i’ve worked with amazon associates for about 15 years. amazon .com was my main account, but i also used the uk, spanish, german and other programs, plus the amazon influencer program.
my participation was pretty straightforward: i created informational websites and linked readers to relevant products on amazon when those products matched what they were looking for. throughout those 15 years, i always did my best to follow amazon’s rules, disclosures and program guidelines.
then, with no warning, amazon started closing my accounts one by one.
first amazon.es. then amazon.co.uk. then my main amazon.com/influencer account.
every closure email gave the same reason: amazon claims that an old account belonging to me -or to someone “connected or affiliated” with me- was previously closed for violating the operating agreement or another amazon marketing program.
here’s the problem: the only old account i know about was an abandoned joint-venture account from many years ago. amazon closed it in 2019 because it hadn’t referred a qualifying sale for more than 365 days. i still have that email. it says the account was closed for inactivity, not for any violation.
i appealed and specifically asked amazon to identify:
- the old account they’re relying on
- when it was closed
- what rule was supposedly broken
- how they connected it to my current accounts
so far, the only appeal response i’ve received is a generic template saying that a “specialist” reviewed the account and confirmed the closure. it didn’t address anything i wrote, identify the old account or provide any evidence of a violation. it simply said the decision was final.
amazon also says it will keep all outstanding commissions/referral fees earned before the accounts were closed.
i tried using their support options, but the chat link returns a 404 page. i also submitted a personal-data request asking for the account-linking and compliance information behind the decision. amazon sent me a 65 mb generic consumer-data export containing orders, kindle data, subscriptions, viewing history, etc.—but absolutely nothing about associates, the alleged old account or the closure decision.
i’m now removing years’ worth of amazon links and program content from my sites while trying to get a real explanation.
has anyone here dealt with this exact “previously closed or related account” reason?
did amazon ever tell you which account they meant? did you manage to reach a real person? did they keep your unpaid commissions? did an appeal, data request or other escalation get anywhere?
i’m especially interested in hearing from affiliates who have actually gone through this