Getting approved
Amazon Associates: three sales in 180 days, and what Amazon checks when you get there.
The rule in Amazon’s own words, what the reviewer looks at after your third sale, and how to reach three sales without breaking a policy on the way. From Amazon’s help and policy pages.
3 sales
180 days
Review checklist
The short version
- Three qualifying sales within 180 days of applying. Then Amazon reviews your application, usually within a day or two.
- Your own orders do not count, and asking friends or family to buy is forbidden.
- The review checks your Sites: original content (rule of thumb 10+ posts), recent (within about 60 days), public, owned by you, with your tagged links on them.
- Miss the 180 days and the application is withdrawn. You can reapply once the site is established, with a new ID.
Amazon lets you start linking the day you apply. What it does not do is approve you that day. Approval is provisional on you proving the site can actually send buyers, and the proof is three sales. This page covers how that works, what happens at the review, and how new sites reach three without cutting a corner that ends the account.
The rule, in Amazon’s words
| Question | Amazon’s answer | Where it says so |
|---|---|---|
| How many sales? | At least three qualified sales | Application Review Process |
| How long? | Within the first 180 days after you apply | Application Review Process; Account Dormancy |
| Do personal orders count? | No | Application Review Process |
| When is the review? | Within a day or two of the third qualifying sale | Account Dormancy |
| What if I miss it? | The application is withdrawn; reapply once established | Account Dormancy |
| Can I link before approval? | Yes, from the moment you apply | Program Policies, Links on Your Site |
What counts as a qualifying sale
A qualifying sale is one Amazon would pay commission on. In short, a shopper clicks your link and buys within the session rules, and the order then ships and is paid for. How the 24-hour session works explains the timing, including the useful fact that the shopper does not have to buy the product you linked.
What does not count, and in some cases ends the account:
- Your own orders. Amazon’s review page says personal orders do not qualify.
- Friends, family, colleagues. The policies forbid you to “permit, request or encourage” them to buy through your links. Reviewers look for exactly this pattern in new accounts.
- Rewards for clicking. Offering anything, including a donation to charity, in return for using your links is a breach.
- Paid search on Amazon’s name. Bidding on “amazon” or any Amazon trademark is forbidden, and so is sending paid search traffic straight to Amazon.
What the reviewer checks after sale three
Amazon’s Application Review Process page lists what it looks for, Site by Site. The website and social rows are the ones most people need:
Your website
Robust original content, judged with the ads removed. Amazon’s rule of thumb is at least 10 posts. Content should be recent, generally within the last 60 days. It must be publicly available, and you must own the site.
Your social pages
Only Facebook (open groups and fan pages, not personal pages), Instagram, Twitter, YouTube, TikTok and Twitch. List the exact page URL. Established, with a substantial organic following, in most cases at least 500, and posts and follower counts visible to the public.
- Your tagged links are on the Sites you declared. Amazon rejects applications where the declared site has no links carrying your ID.
- Your Site list is current. Amazon asks you to keep it updated so it reviews the right traffic sources. If a sale came from a channel you never listed, add it.
- The disclosure is there. “As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases” on the Site, and a clear label near links. The disclosure guide has the wording.
- No Amazon trademark in your domain or social handle. A URL containing “amazon”, or a misspelling of it, is not allowed.
Get it right the first time. Amazon’s review page says it cannot reassess an application once it has been rejected. Its policies add that after a rejection for any reason other than unsuitable content, you need Amazon’s advance authorisation before you try to join again. Check the list above before your third sale, not after.
How new sites actually reach three sales
Amazon sets the rule; how to meet it is up to you. This is what works on a new site with little traffic, and it is our advice rather than Amazon’s:
- Write for buyers first. “Best X for Y” and “X vs Y” pages convert. Informational pages rarely do inside 24 hours. Your first ten posts should include at least three decision pages.
- Pick products people buy without much thought. Under-$50 accessories, refills and replacement parts sell far more often than a $900 purchase people research for a month.
- Put the link where the decision is made. A button after the verdict paragraph, not only in a table at the bottom.
- Use every channel you have and listed. A YouTube channel or Instagram page you declared in your application can carry links too. Amazon reviews those Sites as well.
- Start early in the window. 180 days sounds long, but Google takes months to rank a new site. Apply when you have about ten good posts, not on day one of an empty site.
For realistic timelines on traffic, how many articles before a site earns has the numbers. And remember a separate threshold sits behind this one. Product data through Amazon’s Creators API needs 10 qualifying sales in the past 30 days, which is why many new sites add products without the API at first.
If the 180 days run out
Amazon withdraws the application and says you are welcome to reapply once the site is established. A withdrawal for no sales is not the same as a rejection for a policy breach, and the closed-account guide explains the difference. When you reapply you get a new ID. Amazon’s help reminds reapplicants to update the links on their site to the new tag, so the links from the first attempt are not left pointing at a dead account. A plugin that stores the tag in one setting makes that a one-minute change instead of a week of editing.
Part of The Amazon Affiliate Site Playbook — the whole job in six stages, from choosing a niche to keeping a mature site earning.
Write the ten posts faster
Ama Affiliate Pro writes buyer-intent comparison articles with tagged product boxes, and changes your tag across the whole site from one setting if you ever need a new one.
Common questions
What is the Amazon Associates 180-day rule?
After you apply, you have 180 days to refer at least three qualifying sales. Amazon reviews your application once you reach three. If you do not reach three in 180 days, the application is withdrawn.
Do my own purchases count towards the three sales?
No. Amazon’s application review page says personal orders do not qualify, and its policies forbid buying through your own links or asking friends, relatives or colleagues to do it.
How long does Amazon take to review after the third sale?
Amazon’s help says it evaluates the application within a day or two of your third qualifying sale and replies with its decision.
How many posts do I need before Amazon approves my site?
Amazon’s rule of thumb is at least 10 posts of original content, and it expects website content to be recent, generally within the last 60 days. Amazon also judges whether the site is useful with the ads removed.
What happens if I do not make three sales in 180 days?
The application is withdrawn. Amazon says you are welcome to reapply once your site is established. You get a new ID, so the links on your site have to be updated to the new tag.
Can I reapply after Amazon rejects my application?
It depends on the reason. If you were rejected for unsuitable content, Amazon’s policies say you may reapply once you comply. If you were rejected for any other reason, you need Amazon’s advance authorisation first, which you request through the Associates contact form.