What the????? is Going on Here??

1. 86

   DzyMsLizzyposted 7 years ago

   I don't make a lot of Amazon earnings/sales/referrals.  I've had perhaps a maximum of 3 since I opened that affiliate account back in 2010.
   
   Today, I had to go in and change my email address on Amazon to the current one I gave them by phone, for shipping a return label.  (My prior attempt to change it a couple of years ago did not 'take,' and then I forgot about it.)
   
   I don't know if that is what caused the issue, or not, but when I went into my affiliate account, there was this message:
   
   "Alert Account Closed
   This account is closed and will not generate referrals. Access to this site is for historical purposes only."
   
   I never closed the account  manually or by choice.  What is going on here?  Did changing the e-mail address there cause this problem?  Or did they do that before, (and without warning),  because I did not generate enough income for them?

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   1. 91

      Jodahposted 7 years agoin reply to this

      This is disturbing MsLizzy. I should go and check out my account as well as I have had an affiliate account for about three years and never made a sale. This may explain why. If our accounts have been closed any Amazon ads we place on our hubs is for nothing. (Even though they keep reducing the number we can have anyway)

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   2. 87

      TIMETRAVELER2posted 7 years agoin reply to this

      This is an interesting situation for me. 
      
      Awhile back I had a blog and used my Amazon affiliate account with it, but never made the first sale.
      
      About a year ago I published a book there and did make some sales, but haven't had any in quite some time because I have done zero marketing.
      
      I haven't heard from them, but if a dormant account is cause for closure, then I've got a real problem because if I do make a sale of a book, I won't get paid!  This really sucks!  It means I did all that work for nothing!

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      1. 88

         Marisa Wrightposted 7 years agoin reply to this

         You could always republish the book on BookTango instead, which will get it distributed to a wider variety of bookstores.  Since your book is already formatted it shouldn't be too hard to do, or you can pay them to do it for you.

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   3. 75

      brakel2posted 7 years agoin reply to this

      My account is closed, and I may have received an email that i never read. We are therefore not a part of the HP Amazon program, i guess. I only had a few sales, so never made payout. Thanks for the heads up..

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      1. 88

         Marisa Wrightposted 7 years agoin reply to this

         Yes you are, the HP Amazon program is separate.  Just make sure you have your Earnings Settings correct and that you are using the HP program, not your own.
         
         http://hubpages.com/community/forum/134 … ost2787036

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   4. 86

      bravewarriorposted 7 years agoin reply to this

      When you changed your email address with Amazon, you should have done the same in your HP Amazon linked address. I had to go through this process when I changed IP carriers. I learned the hard way (after months of updating my address all across the web) to never again attach my email to my Internet Provider Service. Stick with GMail and  you won't have the problems I encountered.,

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      1. 86

         DzyMsLizzyposted 7 years agoin reply to this

         It is G-mail; it used to be Yahoo--that was the change I made.  However, my HP e-mail is tied to the one I use for PayPal, as it has to be, and I changed it on amazon to the OTHER g-mail account I use for my personal mail, as that's what I gave them by phone for a product replacement..
         
         I guess that was a mistake--however, it's been a LONG time since I even tried to sign in to my Amazon account, since I can't shop there (they don't take PayPal, and we don't have credit cards), so I don't know if the account closure happened some time back, or just with this recent change...  Oh well...
         
           I've never used the e-mail that 'comes with' our ISP....

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2. 93

   Phyllis Doyleposted 7 years ago

   A few months ago Amazon sent out emails notifying affiliates to verify that their sites were child friendly and we had to confirm that. Did you get such an email? If you did not confirm "child friendly" (or something like that) the account might have been closed then.

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3. 93

   Phyllis Doyleposted 7 years ago

   I found the email I had received from Amazon:
   
   COPPA NOTICE - Children's Online Privacy Protection Act
   Our records show that you have not completed the declaration confirming that none of your websites are directed at children under the age of 13. This declaration is a mandatory requirement for participation in the Amazon Associates Program, and as such, your payments have been placed on hold as of August 31, 2015. On October 31, 2015, your account will be closed if your declaration has not been completed. Any final funds payable will be issued via the payment method we have on file. Once your account is closed it cannot be reopened.
   
