Amazon just announced me they will close my account

1. 81

   cameciobposted 11 years ago

   and probably all accounts comming from MN, in the account that the state had passed a law to collect Internet taxes. So, that will not pay any advertising fees to accounts in Minnesota.
   
   I used to make some pocket change from Amazon every month....
   I am sad and mad ( I just lost my full time job with all the benefits two months ago)...
   
   I don't know what to do: keep my Amazon capsules or delete them.
   Any advise?

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      Jo_Goldsmith11posted 11 years agoin reply to this

      I can't stand Amazon. They are trying to do a monopoly with business.
      I guess, it's not enough to be in the shipping of goods, everything from
      CD's books, and Kitchen supplies. Now, they want to dabble into what we see on our televisions! They are getting too BIG for their own dang good!
      And they treat their employees like dirt, and with all the legal stuff with not giving their employees the correct time for hours worked. They had scandal back in 2009-2010, in Arizona.
      Check out on internet.
      I wouldn't worry too much.
      I wish you luck, and I send prayers. :-)

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         cameciobposted 11 years agoin reply to this

         Jo_Goldsmith11, thank you for your prayers.
         I had no idea they are so bad with the employees. But figure...almost all big retailers treat their employees bad. I have worked in retail for 10 years now and I have seen the "beast's" face many time. It is very sad because the retail workers have low wages anyway and in the last years they have been given double or triple the work load, as their CEO s keep spending.
         I have not thought about Amazon the way you put it but maybe I should. It would make me feel better. Lol.

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      To Start Againposted 11 years agoin reply to this

      The same thing happened to me last year. I was so mad! I'm in Illinois and we have the same new law. I wasn't making a whole lot with amazon but it was still a pain. I took out every amazon capsule eventually because I figured, why keep them in there if they arent doing anything for me? Instead, I've started using ebay capsules recently and it's working just fine as a replacement.

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         cameciobposted 11 years agoin reply to this

         I used to make enough to reach the threshold for a gift card every month and the money would accumulate and then I would spend them on things I needed. I don't know if I can do the same with ebay. Also, the traffic has gone so low. I should probably just give up all together, sometime looks more of a hassle then a real pleasure. But I am not a quitter, the least not so easy.

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      Casimiroposted 11 years agoin reply to this

      Gawd, I wish they would put me out of my misery. They have been the worst performer for me of any revenue source. I sympathize with you, however. I hope they at least credit you with whatever balance you have under the $10 threshold.

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2. 92

   e-fiveposted 11 years ago

   Welcome to what Illinoisans have been experiencing for the past two years.
   
   If it makes you feel any better, you should know that Amazon has been on record to support a national bill to charge sales tax on the Internet.  And I am getting Amazon ads from Google AdSense.  I don't think it will be as big of a hit as you suspect-- you might make it up elsewhere.

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   IzzyMposted 11 years ago

   I don't know what Amazon's problem is!
   
   They have been caught out already for tax fraud in the UK, so now have to pay taxes. Their products are still a lot cheaper then elsewhere, so through market forces, they still get the most sales, which is always good for a global team.
   
   In the US, I fail to see any good reason why sales tax can't be collected at point of sale.
   
   It shouldn't affect the affiliate at all.
   
   If your affiliation has been cut, then vice versa you need to do the same and delete all affiliate capsules.
   
   HP would prefer you keep them because they will still earn in their 40% share of the views.
   
   If you are not a registered charity, I see no point myself.

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      cameciobposted 11 years agoin reply to this

      Ditto.

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   cameciobposted 11 years ago

   Thank you e-five. Maybe I am overreacting. They did said something about reopening the account when the Congress would pass another bill they say "look forward to re-opening our program when Congress passes the Marketplace Fairness Act."
   It is going to take effect on June 30th.
   I have 100 hubs and I don't know what to do with tha capsule.
   I saw you have e-bay. Maybe I should switch to ebay too.

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      wildernessposted 11 years agoin reply to this

      I didn't know that Act was set to take effect on the 30th, but did know it is in the works.
      
      Given that, it would seem foolish to delete all your capsules.  You will probably be re-instated soon after the bill takes effect and want those capsules.  In the meantime they aren't hurting anything and can provide a few pennies to the company that gives you a place to write. 
      
      I can almost guarantee that changing them all to eBay is going to be a big disappointment.  In my experience eBay pays almost nothing compared to Amazon, and too many hubbers are saying the same thing.  It takes a lot of traffic to be effective on eBay as they pay per click rather than per sale.

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         cameciobposted 11 years agoin reply to this

         Wilderness...
         You are right...the June 30th is the date my account is going to be disabled.
         But I am reading with interest about E-bay as I never tried it and did not know if is worth it or not. Also, during time I have sold my own worn stuff on ebay. Is that even allowed? To be a selller on ebay and then advertise your own things?
         As for Amazon, that is a good thought, to wait till that said Act. I wish i knew when that would happen.
         But IzzyM had a good point too. They close mine, I delete theirs!

