Amazon Associates and API Error Checker
Paste the error your site, plugin or code got back from Amazon, or pick a code from the list. You'll get what it means in plain English, the usual causes, and the steps to fix it. It covers the Creators API, the old PA-API 5, and Associates account problems.
Everything runs in your browser. The checker never asks for your Credential ID, Secret or Associate tag, and nothing you paste leaves this page. Some error checkers want your API keys typed into their form. This one doesn't need them.
If the error includes an access key, you can delete it before you paste. The checker doesn't use it.
Watch: fix a Creators API error in under a minute
Paste an InvalidToken error and read the fix, then pick InvalidPartnerTag from the list.
What usually blocks Amazon API access
Creators API: the 10-sales rule and token errors
The Creators API is Amazon's current product API. To use it you need a final-accepted Associates account and at least 10 qualifying sales in the past 30 days. Only the primary account owner can sign up, in Associates Central under Tools > Creators API. Each store gets up to two applications, with two credentials per application, and the Secret is shown once, so save it when you create it.
Most Creators API errors fall into a few groups. The 401s are token problems. Tokens last an hour, and each credential version has its own token endpoint: 3.1 for North America, 3.2 for Europe, the Middle East and India, 3.3 for Japan, Singapore and Australia. The version only picks the endpoint. Your credentials work in any marketplace where you have a valid tag and approved access. A 403 AssociateNotEligible means the account is under the 10-sales line.
A 429 isn't always about speed. New accounts start at 1 request per second and 8,640 requests a day for their first 30 days, and the limits grow with shipped revenue from API links, up to 10 per second. After 30 days without a qualified referring sale, Amazon revokes access, and the error you see is a 429. Amazon says access returns within two days after new referred sales ship.
PA-API 5: deprecated and replaced by the Creators API
Amazon has deprecated PA-API 5 and replaced it with the Creators API. Its deprecation page shows the response old calls now get: a 403 AccessDenied that says "Product Advertising API is deprecated. Please migrate to Creators API". Old PA-API keys don't carry over, so moving means creating new credentials, not pasting the old keys into a new field. Whatever PA-API error you're looking at, the lasting fix is the same move to the Creators API.
Associates account: approval and closure
Amazon reviews a new Associates application after it makes at least 3 qualified sales within the first 180 days. Your own orders don't count. Amazon also looks for original content (its rule of thumb is at least 10 posts) on a public site you own, with recent posts, generally from the last 60 days. Social media pages generally need 500 or more organic followers. If the 3 sales don't come in time, the application is withdrawn, and Amazon doesn't reassess a rejected application.
If Amazon closes your account, you have 5 business days to appeal through the Associates Contact Us form, with the subject "Closed Account Appeal". For correctable violations you can fix the problem and appeal. For customer-trust closures, Amazon only looks at appeals with detailed evidence that its facts were wrong. Accounts with no commission income for 3 years pick up a maintenance fee and are then closed.
Frequently asked questions
What does AssociateNotEligible mean?
Amazon's API refused the call because your account doesn't currently meet its eligibility rule: 10 qualified sales in the trailing 30 days. That's a sales threshold rather than a problem with your keys. Access comes back after qualifying referred sales ship, and because PA-API 5 is deprecated, you'll need Creators API credentials when it does.
How many sales do I need for Amazon Associates approval, and for API access?
There are two separate rules. Amazon reviews your Associates application after 3 qualified sales within the first 180 days, and your own orders don't count. It also expects original content (about 10 posts as a rule of thumb) on a public site you own, updated within roughly the last 60 days, or a social media page with, generally, 500 or more organic followers. API access is a different bar: 10 qualified sales in the trailing 30 days.
Why does the Amazon API say "Product Advertising API is deprecated"?
Amazon has deprecated PA-API 5 and replaced it with the Creators API. Any request still going to the old API gets a 403 AccessDenied with that message. To fix it, create Creators API credentials in Associates Central under Tools > Creators API and switch your plugin or code to the new API. Your old PA-API keys won't work there.
What does a 401 InvalidToken error from the Amazon Creators API mean?
The API couldn't read the access token you sent. The usual causes are a truncated token, an Authorization header that isn't in the form "Bearer <token>", or a token from the wrong regional endpoint. Request a new token from the endpoint for your credential version (3.1 api.amazon.com, 3.2 api.amazon.co.uk, 3.3 api.amazon.co.jp) and send it unchanged.
My Amazon Associates account was terminated. Can I appeal?
You can, but the window is short. Appeal within 5 business days through the Associates Contact Us form, with the subject "Closed Account Appeal". If the closure was for a violation you can correct, fix it and explain what changed. For customer-trust closures, Amazon only reviews appeals that bring detailed evidence its facts were wrong.
Is "This API project is not authorized to use this API" an Amazon error?
No. That message comes from Google Maps Platform. Something on your site is calling a Google API that your Google Cloud project hasn't enabled, or that your API key's restrictions block. Enable the API in Google Cloud Console and check the key's restrictions. Your Amazon settings aren't involved.
Does this checker need my Credential ID or Secret?
No. It compares the text you paste with Amazon's documented error messages, right in your browser. It never asks for your Credential ID, Secret or Associate tag, and it doesn't send what you paste anywhere.
Show Amazon products on WordPress, no credentials needed yet
PaapiPlugin adds live Amazon product search to a WordPress site with one shortcode. With the Managed API, you can start with no credentials needed yet: connect with your Associate tag and email, and search works. You still need your own Amazon Associates account and tag, and every product link carries your tag, never ours. The free plan includes 20 searches a day. Once you have Creators API credentials, you can switch to them with one setting.
Last checked against Amazon's documentation in .