   Take Action Now
   
   To complete the declaration:
   1. Sign in to your Associates Central account at: https://affiliate-program.amazon.com
   2. Click on “Account Settings”, then click on “Edit your website list”
   3. Ensure 'Your website list’ is accurate – by adding new websites or removing existing ones from the list.
   4. Click on “Next” and complete the declaration process.
   
   If you have questions or issues regarding your Amazon Associates website list, please contact Amazon Associates Customer Service

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   1. 86

      DzyMsLizzyposted 7 years agoin reply to this

      Oh, damn... Well, since I had tried to change my e-mail address over a year ago, and it did not seem to 'take,'   I left it be; (got sidetracked and forgot), but that e-mail account was on Yahoo, which was becoming problematic, and I abandoned that e-mail, changing to a g-mail account.
      I can't even get back into the old one anymore...So, I guess that might explain why I never saw any such notice to confirm anything.  Crud!
      
      I guess I will just leave it, and end up forfeiting the meager $$ I have earned, because it seems that it is too late now, anyway.  I think I have made all of about $15 total over the years, on only 3 sales--very sporadic--certainly not once every 90 days--more like one in a year...

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4. 0

   calculus-geometryposted 7 years ago

   Phyllis's explanation could be the reason.  Also, a while back before they did the website-not-aimed-at-children declaration thing they also said they were going to close accounts with only sporadic sales, I think the threshold was 90 days without a sale.  So your account might have been closed for that reason a long time ago.  When was the last time you checked it?
   
   I don't think there's anything to prevent you from creating a new Amazon Associates account with a new email if you think you can sell at least one item every 90 days. And if you do don't forget to do the declaration thing.

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   1. 86

      DzyMsLizzyposted 7 years agoin reply to this

      Yeah--I even tried to look up past earnings--it said something about the page being for "historical reference only,"  but I couldn't even change the date range to find out if I did have any back earnings--as soon as I filled out the dates, the box disappeared before I even had a chance to check on "apply dates"
      BAH!
      So, if I did open a new account, then I have to start all over with HP, deleting and re-doing associate # etc..  the heck with it--wasn't worth diddly squat, anyway,.

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      1. 91

         Jodahposted 7 years agoin reply to this

         I tried to sign in to Amazon and it won't even accept my email address and password, so I take it that is proof my account has been cancelled. I won't bother reapplying or placing any Amazon ads on hubs.

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         1. 86

            DzyMsLizzyposted 7 years agoin reply to this

            Yeah--me either..  I'll probably gradually go through my hubs and remove all the Amazon capsules....pain in the drain...

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      2. 88

         Marisa Wrightposted 7 years agoin reply to this

         No you don't, because you're using HubPages' Amazon account, not your own -  I hope.
         
         Go and check your Earnings page. Under "Settings", does your Amazon account start with "hubacct..."?
         
         If it does, then you're being paid for your Amazon ads through the HubPages Earnings Program, not directly on your own Amazon account.  Which is probably why they closed your account, if you're not using it on any other sites, because you won't have made a sale for years.
         
         http://hubpages.com/help-answer/affilia … on-signup/

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         1. 86

            DzyMsLizzyposted 7 years agoin reply to this

            Ohh..okay.  Yes, it starts with "hubacct..." and says 'active.'  Whew.  I wasn't looking forward to that task!  Thanks, Marisa!
            
            I thought it was all the same thing, since I've never used it elsewhere, and HP was the reason I signed up for the affiliate program to start with, so when it said 'account closed,' I thought I was "doomed" here.. 

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5. 0

   Snakesmumposted 7 years ago

   I had the same message as DzyMsLizzy, but since I've never made a sale with Amazon, I just left the account as deleted.   If any sales are made on HP, then it will be shared revenue with them. 
   Can't remember ever seeing the child safe email that Phyllis mentioned.

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6. 89

   Nell Roseposted 7 years ago

   I never knew this! I had better go check mine, I wondered why I hadn't had an sales lately!

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7. 84

   firstcookbookladyposted 3 years ago

   So, if you get ** in the Amazon spot, where do the sales $$ go? PayPal?

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   1. 93

      Titiaposted 3 years agoin reply to this

      Did you realize you commented on a 3 year old post?

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