 | Feedback |  |
This chapter introduces you to Amazon Associates Web Service terminology and concepts. Many of the concepts introduced in this chapter are explored in greater depth in later chapters. The concepts are briefly presented here so that you have a broad understanding of Amazon Associates Web Service and have a context in which you can place the specifics that are presented in later chapters.
Topics
Amazon offers merchants three levels of service:
These merchants use a different technology than Amazon Associates Web Service to do business with Amazon. Silver, gold, and platinum merchant items are returned by Amazon Associates Web Service operations, however. For that reason, these merchant types are described here.
A silver merchant is a partner who sells items on www.amazon.com using the Merchants@ technology platform. Silver merchants:
Pay a monthly fee
Do not sign a contract
Share a merchant attributes file: us-stores/merchants/silver.awobs
Have the ability to create new ASINs
Have the ability to win the buy box
Do not have a storefront on www.amazon.com
A silver merchant does not get as many features as a GoldMerchant or a PlatinumMerchant.
There is a SilverMerchant search index, which is used to return items only sold by Silver Merchants. This search index is a subset of the Merchant index, which is typically used instead. With the Merchant index, you can search using any MerchantId. With the SilverMerchant index, you can only use a MerchantId that belongs to a Silver Merchant.
