How can I generate an Amazon affiliates link (with my Tracking ID) from a regular link without using Amazon online tools ?
A:
While I don't have an answer, a good start would be to compare the elements of the affiliate link from the tracking tool to the identifiers on the item page.
From what I recall every Amazon product has a unique identifier (ISBN for books) and this identifier, along with your tracking ID, is stored in the affiliate links.
It should be rather straightforward to reverse engineer the format.
Andrew Grant
2009-03-29 20:33:50
+3
A:
Here's an easy tutorial that should get you started. And this page at Amazon should fill in some gaps about ASINs, especially the section entitled: "Is there an automated way to create Associates links if I have the 13-digit ISBN?" Here's another relevant article.
You are not very specific on how you want to generate them or how many you will be generating, but there's an online tool written by Eri Robillard that uses WebForms and XML Web Services. If it's a small number of links you want to make by hand, it looks like a good tool.
If you're looking to generate them programatically, you might be able to get permission from him to screenscrape his site, or maybe he'd provide you with source code. I can't find what restrictions (if any) he puts on its use.
JeffH
2009-03-30 03:21:54