Amazon is a popular online platform which allows you to buy anything. Regardless if you want to buy clothes, gardening materials or toys for your kids, Amazon has it. This website is basically your one-stop shop when it comes to your needs! But aside from being an e-commerce hub, Amazon also provides solutions for people who want to earn. Yes, you’ve read that right. With Amazon Affiliate Program, you can earn commissions – and all you have to do is to promote products which are sold on Amazon. You’ll make money once a customer uses your affiliate link in purchasing a product from Amazon. If you think this is something up your alley, don’t sign up just yet. Let this article help you come up with a sound decision by assessing the pros and cons associated with the program.

In a nutshell, Amazon Affiliate Program is aimed to help you make money. This is probably the reason why this program is gaining more and more affiliates throughout the years. Aside from this obvious reason, listed below are also some of the pros you can experience from the program:

It’s very easy to get started

Unlike other affiliate programs online, starting with the Amazon Affiliate Program is very easy. Signing up is free, and once you’ve done it successfully, you’ll be provided with all the necessary tools, reports and everything else you’ll need to earn. Amazon will make it easy for you to make money online.

There’s a huge amount of products to promote

It’ll be difficult for you to promote a product when you don’t have any interest towards it in the first place. This can lead to lesser sales. The Amazon Affiliate Program can bridge this gap. Since Amazon offers a wide variety of products, you’ll surely find one which is your niche, making it easier for you to promote and earn.

You’ll be paid on time

Amazon never missed out on paying their affiliates. This is something which is very crucial when it comes to affiliate programs.

There are many tools to use

Because of the number of tools available on Amazon, promoting products will be easier for you. All of these are free and are made exclusively for affiliates of the program. Some of these tools are:

  • There’s a link tool which allows you to make an affiliate link as plain text, image or a combination of both text and image. This tool will make it easier for you to indicate your affiliate link in different marketing channels.
  • Native shopping adverts allow you to add a responsive advertisement which can blend well with different websites.
  • They also have reporting tools which will allow you to determine which marketing channels generate the most number of sales. This information will make it easier for you to decide which marketing channels to continue or discontinue.

If you’re planning to use Amazon Affiliate Program in the future, you shouldn’t only focus on the benefits it can give you; you should also take time to consider the cons associated with it. You need to see the program in the bigger picture so you’d know what to expect. Listed below are some of the cons of Amazon Affiliate Program:

Limited payment options

One of the biggest setbacks of this program is its limited payment options. You can only get your money from direct bank transfers, Amazon gift cards, and checks. PayPal, which is the most accepted payment option worldwide, is not supported by this program.

There are strict terms

Terms are necessary to create an even ground for everyone. But some affiliates consider Amazon’s as strict. For example, you’ll be blocked from the program if you weren’t able to make a sale after 90 days of creating the account. Additionally, if you or your relative use your affiliate link to buy any product from Amazon, you won’t earn a commission from it.

Commission rates are small

This program is commission-based. This means that if you want to make more money, you have to sell more products. This will require you more marketing efforts and time. For example, if you were able to sell six products in a month, you will just get 4% of your total sales. If you want to earn the maximum commission rate which is 8.50%, you have to sell at least 3,131 products. This number isn’t very easy to accomplish.

Cookies only last for 24 hours

When a customer clicks on your affiliate link redirecting to Amazon, they should purchase a product within the next 24 hours. Any purchases done outside of the time frame, even if it’s using your affiliate link, won’t reward you with any commission. Compared to other affiliate programs, Amazon Affiliate Program offers a shorter cookie tracking time. This cookie can extend for 90 days if the customer adds this item to their shopping cart.

Decide Wisely

Many people think that before you can make money, you need to have an appropriate educational background and professional experience. Sure, this might be true decades ago but with the advent of technology, anything is now possible – and earning money is just one of its significant breakthroughs. With different avenues online, Amazon Affiliate Program being one, you can make money even if you’re juggling between several responsibilities. If you’re leaning towards using this program as your source of income, assess its pros and cons first. Know what you’re getting into, so this decision will lead to positive results, and not the other way around. If you think the pros outweigh the cons, go ahead and sign yourself up to become an affiliate. You can also learn a lot about online businesses through Entrepreneur Journal Review for added convenience.

Update May 2021

For an  in-depth, comprehensive, and actionable you can also refer to this excellent article covering Amazon SEO