Frequently asked questions

Frequently asked questions

Do I need PA API access to use OAmazon?

Yes for automatic product data fetching (price, rating, image, availability). Without PA API, you'd need to manually enter every product detail in oam_products. PA API access requires an active Amazon Associates account and at least three qualifying sales to be granted.

Why isn't my product showing up?

Most common causes:

1. PA API rate limit exceeded (1 request/second per credentials). OAmazon queues retries via OAM_Queue. Wait a minute and refresh.
2. The ASIN is out of stock or no longer sold. Check OAM_Cache::get_product() returns data.
3. No Associates program configured for the locale. Add one under Settings.
4. The product's availability status is OutOfStock. The availability_badge() shows the status but most templates still render.

How do I add a product manually without PA API?

From Products tab -> Add Manually. You enter title, image URL, price, brand, ASIN. Manual entries set cached_at to current time but won't refresh automatically. Use this for products that aren't on PA API yet or for testing.

Will my links break if I disable the plugin?

If you deactivate (not delete), cloaked links stop redirecting (the rewrite rule disappears) but URLs in your posts stay. Reactivate to restore. If you delete the plugin, the oam_links table is dropped and cloaked URLs return 404. Replace [oam_button] shortcodes with raw Amazon links before deleting if you need a clean migration off the plugin.

Can I bulk-import ASINs?

Yes. Products tab -> Bulk Import. Paste a comma-separated or newline-separated list of ASINs. OAmazon batches them through the PA API (10 per request, the API maximum) and stores each in oam_products. Batches respect the 1 req/sec rate limit, so 100 ASINs takes about 10 seconds.

How is geo routing different from setting locale per shortcode?

Geo routing detects the visitor's country at request time and redirects to their local Amazon. If a visitor in Germany clicks a US-locale cloaked link with geo_enabled = 1, they land on amazon.de with your German Associates ID. Setting locale="de" in a shortcode forces every visitor (regardless of country) to the German Amazon - useful when the product is only sold in DE.