Amazon, California Affiliates and Taxes

Amazon, California Affiliates and Taxes

To my surprise and many others, the California state law which went into affect on July 1, 2011 came quickly.

And as you can expect, Amazon and other online retailers will or are going to shut down their affiliate programs in the state. It has been estimated that for Amazon affiliates alone, that amounts to about 25000 sites that will no longer be able to advertise Amazon products. All sites, no matter how much money they have made for Amazon will shut down because of the new California law.

The governor of California thought that this is a “common sense idea”. However, did the state government just take an overview of how much revenue they thought they were going to make, without figuring in the possible lose of revenue, or the possibility that the bigger affiliates would move from the state? I wonder?

For those states that do not have these laws, it may be wise to court these companies, they may end up being the greatest revenue gainers in the long run.

Check out below to determine where your state is in the mix of the new law.

States where Amazon collects sales taxes:
Kansas
Kentucky
New York
North Dakota
Washington State

Why only these states? These are the only markets where it has physical stores or offices.

States where Amazon has cut ties with affiliates:

California
Illinois
North Carolina
Colorado

States at risk of being cut off by Amazon due to possible legislation:
Nevada
New Mexico
Missouri
Arkansas (Law Passed)
South Carolina
South Dakota
Minnesota
Vermont
Massachusetts
Rhode Island(Law Passed)
Connecticut (Law Passed)

Amazon has continued to use the 1992 Supreme Court Ruling of (Quill Corporation v. North Dakota) that prohibits a state from forcing a business to collect sales tax unless it has physical stores in the state.

However, because of the recession, and the shortfall many state budgets now have, the state governments are trying to get around these restrictions by passing laws that expand the definition of physical presence.
The states target are e-commerce sites that work with affiliates.

In essence if an affiliate is within the said state that has these new expanded laws of physical presence, they (Amazon) must pay the sales tax because of the sale that was created by the affiliate living within that said state.

As the states attempt to find ways to collect revenue, a new situation could be looming. Could it be federal law or the constitutionality of the state laws regarding this matter.

This article is from myaffiliateplace.blogspot.com

Affiliate Marketing in the 21st Century

Affiliate Marketing in the 21st Century

Affiliate marketing is not as freewheeling as it was when I first started online. But when the FTC rules came into play, the rules of affiliate marketing changed. I must say, I saw some improvements. But yet, those new to affiliate marketing are not aware of these rules.

I’ve decided to give you an insight to these rules. It gives you an idea of some of the rules and how you can be in compliance whether you have a website or blog. Though the FTC rules was said to apply to blogs, it truly affects anyone who is working with affiliate marketing programs, and specifically, how an individual is  promoting those products.

Thus, I’ve decided to create an article that is available on my site for you to review at your leisure. It’s called “The Rules of Affiliate Marketing“. If you are giving reviews, or placing links to products on your site or blog, you may want to review the rules that the FTC has set. It can save you a hefty fine.

This article is from myaffiliateplace.blogspot.com

What and Why of Cloud Computing?

If you want to make money online you can click here to download our Secret Affiliate Book.

What and Why of Cloud Computing?

I don’t know about you, but I’ve been seeing some affiliate programs claiming that they utilize cloud computing. That’s fine and dandy, but what the heck is it. Obviously, it has to be affecting me in some way. However, since I’m online a lot, I began to wonder if I was using “cloud computing” without even knowing it. Surprisingly enough, I have used it and not even known it.

Check my article “Cloud Computing-What is It?” out on my site. You’re learn what cloud computing is and why cloud computing may begin to be utilized more by consumers and enterprise. Yes, this is fairly new technology, but it utilizes a lot of the old technology we know, which means, people are only beginning to use their imagination and ingenuity to what they can and will do with this technology.

This article is from myaffiliateplace.blogspot.com

Affiliate Programs-What Affiliates Need to Remember

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Affiliate Programs-What Affiliates Need To Remember

As we all know affiliate programs are a good way to supplement your income or make good money. But sometimes we a blindsided when an affiliate program decides to either move from what I call “the affiliate brokerage” firm to another, or decides to eliminate their affiliate program altogether. So what do you need to remember?

Though we may be recovering from the recession, we are still seeing websites close and affiliate programs suddenly go idle. And sometimes, you’ll be surprised by some of the affiliate programs that decide to close.

And yes, sometimes they give you little to no warning at all. If, the brokerage firm says  “X” affiliate program is closed and to immediately remove your links, you’ll find that you will not be paid if anyone clicks on your links and decides to buy. Bummer, but that’s the name of the game. So what are some of the possible warning signs to look for an affiliate program closure?

1. The website is not being updated.
2. No new banners or links being offered
3. No messages from the affiliate manager regarding coupon offers or monthly discounts on different products
4. Commissions go down instead of up

And if it is a stand-alone, you may find that you are not being paid or payments are late.

With a brokerage firm, you have a better chance of being paid, however, expect them to put a hold on the links. Which means, the links on your site may say that the “links are not available”.

Again, always be vigilant about your affiliate business. And as the gambler says, “know when to hold them and know when to fold them”.

This article is from myaffiliateplace.blogspot.com

Google Adds New Socialize Feature to Feedburner

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Google Adds New Socialize Feature to Feedburner

Google is adding a new feature that will please bloggers-a new URL shortener that will integrate with Feedburner. And the new “socialize” feature, you’ll be able to use Feedburner to send Tweets out automatically via Feedburner.

I’m sure many bloggers are using a plugin or a service like TwitterFeed to send out their tweets. But for those using Feedburner it’s a nice new option to utilize.

What is Feedburner including within this new feature:

1. Ability to tweet out just the title or include some of the body
2. Adding hashtags
3. Adding something before or after the title
4. Filtering
5. Limiting how many tweets go out.

Even though other services may be offering the same features, Google’s addition to Feedburner makes it a nice convenience to manage everything under one account. Next question-Is it possible that you may see this social connection in your Google Analysis? Let’s wait and see.

This article is from myaffiliateplace.blogspot.com