How to fix "Amazon Did Not Return the Advertising Profile and Credentials" Error

Troubleshooting steps to fix the "Amazon Did Not Return the Advertising Profile and Credentials" error message

When attempting to connect your Amazon advertising account in MerchantSpring, you may encounter the following error:

Error Message:

"An error occurred. Amazon did not return the advertising profile and credentials for the Amazon account you are trying to link. This is typically due to a permissions issue or an advertising user with insufficient privileges for this account. Please review our help article for more information."

This article explains why you are seeing this error and provides step-by-step instructions on how to resolve it. 

Why Am I Seeing This Error?

This error occurs because Amazon's API does not return the advertising profile for the account you are attempting to link. The most common reason for this is that the account you're using to authorize MerchantSpring does not have sufficient permissions to access the advertising profile via API.

Common Causes:

• Using an SPN (Service Provider Network) Account:
  Many agencies or users attempt to connect advertising accounts using their SPN account credentials (via Seller Central). However, SPN accounts lack the necessary API permissions for advertising profile access.
• User Account Lacks Required Advertising Privileges:
  The Amazon login being used may not have the correct permissions assigned in the Amazon Advertising console.

How to Fix the Issue

Follow these steps to correctly link your Amazon advertising account: 

Step 1: Log in to Amazon Advertising

1. Open a new browser tab.
2. Visit the Amazon Advertising platform:
   advertising.amazon.com (for US accounts, adjust the domain based on your region if necessary).
3. Log in using your Ads Manager account (not your SPN or Seller Central account).
   

Step 2: Check & Link the Advertising Profile

1. Once logged in, navigate to the Settings section.
   
2. Locate the Linked Accounts area > Choose Link existing account then click Add across the advertising account you want to link.
   
   NOTE: If you're not seeing this option, you might be accessing the Advertising Console through Seller Central, possibly via the Service Provider Network (SPN) route. You would need to:
   1. Log out completely from Seller Central.
   2. Then log in directly into the Amazon Advertising Console, not via Seller Central.
   3. Make sure you’re logging in specifically with the Advertising Manager Account credentials (not the client account credentials).
   
   Once logged in this way, you should be able to locate the Linked Accounts section and use the “Link existing account” option to initiate the linking process.
   
   
   
   
   
   
   OR choose Request Access > fill out the Account or Advertiser ID, select marketplace > click "Link Accounts" at the top right corner of the screen.
   
   
   
   
   
3. Ensure that the advertising profile you are trying to connect is properly linked to your Ads Manager account.

Note: In some cases, linking the advertising profile requires approval from the owner of the advertising account. Make sure this approval is granted. 

Step 3: Allow Time for Approval to Process

• Once the account is successfully linked, it may take up to an hour for the changes to propagate through Amazon's systems.
  

Step 4: Reattempt the Connection in MerchantSpring

1. Return to MerchantSpring.
2. Retry linking your advertising account.
   
3. This time, the profile should appear in the list returned by Amazon, allowing you to complete the connection. 

Still Having Issues?

If you've followed these steps and are still unable to connect:

• Double-check that you are not using an SPN account.
• Confirm that the Ads Manager account has the required permissions.
• Contact your Amazon account manager to verify advertising profile permissions if needed.
• Reach out to our Customer Success team for further assistance.