Using Amazon Product Images On Your Site
The question about using Amazon product images on your site comes up pretty often, and I've seen a LOOOT of different answers.
Generally, people want to know if they're allowed to do it.
Believe it or not, my years of building authority and influence means that I am on a first name basis with the head of Amazon's EU affiliate program, so I was able to ask him directly on this.
The answer is...yes, but you have to do it within their guidelines.
You are allowed to use Amazon images, but only if you do so in the following ways:
Allowed
1.) You use the Amazon affiliate stripe and select "image" or "image + text" to generate an HTML code which will display the image.
2.) You use Amazon's API to generate your image. Plugins like EasyAzon and some themes like AuthorityAzon are examples of ways to use the API.
3.) You can get the images directly from the manufacturer with permission.
Not Allowed
You are NOT allowed to copy/download the image and then re-upload it to your site. This also includes taking a screenshot of an image. It's the content of the image that matters, not the actual file, so a screenshot is still not allowed.
Why the difference?
Simple. Amazon does not own every product on its marketplace. A large percentage of products on Amazon are owned by third party manufacturers. They've actually had incidents in the past where the manufacturer has taken their product off Amazon, which means Amz no longer have permission to use the image. This includes affiliates as well.
Now, if you are using the API or the site stripe, Amazon could automatically remove the image from your site and nobody gets in trouble. If you've downloaded it and then uploaded it, you're now using it without permission, and Amazon will get in trouble, meaning that they will ban you from their affiliate program.
Recent Comments
133
Thanks for this information, Dom.
However, only once have I ever had someone contact me about my use of an image on a website.
Given that Amazon will ban you rather than telling you that you broke the rules, it's better to just stay compliant.
Good point, Dom. But doesn't the same also go for the FTC's requirement for the affiliate disclosure needing to be as close to the affiliate links as possible rather than hidden away in a footer link? But I've never heard of anyone getting in trouble for that either.
Also, you say that Amazon are okay with us uploading the images to our websites if we have got permission from the manufacturer. So if Amazon look at my website, they don't know just by looking at it whether or not I got permission. The only way they would know is if the manufacturer was to complain to them, but wouldn't the manufacturer try to contact the website owner directly first rather than go to the affiliate network?
I'm just trying to think about it from the point of view of the manufacturer. If I was a manufacturer of a product, and I came across a website using one of my images without my permission, my first thought probably wouldn't be, "What affiliate network are they with? I'll go and complain to them." I would try to contact the website owner first.
Also, if I was Amazon, high on my list of priorities wouldn't be hunting down websites that are using images without permission. Especially if those websites are making sales for Amazon.
I'm just wondering with all this stuff whether it's just legal technicalities that don't tend to get enforced.
Useful information...I am sure many folks are going to have to make some adjustments...Cheers! Dave : )
My problem with such a policy (which is obviously justified) is the size of images. When you add as they want, you cannot resize it. I make my images very small.
So thank you for this, I am worried now. In fact, I knew about it but pretended not to, and also did not know the real reasons. Now I know.
Useful information.
You can resize the images by adjusting the value following the "SL" in the code provided by Amazon (I just tried it). Urgh, what a huge hassle.
Not sure what you are saying but I am willing to try. So if I take 'Image' from SiteStripe, there is one part of the code
&Format=_SL160_&
I tried by changing this number and it works. How to know the size of the image in kB?
With this I can take only one image for one product. It seems I cannot take other images for the same product?
Yep, that's the code but yeah, I don't know how to check the size of the image in kB. Good question since I really don't want to slow down my site.
And yes, you're right, only one image. Jeez. I'm really not sure what to do. I don't want my site banned but this is a huge headache and gives us very little control over what we can do. Do you know of any cases of Amazon affiliate sites being banned over this? I'm wondering whether to just try my luck and proceed as I have been (not very wise, I know).
No, I do not know about banned sites, but also would not like to know from my own experience.
The reason I want to use an image that is uploaded to my site is because then it doesn't get blocked by ad blockers.
Would be interested to see what % of your site visitors use AdBlock and what % of them would click an image anyway.
Is it worth going into your site and redoing all of your images that have come from Amazon? Or do we just go ahead with this new info and not do it anymore in the future?
This sounds like an impossible mission regardless which way to go. But the rules sound pretty clear, so you know what you have to do.
Note the following: I believe, in many cases they simply cannot be sure if the image is from Amazon or from elsewhere.
It's a risk to keep them there, but I'm not going to change the majority of mine because I'm a bit lazy.
If this is only about linked images then this should be doable. I use 'check the price' and 'buy from Amazon' tabs so do not need linked images in any case. In some posts I do not have such linked image.
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Thank you for the advice!