The short answer: Amazon's published rules don't forbid shortening an Associates link, but they set conditions, and a few of them catch people out. The tag has to stay in the final Amazon URL. The link can't be built so that it's unclear you're linking to Amazon. Print is off limits. This page quotes the rules as Amazon words them (read 2026-10-25), says what each one means for a redirect, and lists what Elido can and can't do. It isn't legal advice. When your case is unusual, ask Amazon Associates support in writing. Sellers, as opposed to Associates, shop for a different kind of tool, and Elido vs Pixelfy looks at one built around Amazon seller links.
It builds on the wider affiliate URL shortener guide, which covers sub-IDs and EPC across programs.
What Amazon's rules say
We read the Associates Program Policies and the Operating Agreement on 2026-10-25. The policies page is where the shortener and cloaking language lives. The agreement itself doesn't mention shorteners, cloaking or redirects, but it incorporates the Program Policies by reference in section 12.
| Topic | What the text says (paraphrased closely) |
|---|---|
| Shorteners, 6(w) | A link shortener or similar placement is restricted when used "in a manner that makes it unclear that you are linking to an Amazon Site." |
| Cloaking, 6(v) | You may not "cloak, hide, spoof, or otherwise obscure" the URL of your site containing Special Links, so Amazon can "reasonably determine the site or application from which a customer clicks through." |
| Tag, 2(a), 2(b) | Special Links must use the Associates ID Amazon assigned you, and the tag goes in the URL as a parameter. They must be "accessed directly from your Site." |
| Sub-tags, 2(b) | Sub-tags are issued on request and approved; you may never tie a sub-tag or other ID to a specific end user. |
| Offline, 4 | No promotion with Special Links "in any offline manner", including printed material and ebooks. |
| Email and DMs, 4 | Allowed only where the communication is solicited, meaning the recipient opted in. |
| Disclosure, Agreement 5 | You must clearly and prominently state: "As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases." |
Two things are worth underlining. First, 6(w) is about clarity of destination, not about the existence of a short domain. Second, 6(v) is about Amazon being able to identify where a click came from. A redirect that passes users straight to the Amazon page with the tag intact doesn't interfere with either goal. Whether Amazon agrees in a specific case is Amazon's call.
The Commission Income Statement adds a rule that deserves a careful read before you add any hop: purchases are disqualified when a link "sends users indirectly to an Amazon Site via an intermediate site" without an affirmative click on that site. A redirect that you serve and that lands on Amazon in one step isn't described by the text we read as an intermediate site, but we'd keep it to a single hop and avoid any page between the short link and Amazon.
What we couldn't verify
The Amazon pages we fetched don't mention SiteStripe or amzn.to. A separate help page we tried returned a 404. So we state nothing about how Amazon's own short links work or whether they're treated differently. Open your Associates account and check Amazon's current wording before you rely on either.
Cloaking versus shortening
A short link that resolves openly to amazon.com with your tag in the destination is shortening. A link built so that Amazon can't tell the traffic came from your site, or that hides where the visitor lands, is the kind of thing 6(v) targets. The redirect mechanism is the same in both cases. What differs is whether anyone can still see where the link goes and where the click came from. For the general picture, see link cloaking and URL masking.
Setting up an Elido link for Amazon
This is how Elido behaves, checked in the edge redirect code:
- The destination URL is passed through as you saved it. The redirect doesn't add or strip query parameters, so a
tag=value in the destination arrives at Amazon untouched. Paste the full tagged URL and check it after saving by following the link once. - One hop: the default status is 302, with 301 or 307 per link. Nothing sits between the short domain and Amazon unless you turn something on.
- Leave the splash page off. A link can opt into a conversion-tracking splash page that fires pixels. It puts something between the click and Amazon, which is the wrong shape for these links.
- Skip smart-link rules. Rules that pick a destination by country, device or A/B split (Pro and Business) choose the final URL at redirect time. A rule that sends a visitor to a different Amazon storefront needs a tag that is valid for that storefront, and the policy wording we read doesn't cover that case, so keep one destination per link.
- Password, expiry and geo rules still apply. A password prompt or a region block is a page the visitor sees before Amazon. Don't use them on affiliate links.
- Click data: Elido counts clicks per link on your own domain, with device and country breakdowns, so you can compare placements. Orders and commissions stay in your Amazon reports. Elido has no Amazon integration, and nothing connects a click to an Amazon order.
A branded domain also helps readers: what is a branded link explains why, and setting up branded short links walks through the DNS steps.
Where shortening is a poor idea
- Print and QR codes. The offline rule is blunt. A QR code that opens a tagged link on a printed page reads as promotion "in any offline manner" to us. Use a QR code to send people to your own page, and put the Amazon link there.
- Email and messaging: only for people who opted in, per section 4.
- Social posts with a hidden destination. If a reader can't tell the link goes to Amazon, 6(w) is the rule you're closest to breaking. Say so in the post text.
- Sub-tags on people. A short link per recipient, with a sub-tag that identifies them, falls under the end-user rule in 2(b).
What we haven't built
In my view this is the main gap.
Nothing in Elido warns you when an Amazon destination loses its tag= parameter or when a splash page is on for an Amazon link. That check would be easy to add, and it's on the backlog. Until then, test each link once by hand.
Related on the Blog
Frequently asked questions
Can you shorten Amazon affiliate links?
Amazon's Associates policies don't ban shorteners outright. Section 6(w) of the Program Policies restricts using one in a way that makes it unclear you're linking to an Amazon site. Section 6(v) bans cloaking or obscuring URLs so Amazon can't tell where a click came from. A shortener that resolves openly to Amazon with your tag intact fits that wording, but Amazon's support team is the authority on edge cases.
Does the Associates tag have to stay in the final URL?
Yes. The Program Policies (section 2) say Special Links must use the Associates ID Amazon assigned to you, and that the tag must be included as a URL parameter in each link to an Amazon site. If a redirect rewrites or drops it, the link no longer meets that requirement and the commission is lost.
What does Amazon count as cloaking?
The policy text bars you from cloaking, hiding, spoofing or otherwise obscuring the URL of your site containing Special Links, and says this applies when Amazon can't reasonably determine the site or app a customer clicked from. Amazon doesn't publish a technical definition beyond that, so avoid any setup that strips the referring page or hides the Amazon destination.
Can I put a short link or QR code with an Amazon tag in print or email?
Be careful. The Program Policies say you may not promote Special Links in any offline manner, including printed material, and that links in email, SMS and direct messages are allowed only for solicited, opted-in communications. A QR code in a printed flyer falls on the wrong side of the offline rule as we read it. Ask Amazon before you rely on it.
Is amzn.to a safe short link?
The policy pages we read don't mention SiteStripe or amzn.to at all, so we can't quote a rule on them. We say nothing about how they work. If you want certainty, use the short-link option inside your own Associates account and check Amazon's current help pages.
Can I use a branded domain for Amazon affiliate links?
It can fit the wording if the short link redirects openly to the Amazon product page with your tag in the destination, in one hop, with no interstitial. In Elido that means leaving the conversion splash page off for these links. The disclosure statement Amazon requires still has to appear on your site.
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