rewrote a hub on how a person can ensure that they drink enough water every day. I submitted it to RemedyGrove with an Amazon capsule included and they accepted it. The product I advocated for was coconut water, which I had listed in the article as one of several healthy supplements to tap water.
    
    There's a particular brand of coconut water that I like---the only one I'll drink these days---and that's what I advocated for. Here is the description I wrote in the capsule:
    
    "Harmless Harvest is the best of all the brands I've tasted by far. When I was a kid we lived in Hawaii for a few years, where we drank coconut water straight from the shell. This brand tastes almost exactly like what I remember. It's the only store-bought coconut water I drink now."
    
    It's all true and there is no way I could have acquired this information from reviews on Amazon. Makes you want to check out the product, doesn't it? That's what I think HP is looking for.

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