Owning your own website is quite a profitable idea. Before I decided to start managing all of our affiliate links (including Amazon links) using Pretty Link, I had multiple phone and chat conversations with Amazon support to ensure it was OK. But I couldn't easily find written record of that today, so I started another chat with the sole intent of obtaining that written confirmation.
No Guarantees: On the flip side, if your affiliate store doesn't diversify the number of brands it promotes, your income could take a drastic hit if your main merchant removes you due to Affiliate Nexus Tax law or chooses to close down their affiliate program.





And today's guest post comes from one such good friend that I've gotten to know well over the past 6 years because of his awesome websites (one of which actually helped me sell my first product, the iStash), his crazy photography skills, and so much more.
Secondly, everything you sell” counts—even though I link only to my book(s) now (and the majority of my Amazon affiliate sales have been my books), I've received amazon affiliate blog commission for sales ranging from a Self Inking Rubber Stamp to a Garden Gargoyle Sculpture, simply because someone bought these after clicking on my link.

It's especially true now that the big media players are finally waking up to affiliate marketing (NYTime buying WireCutter and SweetHome) and BestReviews (which was already an epic product review site in it's self due to the fact they built their own 10,000 sq ft testing lab) being acquired by Tronc (owns the LA Times and half a dozen more publications).
With the old fee structure in Amazon, these numbers of referred sales could get you between 8.25% and 8.5%. As you might have noticed, this was the top tier in the old pay structure system, and was the highest commission possible to achieve with Amazon Associates.
For example, you will not engage in any promotional, marketing, or other advertising activities in any offline manner, including by using any of our or our affiliates' trademarks or logos (including any Amazon Mark), any Content, or any Special Link in connection with an offline promotion or in any other offline manner (e.g., in any printed material, mailing, SMS, MMS, email or attachment to email, or other document, or any oral solicitation).