Amazon has reopened its Associates Program to Connecticut residents. This is welcome news from Amazon. Its been two years since since a new law in CT caused Amazon to terminate all of its Connecticut-based associates instead of applying Connecticut sales taxes to Amazon purchases made within the state.
God Be Praised
Thank Christ Connecticut-based Amazon associates are allowed again. Using a third party on my websites for Amazon sales had been quick to set up but hell because it took all the fire out of making those sales. Having to split that 6% (and up) was torture, especially since I was doing all the work.
Making money on Amazon had been fun up till that point, especially creating custom affiliate ads. It is not easy to make money with a movie website and being exiled from Amazon had made it that much harder.
Other e-tailers websites e.g. Walmart, Buy.com, etc. (mentioned here: Make Money Online) do not have the sophistication that Amazon’s website has, thus my sales through them were nothing in comparison to my Amazon sales.
With the restoration in place, I and others can say goodbye and good luck to the associate programs we previously flocked to in the wake of Amazon’s contract termination two years ago.
Zendaya Coleman Double Peace Sign
Why CT Amazon Associates are Now Allowed
With a new Amazon fulfillment center opening in Connecticut, a deal was struck between Amazon and the state of Connecticut. I am guessing it went something like this: you allow us to build a fulfillment center in Connecticut and bring jobs into the state and we will allow you to collect sales tax from your residents on Amazon purchases. It was a win-win for Connecticut and a no-brainer.
Switching Back
All those Amazon Associates that had to use other services and affiliate programs are probably going to or have already switched back to Amazon. I already have. I had to create a new account (my old one could not be restored) but was approved within 24 hours.
When I signed in, I saw that the associates dashboard had changed a little. There were a few new bells and whistles to try out.
Tracking Code
When I signed up for the Amazon Associates Program this time, I set up individual tracking IDs for each of my websites so that I could monitor the clicks and revenue for each of them. The Amazon Associates dashboard allows the user to switch between IDs to isolate clicks and revenue for that ID and for that ID only.
Conclusion
I am overjoyed the conflict between Amazon and Connecticut was resolved and that Connecticut residents can once again enjoy the benefits of Amazon’s Associates Program.
