Amazon Associates is where a huge share of affiliate publishers earn — and where a huge share of them leave money on the table, because the programme's quirks are easy to get wrong. The 24-hour cookie window, the commission rates that vary wildly by category, the tracking IDs that decide what you can measure — each one shapes your income. This guide pulls together everything on Clickolytics about running Amazon Associates well, from setup to the reports that tell you what's actually working.
Getting started and staying compliant
Before the money, the rules: Amazon has real requirements for getting and keeping your account, and a compliance mistake can undo months of work. Know what you're agreeing to, and set up disclosures correctly from day one.
Commission rates by category
Amazon pays wildly different rates by category — from 1% on some health items to 10%+ on luxury beauty. Your niche's rate band sets the ceiling on your EPC no matter how good your pages are, so it pays to know the current numbers cold.
Tracking IDs — the key to measurement
Tracking IDs are how Amazon reports what earned. Use them well — a structured set of IDs across sites, pages, or placements — and your reports become a map of what works. This is the hub sub-topic: start with the guide, then the specifics.
The cookie window
Amazon's cookie is famously short — 24 hours (90 days if the item lands in the cart). Understanding exactly how it works changes how you write, where you place links, and what you can realistically expect to convert.
Reading your reports and earnings
The Associates reports hide as much as they reveal. Knowing the difference between ordered and shipped items, why reversals happen, and how to read per-page performance is what turns a wall of numbers into decisions.
SiteStripe, OneLink and international
Little tools, big time savings — and big mistakes if misused. Know when SiteStripe beats building links manually, and use OneLink so your international traffic earns instead of hitting a dead Amazon page.
Tools and real results
Estimate category earnings, build clean tagged links in bulk, and see the whole approach on real numbers in the case study.
Tools
Frequently asked questions
How long is the Amazon affiliate cookie?
24 hours from the click — meaning you earn on anything the visitor orders in that window. If they add your item to the cart, that extends to 90 days for that cart. Anything bought after the window (without a cart-add) doesn't count.
Can I have multiple Amazon tracking IDs?
Yes. You start with one and can create more (up to a limit, which you can request to raise). Using separate IDs per site, section, or placement lets you see exactly what earns in your reports.
Why do ordered items differ from shipped items in my reports?
Ordered items are what people ordered through your links; shipped (and thus commissionable) items are what actually shipped and weren't returned. The gap is returns, cancellations, and shipping lag — your paid commission tracks shipped, not ordered.
What commission rate does Amazon pay?
It varies by category — roughly 1% to 10%+ depending on the product type, with most everyday categories in the low single digits. Your niche's band effectively caps your earnings per click, so check the current rates for your categories.
Is SiteStripe better than building links manually?
SiteStripe is faster for one-off links; manual or bulk building is better when you need clean, consistent, correctly-tagged links at scale. For a whole roundup, a link builder that strips clutter and applies your tag in bulk wins.