Amazon Affiliates - What images to use on my website?

[Vasil Arnaudov]

Hi there! I've just launched a website. I want to monetize it through Amazon's affiliate program. Basically, I will write reviews of top tech products. If people like some of the products and buy them through one of the links on the review, I will receive comission (affiliate marketing). I have a few concerns about the product images I want to use on my website.

Is it legal to download, edit and use some of the images of a product listed on Amazon? Do you know if this is against Amazon's terms and conditions and could it lead to ban from their affiliate program? If yes, where can I find free product images I can use for my reviews?

 

[fisicx]

Is it legal to download, edit and use some of the images of a product listed on Amazon?

No

Do you know if this is against Amazon's terms and conditions and could it lead to ban from their affiliate program?

Yes

If yes, where can I find free product images I can use for my reviews?

You contact the manufacturer of the product. Or take your own from the product you are reviewing - which you will of course have to pay for (no point in reviewing a product if you haven't tested it yourself).

 

[Vasil Arnaudov]

Are you 100% sure about the images, because I know many participants in Amazon's program who have been using images from Amazon for years and haven't been banned. I've heard some of them contacted different amazon representatives and most of them said it's OK to use images from their website...

 

[fisicx]

Have you contacted amazon and asked the question?

If you are doing a review you really need your own images taken while you write the review. Like this: http://www.trustedreviews.com/apple-watch-2-review

 

[Scott@KarmaContent]

If you are using Wordpress, there is an Amazon Affiliate plugin made and distributed by Amazon themselves. There's a link to it on your associates homepage. You can choose from various types of links including image ones there. You would think that you would be OK using this as long as your site complies with all the other Amazon conditions.

 

[Vasil Arnaudov]

You can choose from various types of links including image ones there.

Yes, I'm using Wordpress. Thank you for the idea. But there is one issue. Most people are using adblocker and if I add an image with this plugin the image will probably not be visible on browsers with adblocker... I have to test it.

 

[dan1990]

its fine. 99% of review sites will of never had the product themselves

 

[Vasil Arnaudov]

We plan on buying all products in the future and test them manually. But to do so we need some profit first...

 

[Iain_Henderson]

From what I can find out when you add an image to Amazon's catalogue you give up your rights to Amazon.

So if you are using the image on your own website but the sale will be on Amazon that's ok (as I'm sure Amazon allow affiliates to use the images)

However, if the sale is not on Amazon (own website, eBay, etc) then you need permission from the image holder.

 

[Vasil Arnaudov]

However, if the sale is not on Amazon (own website, eBay, etc) then you need permission from the image holder.

The sale will be on Amazon. We will direct all people to amazon using their own images. That's why I think it should not be a problem but you never know. In the future, I will buy all products and take images myself just to be on the save side, but right now I can't afford to do so.

 

[Alan]

It isn't difficult to read the Amazon affiliate terms & conditions.

But basically, if you use Amazon images then you can't copy them onto your website you use their links to the images provided.

What will get you banned from Amazon is
1. Using Amazon content as your own ( images, words & especially reviews )
2. Not being clear that the items you link to are being sold by Amazon
3. Using Amazon trademarks in graphics & logos & banners that were not created by Amazon
4. Not being clear on your web pages that you are an affiliate of Amazon and that you get paid commission
5. Using Amazon trade marks in PPC campaigns
6. Direct linking PPC to an Amazon product

 

[Vasil Arnaudov]

Thank you for the comprehensive answer Alan! I've read the T&C and I know officially you should not use images from Amazon as your own (downloading them and uploading them on your website). But if you take a look at some of the top websites appearing on Google's front pages for popular search querise, you will easily spot that 8 of 10 smaller blogs use Amazon's images and are yet not banned. And I know some of these websites have been doing this for years and earning thousands of $ without any problem with Amazon. That's what confuses me...

 

[Alan]

Can you show me an example?

Most I have looked at are not using Amazon's own images, but the manufacturers stock product images. Manufacturers normally grant general usage rights to sites directly selling or promoting their products.

 

[Vasil Arnaudov]

Search for these website: groomandstyle, myshaverguide, 10beasts
They have occupied the first page for very popular search querie "best electric shavers 2016". They use the images from Amazon.

 

[Alan]

I have done a quick audit of myshaverguide and 10beasts and on none of the 10 or so images I checked they are not using the exact same image on Amazon, there are variations, but using Google Images can show up the differences.

10beast makes some $100,000 per month in affiliate revenues. They won't be stealing images and bending rules, too much to lose.

 

[Vasil Arnaudov]

When I check with tineye, it shows that the same image as one of the shavers on 10beast has been used on 1098 other websites (with small edits).
I don't know how you check whether or not the image is the same as the one from Amazon, but it looks exactly the same to me and to TinEye...

 

[Alan]

So in that case, if its on 108 websites including Amazon, then it is likely to be the manufacturers image, so no issue as its not taken from Amazon

 

[humana]

Hi there! I've just launched a website. I want to monetize it through Amazon's affiliate program. Basically, I will write reviews of top tech products. If people like some of the products and buy them through one of the links on the review, I will receive comission (affiliate marketing). I have a few concerns about the product images I want to use on my website.

Is it legal to download, edit and use some of the images of a product listed on Amazon? Do you know if this is against Amazon's terms and conditions and could it lead to ban from their affiliate program? If yes, where can I find free product images I can use for my reviews?

I think you have to do graphically design that Amazon said
"DIY Graphics: You can use graphical elements you’ve designed yourself, but as with photos, you should ensure any graphical elements you’ve used aren’t subject to copyright."
As I did in my web.

 

[Leonardo Gonzalez Dellan]

You should only use the copyright images on your website.

 

[humana]

You should only use the copyright images on your website.

But how can we find? Is there any tricks ?

 

[fisicx]

But how can we find? Is there any tricks ?

You pay for them or you take your own pictures.

 

[TamaraA]

Hi there! I've just launched a website. I want to monetize it through Amazon's affiliate program. Basically, I will write reviews of top tech products. If people like some of the products and buy them through one of the links on the review, I will receive comission (affiliate marketing). I have a few concerns about the product images I want to use on my website.

Is it legal to download, edit and use some of the images of a product listed on Amazon? Do you know if this is against Amazon's terms and conditions and could it lead to ban from their affiliate program? If yes, where can I find free product images I can use for my reviews?

You need to add credentials to your images. For example, you need to add said your image is from Amazon or add a button which can link your site to Amazon with image.

 

[bmt Promotions]

You should only use the copyright images on your website.

 

[Ashley_Price]

Are you 100% sure about the images, because I know many participants in Amazon's program who have been using images from Amazon for years and haven't been banned.

Just because "many participants" are doing it, doesn't mean it's legal. Just because many people speed on the roads, doesn't mean it's legal. Over 500 people a year are murdered in England and Wales, but that doesn't make it legal either.

 

[onebasemedia]

There will be no issue in using images of a product listed on Amazon as it is likely to be the manufacturers image.

 

[Ashley_Price]

There will be no issue in using images of a product listed on Amazon as it is likely to be the manufacturers image.

Unless you know that for certain, it's not worth the risk. And besides there could still be copyright issues in using the image without permission.

 

[GraemeL]

Everyone knows this is old thread?

 

[Richard Patey]

Yeah you need to use tools / wordpress plugins that pull the image using the amazon product advertising api