Are affiliate programs trustworthy?

Sign up to an affiliate program through the affiliate or throught cj?

[stinky]

I signed up to an affiliate program through the affiliate's site. I later noticed i could of joined through a 3rd party such as cj.
Do you think its worth resigning up through cj just to making sure i dont get ripped on any commission? I have made purchases through my site to test it and have gotten commssion.

[brizad]

If you can get a direct relationship with a merchant that often works pretty well. This way you may be more of a "person" to them as opposed to a number on a spreadsheet.

[edited by: eljefe3 at 3:43 pm (utc) on Aug. 24, 2005]

[etechsupport]

If you've already signed you should wait and watch the result.

[hunderdown]

I moved from CJ to a direct relationship with a merchant when CJ made a change that would have required me to change all my link code.

And I'm very glad I did. The merchant's reports are less detailed but I'm earning considerably more.

One reason for that, I suspect, is that the links to the merchant aren't affected by ad-blocking software, as CJ's links can be.

An advantage of CJ is that it simplifies things for you to some extent, but if you have the option (you don't always do), work with the merchant.

[frup]

I don't know anything about CJ, but affiliate programs are often corrupt or there are loopholes where you lose a lot of sales. Any method you can think of to verify sales is smart to pursue. Also trying out multiple affiliate programs is also smart. The question is, what type of affiliate links will make you the most cash. That is the bottom line question.

[linuxguy]

Yes, hotels.com as example is got a BIG banner saying "call 1 800 whatever" in red . I bet you loose a lot of referals as people just call to make the reservation.

[berto]

I signed up with an affiliate about a year ago. Last February, after sending them ~1,000 clicks with zero conversions, I pulled their ads from my site's pages.

Now here's the "funny" part: In the past six months, since taking down their ads, their tracking page, at <big-name-ecommerce-site.com> (not CJ), reports about 900 more clicks, with as many as 10 to 20 on some days. Still zero reported conversions, of course.

Bogus, made-up stats? A scam? I cannot think otherwise.

I had a similar arrangement with a different affiliate, this one by way of CJ, with similarly fishy stats. I took down their ads long ago, too, and they also still report clicks. And of course, zero conversions.

The involvement of <big-name-ecommerce-site.com> and CJ failed to protect me in these cases.

Beware.

[FourDegreez]

The bottom line is, try different things and see how they work. Some merchants on CJ definitely pay honestly, while others seem shady. I've had several instances of two advertisers in the same niche, similar ads, similar commission scheme, both getting hundreds of clicks from me, with one actually logging commissions and the other one not. Keep the paying one, ditch the other. Does it even matter if they are scamming you or just not performing? In either case, ditch them. Through CJ or not, it's the same story.

I find that my problem is, I have a hard time ditching some advertisers who just seem like they should work, even when they don't. But if they don't perform, they have to go.

[Shawn Collins]

One pro to pursue if you are working directly with a merchant vs. through a network is that they may be willing to pay more than the commission rate on the network.

Since they are not paying that network vig, they have some more in they margins - but don't expect it off the bat.

You'll generally have to ask for it.

[patient2all]

I've always had better luck and ROI with independent programs. Bring in a lot of sales and they get to know you personally which also helps.

One thing I've noticed that all my favorite affiliate programs have in common: there is no mininum payment threshold. If a check comes every month whether you've made $10.00 or $1000.00, I take that as a good sign. Programs who don't pay before you earn say, $50.00, also don't seem to convert as well or appear as ethical in their dealings with affiliates.

Just my experience

patient2all

[hawk]

You got to know the best industries to target to make quick bucks. of cousre those keywords ahve competition too

[ember]

CJ seems to often have reporting problems, so I am never sure if we're receiving credit for all our sales or not. And their customer service is nothing to write home about. We've had luck with some independents and have gotten ripped off by others. They can disappear and still owe you money. Best bet, though it takes work, is to try both approaches and just see what works. There is no tried and true. You'll find dogs either way. When you do find a solid, honest merchant be nice to them, ask polite questions, work with them and it will be a win-win situation. They want good affiliates, just like you want good merchants.