Just starting out and haven’t been approved yet. Can I still pull product data or prices while I wait, or do I need the keys first?
No—PA-API (Amazon Product Advertising API) access requires an approved Associates account and valid credentials (Access Key/Secret + Associate Tag), and in most locales you also need qualifying sales volume to keep API access active. While you wait, you can build content using manual product research, but avoid scraping/prices (Amazon TOS) and plan to use API-driven price/availability with proper caching and disclaimer only after approval.
No—Amazon’s Product Advertising API requires an approved Associates account and API access keys. While waiting, you can manually link to products, create content, and build SEO traffic, but avoid scraping prices (they’re strict). If you need product-feed style data fast, I’ve had better early-stage results using alternative networks/aggregators via BizzOffers.