2 Questions RE: Amazon Affliates

1. 83

   I Am Rosaposted 11 years ago

   Okay, I feel silly, but I'm stumped on this and hope someone can help me figure this out.  Plus, I have a question about the new HP Amazon Program ...
   
   1.  I've had an Amazon Affiliate account since August 2011, but have never been paid.  I've tried to read their report to determine out how much I've earned and can't figure it out or find anything in their help center about it.  Can someone please explain to me which part of this report tells me what I've actually earned?  Is it the Shipped Items Revenue, Advertising Fees, or both?
   
   
   
   Ummm - okay the images is really small ... the full size image is here:  Amazon Summary Images
   
   
   2.  Now that I've switched over to the new HP Amazon Program, will the earnings from above be integrated into the HP program earnings?
   
   Thanks for the help!
   Rosa

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   1. 76

      IzzyMposted 11 years agoin reply to this

      Your total sales value is $440 or thereabouts, but your actual earnings will be a fraction of that.
      Amazon work on a sliding scale dependant on number of items sold. If you sell up to 6 items, you get 4%, 7 to 30 you get 6%, 31 and above you get 6.5% and so on up till 8.5%.
      
      This is roughly-speaking. Amazon have the exact numbers in their terms and conditions.
      
      Some items, notably electronics, are pegged at 4% commission.
      
      So your $440 could earn you between $16 and $30, it'll be on your report somewhere.
      
      No your earnings from Amazon will not be added to the Hubpages version of Amazon. If you sign over to Hp Amazon you will start out at a higher rate of commission, but cannot add to your existing earnings if it has not reached minimum payout level. 
      
      Hope this helps. I strongly advise you read over your Amazon report again to see what you have earned, and the payment options. Do not sign over to Hp until you have reached payout level on Amazon.

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      1. 86

         jansharesposted 11 years agoin reply to this

         Question IzzyM: I just got my first Amazon sale since joining the new HP program. The rate is showing 8.19%. Does that mean somewhere along the way with the old program I sold several items to get to that percentage? I don't recall selling that many items. I haven't even reached enough to get the gift card yet. I'm happy about the rate but confused.
         Edit: This thread breaks it down nicely with links offered by wilderness and paradigmsearch but I still really don't get it. Maybe I'm thinking too hard.
         http://hubpages.com/forum/topic/120336

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         1. 87

            Marisa Wrightposted 11 years agoin reply to this

            The basic fact is:  your personal Amazon membership has nothing to do with your membership of the HubPages Amazon program.  They are two totally separate things. Amazon doesn't even know you've signed  up for the HubPages Amazon program because it's an internal scheme managed by HubPages.
            
            When you joined the HP program, it didn't affect your personal Amazon account, which still continues as before. You can still use it on other blogs or websites.  That's why the earnings from your personal Amazon account can't possibly be transferred over to the HP program.
            
            You've earned 8.19% on that sale because you're now part of a big pool of Hubbers who are in the HP program. Everyone in the program gets the same percentages.  Together we're sending a much bigger volume of customers to Amazon than we did individually, so that has pushed us into a higher percentage commission per item.

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            1. 86

               jansharesposted 11 years agoin reply to this

               Thank you.

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   2. 87

      Marisa Wrightposted 11 years agoin reply to this

      Look for "Earnings Report" in the left sidebar of the Amazon Associates screen.  In "Select a Date Range", select the dates for your time on Amazon and click "display on page".  That will show you how much you've earned in total for the whole time - and, since you've never been paid, the total is how much is sitting in your account. 
      
      The next thing you should do is check your settings.  Click on "Account Settings" at the top of the page.    First, click on "change your contact information" and check that your address is correct.   Now go back to the previous screen and "change payment method". 
      
      As a Canadian, you have to reach $100 (US) to receive payout. If you're a long way from reaching that level, then you'd be wise to change your payment method to "gift certificate", which will pay out at only $10. 
      
      
      
      No.  Your personal Amazon account continues as before.   It's not linked to, or affected in any way by, the HP program, so the balance can't possibly transfer over. 
      
      If you're anywhere near the $100 mark, then it would be worth deactivating the HP program and sticking with your own Amazon account until you reach payout.  However, if you're still a long way off, I'd recommend switching to a gift certificate which will enable you to get the value of the existing balance.

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2. 83

   I Am Rosaposted 11 years ago

   Thank you for your replies, ladies.  I'm glad to know that the HP Amazon Program is completely separate.  I find HP a LOT easier to understand and deal with.
   
   The image I posted is the summation of the full earnings report, so the columns and numnbers are the same, so was still stumped.  Is the Revenue what I'm supposed to get or the Advertising Fees?
   
   I broke down and contacted Amazon this afternoon.  The simple answer is:  Advertising Fees ... Since I *just* broke the $20 mark, I switched to gift certificate payment ...
   
   THEN accidently discovered that in my account section, if you click on "View Payment History" it actually tells you what your unpaid balance is.  I've never clicked that because I've never been paid, so I didn't think I had a payment history   It would have been nice if the Amazon help dude had mentioned this instead of the long and complicated answer he gave.
   
   Sooooooo, for anyone coming into the thread after the fact wondering how to figure out what your Amazon Associates earnings actually is:
   
   Go to your Amazon Associates account, click on the link that says  "View your payment history" ...
   
   Thanks again, LizzyM and Marisa Wright!! 

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