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            wildernessposted 11 years agoin reply to this

            Confusion.  MN law goes into effect July 1, meaning Amazon kicks you out June 30, or the federal law goes into effect June 30 meaning Amazon reinstates you July 1?
            
            You may write a hub with a link to your eBay product being sold by using the function of limiting what buyer to list.  As soon as the item sells, the hub is worthless.  Hardly worth the effort as it takes months for a typical hub to gather any traffic.
            
            Who closes your what?  If you're angry at Amazon, you need to re-direct that towards your greedy state politicians demanding that an out of state company with no presence in MN collect their sales tax FOR them instead of doing it themselves.  That's what they're doing, you know - changing the law to say that YOU are the "physical presence" required to force an out of state company to collect sales tax for them.  Do you feel like you are a physical part of Amazon?  Or any part at all, for that matter - aren't you simply your own business contracting with Amazon?

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               cameciobposted 11 years agoin reply to this

               Wilderness...that was They close my account, I delete their products. Lol.
               Unfortunately I cannot take it up to the state, nor to Amazon.
               Though, if the legislature should represent the "people", Amazon does not. Here, I am both the people, to my state, and the business, to Amazon. But the state doesn't take action against me, it makes a law that takes action towards Internet sales. But Amazon takes action towards me and closes my account. Why? I don't know. Taxes should have nothing to do with advertising fee. If they need to balance the loss they should lower the advertising fee to an acceptable rate for them. But they are punishing me because I accidentally live on the state that collects Internet taxes.

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                  wildernessposted 11 years agoin reply to this

                  Not really; you are but a pawn in the game.  A pawn to the state legislature and a pawn to Amazon.
                  
                  Amazon doesn't want the cost of collecting sales tax for thousands of different locales, all with different and constantly changing tax rates.  Or even the cost of remitting that tax to the proper authority.  Their response is to eliminate the legal fiction of a "physical presence" in any state that makes an affiliate such a presence.  You in this case as your legislature has declared you to be a "physical presence" of Amazon for purposes of collecting sales tax from MN residents. 
                  
                  But Amazon is supposedly working with the federal government to design and implement a nationwide requirement for all internet sellers to collect taxes.  California even suspended their law, allowing the affiliates to continue earning there, on the condition that Amazon work with the Feds.  Such a federal law will give them a level playing field with their competition regardless of their affiliates location.  And remove any reason to kick you out.

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                     cameciobposted 11 years agoin reply to this

                     Looks like nobody wrote yet "The Congressman's guide to Internet business for Dummies"

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                        wildernessposted 11 years agoin reply to this

                        They should have, always assuming that congressmen can read.  The only thing those stupid laws have accomplished so far is to deny income to their constituents and thus lose them some income tax.  Always on the lookout for ways to squeeze more money from the voters, but this one cost them instead.

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                           Dale Hydeposted 11 years agoin reply to this

                           I sell retail on Amazon and elsewhere.  Elsewhere, I have to charge tax for sales.  By Amazon not charging taxes, but other home operated businesses having to charge taxes, Amazon has always been able to undercut the smaller businesses.  Having Amazon collecting taxes will create a more fair marketplace out there I feel.
                           
                           Now, as a Prime member of Amazon, I buy a lot from there, so I will have to pay taxes in the near future if this becomes law.  So it is a two-way street for me on Amazon as a seller and a buyer, lol.
                           
                           One thought comes to mind...As an Amazon Prime member, I get free music, free streaming movies and free ebooks.  These have a 0.00 retail charge on them when I purchase them.  However, one has to keep in mind that there may be a tax charge associated with these items in the future based on the retail price.  I have seen free items taxed before in other places.

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            Dale Hydeposted 11 years agoin reply to this

            If there is a question, I would not delete the capsules.  Simply click the "don't show" box within the capusle.  That way if you need them again, it is a simple click and they are back in your hub without all the extra work.

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   psycheskinnerposted 11 years ago

   When Illinois was drop I deleted my capsules.  Why let them keep all the profits for my work?  Not that I had very many.

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   Maricarmjoloposted 11 years ago

   US have a lot of tax.. It's good to appreciate that here in Bahrain I can't even feel  the taxation in this country

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7. 77

   psycheskinnerposted 11 years ago

   Those greedy politicians wants multimillion dollar companies pay their tax so people can have roads and hospitals and other silly stuff...
   
   I know we all want to make money, but I pay my tax, the corner Mom and Pop store pays their tax, and Amazon should just shut the hell up and just pay their tax too.

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8. 72

   AMFredenburgposted 11 years ago

   Wow, that's pretty hostile and passive-aggressive on Amazon's part. Maybe they think enough people will complain about the Internet tax bill to change the process. You'd think the place would be able to and want to reconfigure their affiliate offerings rather than dumping people who are generating revenue for them.

