> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.getjasin.com/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Connect Amazon

> How to connect your own Amazon credentials to Jasin, and what each connection status means.

## Why Jasin asks for your Amazon credentials

Amazon gives out product data through its Creators API, and it gives access to that API to
individual Associates accounts, not to tools like Jasin. So you bring your own credentials, and
Jasin uses them to fetch prices, images, and titles for your cards.

You keep control. Your credentials stay yours, the product data is pulled under your own Amazon
account, and you can disconnect at any time.

<Info>You only do this once. After you connect, Jasin keeps your cards up to date on its own.</Info>

***

## Before you start

You need an Amazon Associates account. If you don't have one yet, sign up at
[affiliate-program.amazon.com](https://affiliate-program.amazon.com/) first. It's free.

***

## Get your credentials

<Steps>
  <Step title="Sign in to Associates Central">
    Go to [affiliate-program.amazon.com](https://affiliate-program.amazon.com/) and sign in with
    your Associates account.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Open Tools, then Creators API">
    Amazon also lists this as the Product Advertising API, and it moves the menu around from time to
    time. If you can't spot it, search the page for "API".
  </Step>

  <Step title="Create a credential">
    Create a new credential. Amazon shows you three things: a **Credential ID**, a **Credential
    Secret**, and a **version** number such as 3.1.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Copy the secret straight away">
    Amazon shows the secret once. If you close the page without copying it, you have to create a new
    credential.
  </Step>
</Steps>

<Warning>
  Treat the credential secret like a password. Anyone who has it can spend your Amazon API quota.
</Warning>

***

## Connect it to Jasin

<Steps>
  <Step title="Open the connect form">
    Go to [Settings](https://getjasin.com/settings) and find the Amazon API card. You'll also see
    this form the first time you add a product, since connecting is step one of adding your first
    card.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Paste your credential ID and secret">
    Jasin encrypts the secret before storing it and never shows it again, not even to you.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Pick your version">
    Choose the version Amazon showed next to your credential. Most people in the US have **3.1**.
    The UK is 3.2 and Japan is 3.3.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Click Connect">
    Jasin checks the credentials with Amazon right away and tells you what it found.
  </Step>
</Steps>

***

## What each status means

| Status               | What it means                                                                            | What to do                                                         |
| -------------------- | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------ |
| **Connected**        | Amazon is serving product data.                                                          | Nothing. Your cards update on their own.                           |
| **Not eligible yet** | Your credentials are correct, but Amazon isn't serving product data to your account yet. | Wait, and make some qualifying sales. See below.                   |
| **Invalid**          | Amazon rejected these credentials.                                                       | Check for a typo, or create a fresh credential and paste it again. |
| **Untested**         | Saved, but not checked with Amazon yet.                                                  | Use **Check again** on the Amazon API card.                        |

***

## "Not eligible yet" explained

This is the most common status for new accounts, and it is not a mistake on your part.

Amazon only serves product data to Associates accounts that have made recent qualifying sales.
Roughly, that means about three sales in the last 180 days, though Amazon sets the exact bar and
changes it without notice. Until you clear it, every product request comes back refused.

**What this looks like in Jasin:** your cards keep working and keep earning, but their prices freeze
at the last value Jasin was able to fetch.

**What to do:** keep sharing your existing cards and links. Once your sales qualify, Amazon opens up
the API on its own.

<Info>
  You don't have to keep checking. Jasin re-checks accounts in this state once a week and emails you
  as soon as yours starts working.
</Info>

***

## Frequently asked questions

<AccordionGroup>
  <Accordion title="Can I use Jasin without connecting Amazon?">
    You need a connection to create new cards, because Jasin has to fetch the product data from
    somewhere. Cards you already made keep working.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Is this the same as my affiliate tag?">
    No, they're two different things. Your affiliate tag decides who earns the commission on a click.
    Your credentials decide who Amazon serves product data to. You need both.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Can Jasin see my credential secret?">
    No. It's encrypted before it's stored and never shown again. If you lose it, create a new
    credential in Associates Central and paste that one instead.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="What happens if I disconnect?">
    Your existing cards keep working and keep their last known prices. You won't be able to create new
    cards until you connect again.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="My status says Invalid but I copied it correctly.">
    Check that the version matches what Amazon showed next to the credential. A correct ID and secret
    with the wrong version is rejected the same way a typo is.
  </Accordion>
</AccordionGroup>

***

## Still stuck?

Email [support@getjasin.com](mailto:support@getjasin.com) and include your account email and the
status shown on your Amazon API card. Don't send your credential secret.