Leosghost - 6:50 pm on Apr 22, 2011 (gmt 0)

This isn't a Panda thing.

Didn't mean it was ..but when they have just changed the way they decide what kind of site you are .. next time they try to pick out thin affs ( and they will IMO again )..he may get dinged as being too close to the manufacturers own site integrated to the point of being indistinguishable ie "no extra offered"..they have changed the way they look at everyone, having passed the "is it an aff test" once, may not mean one would pass again now.

Especially if one is an aff for tangible drop shipped goods ..IMO one is vulnerable to being viewed as not needed in serps or as a Google customer for adwords.

I have stuff for sale on some places ( my own sites) that is made to my own design and that I purchase direct from the producer ..who has no site ..nor any interest in having one ..

I sell direct to the end customer ..to me, anyone ( and there have been many , I get regular enquiries from affs ) that doesn't want to buy actual stock from me, but wants me to drop ship ( I won't, and turn all such approaches down ..nor am I interested in selling wholesale ) is definitely an affiliate...whereas an agent has stock to hand.

IME customers prefer to buy "tangible " stuff , direct ( saves them money..they know that commission is always built into the price they pay if they go via an aff, and they don't really like to order from one place and see the stuff arrive from another )..and what customers think ..now counts more than it did .

Arbitrage ? ..I always understood "arbitrage" to mean PPC ( adwords or other ad buys ) leading to PPC ( ads on landing site or aff links ) and site existing only to act as click through to get click revenue.