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      wildernessposted 11 years agoin reply to this

      And yet Amazon is working with congress to design and implement a nationwide system of collecting tax for individual states in such a way that it is affordable for the company.  Considering the number of localities involved (city, county and states, all variable and all continually changing) it will be difficult to do.
      
      Amazon obviously figures that it will cost them more to knuckle under to states wriggling around federal tax laws by claiming affiliates are a "physical presence" of Amazon than they will lose in sales.  They're probably right, too.

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   ologsinquitoposted 11 years ago

   Hi cameciob,
   
   I am sorry to hear about your job loss and I'll pray that you find another good opportunity. Meanwhile, I would definitely use eBay here if you can no longer use Amazon. I haven't explored eBay enough with my own hubs. The few I've used it on do get clicks and I get paid for these clicks. Diversification is also a very good idea, both among revenue-sharing platforms and affiliate accounts.
   
   Although Hub Pages is my favorite, and offers so many advantages,I also write for Zujava, Wizzley, Infobarrel, Seekyt and Bubblews. I have a few articles on Squidoo, but I'm not adding any more at the moment. You don't need your own Amazon account at Zujava, but you can still sell Amazon products. Some platforms, such as Seekyt and Wizzley, allow you to use Zazzle. If you're not familiar with Zazzle, it is an online gift shop where you can create your own brands or earn money selling other people's work.
   
   Best of luck to you.

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    Peggy Wposted 11 years ago

    I also join with others in hoping that you find another job soon.  You have gotten some good recommendations already.  Since you will know the outcome soon on how your legislators vote, I would personally hold off.  After that, if Amazon ads net you nothing...delete!  Add Ebay instead.  A few pennies is better than nothing and if you keep the titles generic enough...something should remain featured.  Good luck!

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       cameciobposted 11 years agoin reply to this

       Thank you Peggy. Maybe I should do ebay instead. People click more the they buy. And then maybe just put one product. It would look, the least, cleaner for readers.

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11. 81

    cameciobposted 11 years ago

    You guys are great and very helpful and I sould be able to make a decision soon. I am not as mad at Amazon as I was last night, thought I think they sould come with a different solution.
    @willderness I understand that Amazon wants my "physical presence" to take action against the state decision but I cannot do that. Here, in MN, we already have some low taxes and no taxes on clothing. At first they wanted to tax clothing but then they gave up. Maybe they were afraid of people's reaction or maybe the Mall of America, which makes good money, persued them to give up, so they raised the taxes on cigarettes and other nonessentials. The discussion about the Internet taxed just sneaked in, I had no idea was coming.
    @ologsinquito, thank you for your prayers. I am going to enjoi the summer. I already bought a short term health insurance. But in the fall is going to be tough.

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    Kathryn Stratfordposted 11 years ago

    That is terrible! Some tax decisions that are made affect people in many more negative ways than you'd think. It's too bad.
    I'm glad others are offering you advice, because I don't have any. Good luck!

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    DigbyAdamsposted 11 years ago

    You should start writing at Wizzley. They have Viglink which will monetize your Amazon links for you. It goes through Viglink and so it doesn't matter where you live. It also lets you work with over 30,000 other affiliate programs. You can also use Viglink on your own site. It isn't just Amazon that won't work with you, most other affiliate programs will no longer let you in their program. Viglink is a way around this. Hope this helps.

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       Casimiroposted 11 years agoin reply to this

       I second that. I use Viglink on my blogs and have been pleased with it. I have not fully utilized it, but it brings in a steady trickle of earnings.

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    jasonyccposted 11 years ago

    Sorry to hear that. I have not reached the level of giving advice on this topic. So, I sincerely hope that you will bounce back from this setback and earn from other sources.

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    Thelma Albertsposted 11 years ago

    Sorry to hear about your job. I hope you´ll fine one soon. Thanks for  this  forum. Now I will not pursue my plan in putting amazon ads on my hubs. Ebay is ok for me. A little but always have a penny shared from them.

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    Greekgeekposted 11 years ago

    There's been some good suggestions here, although it really burns when you get caught in a Nexus Tax tug of war (happened to me, too):
    
    -- Publish on Zujava or Squidoo, and the sales are credited to their Amazon id, then they split the sales with you
    
    OR
    
    -- Publish on Wizzley and sign up with the Viglinks program, which will let you do Amazon sales through Viglinks; again you'll be splitting the sales with Wizzley
    
    OR
    
    eBay capsules on Hubpages or Squidoo
    
    OR
    
    -- Use Zazzle affiliate links on Wizzley, Seekyt, Squidoo (I am a member of the Cafepress affiliate program as well, whose links one can embed on Squidoo or your own websites)
    
    OR
    
    -- Adsense and Viglinks and Zazzle on your own blogs and websites
    
    I've also had limited luck with AllPosters, as well as Adsense on my own original YouTube videos

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