Comments on: Resolving Merchant-Side Affiliate Commission Tracking Problems http://netprofitstoday.com/blog/resolving-merchant-side-affiliate-commission-tracking-problems/ Author of the best-selling affiliate marketing training book shares free money-making affiliate tips. Thu, 09 Feb 2012 02:41:13 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 By: Affiliate Link Cloaker http://netprofitstoday.com/blog/resolving-merchant-side-affiliate-commission-tracking-problems/comment-page-1/#comment-101183 Affiliate Link Cloaker Thu, 07 Apr 2011 21:42:44 +0000 http://www.netprofitstoday.com/blog/?p=3246#comment-101183 I am amazed you've never had a problem like this come up Rosalind. My experience is that this is a *highly common* problem and the answer from most merchants is "Gee, sorry." And Kaycee probably isn't going to dump the merchant because that merchant has been a proven producer. Just today I received a message from a program I have promoted for 8 years that dumped CJ last summer for mixiv - disastrous mess. Well, I finally finished swapping out all the link CJ links I put in place years and years ago when I was less wise and what do I have this AM? A message from the merchant implying MixIv is going under, and affiliate links will be dead until until they get moved over to Infusionsoft. Fortunately - sorry for the shameless plug - I have created an affiliate link cloaker *especially for affiliates* and setup the new links using it so I will only need to change the redirect in one place and not swap out hundreds of links AGAIN. At the least, as you've recommend in the past, all affiliates should use link cloaking for events like this - you could change the links to point to another offer - as I will until said merchant gets it together - and save a lot of work, headaches and lost commissions. I am amazed you’ve never had a problem like this come up Rosalind.

My experience is that this is a *highly common* problem and the answer from most merchants is “Gee, sorry.”

And Kaycee probably isn’t going to dump the merchant because that merchant has been a proven producer.

Just today I received a message from a program I have promoted for 8 years that dumped CJ last summer for mixiv – disastrous mess. Well, I finally finished swapping out all the link CJ links I put in place years and years ago when I was less wise and what do I have this AM? A message from the merchant implying MixIv is going under, and affiliate links will be dead until until they get moved over to Infusionsoft.

Fortunately – sorry for the shameless plug – I have created an affiliate link cloaker *especially for affiliates* and setup the new links using it so I will only need to change the redirect in one place and not swap out hundreds of links AGAIN.

At the least, as you’ve recommend in the past, all affiliates should use link cloaking for events like this – you could change the links to point to another offer – as I will until said merchant gets it together – and save a lot of work, headaches and lost commissions.

]]> By: Debt Settlement Help http://netprofitstoday.com/blog/resolving-merchant-side-affiliate-commission-tracking-problems/comment-page-1/#comment-94571 Debt Settlement Help Wed, 09 Sep 2009 07:49:15 +0000 http://www.netprofitstoday.com/blog/?p=3246#comment-94571 Great headline. If your cookie has a bite-sized action and your reader completes the action, I think two things happen. Their self-confidence goes up (which feels good) and their trust in you increases. Great headline. If your cookie has a bite-sized action and your reader completes the action, I think two things happen. Their self-confidence goes up (which feels good) and their trust in you increases.

]]> By: John Miley http://netprofitstoday.com/blog/resolving-merchant-side-affiliate-commission-tracking-problems/comment-page-1/#comment-94188 John Miley Tue, 11 Aug 2009 18:26:01 +0000 http://www.netprofitstoday.com/blog/?p=3246#comment-94188 Hi Roz, Thanks for the reminder and for the advice. I've had merchant-side issues in the past, too, and sometimes on sites that I admittedly was a little lazy about monitoring. The most common issue I've had involved cases similar to the one mentioned, and I didn't catch the errors right off the bat. Note to self: test links and tracking frequently to prevent tracking snafus. Have a good day! -John Hi Roz,

Thanks for the reminder and for the advice.

I’ve had merchant-side issues in the past, too, and sometimes on sites that I admittedly was a little lazy about monitoring. The most common issue I’ve had involved cases similar to the one mentioned, and I didn’t catch the errors right off the bat.

Note to self: test links and tracking frequently to prevent tracking snafus.

Have a good day!

-John

]]> By: Stephen@Affiliate Review Site Software http://netprofitstoday.com/blog/resolving-merchant-side-affiliate-commission-tracking-problems/comment-page-1/#comment-94185 Stephen@Affiliate Review Site Software Tue, 11 Aug 2009 18:18:26 +0000 http://www.netprofitstoday.com/blog/?p=3246#comment-94185 life is tough for affiliates, no doubt about that. i think i agree with everything Rosalind has to say, though actually discontinuing the promotion of a merchant based on one incident is probably not realistic as it will likely cost you a lot more money than you lost during the outage (though i can't tell how long that was for - i would notice after 2 days). but making your grievance public is something i would recommend. affiliate managers should never be rewarded for mishandling a situation. i wonder whether the response would have been the same if you were a super affiliate for the merchant, which i assume is not the case. life is tough for affiliates, no doubt about that. i think i agree with everything Rosalind has to say, though actually discontinuing the promotion of a merchant based on one incident is probably not realistic as it will likely cost you a lot more money than you lost during the outage (though i can’t tell how long that was for – i would notice after 2 days). but making your grievance public is something i would recommend. affiliate managers should never be rewarded for mishandling a situation. i wonder whether the response would have been the same if you were a super affiliate for the merchant, which i assume is not the case.

]]> By: Donna-Lee http://netprofitstoday.com/blog/resolving-merchant-side-affiliate-commission-tracking-problems/comment-page-1/#comment-94182 Donna-Lee Tue, 11 Aug 2009 16:21:51 +0000 http://www.netprofitstoday.com/blog/?p=3246#comment-94182 This is not a perfect fit for this topic, but I have to ask if anyone has been cancelled from an affiliate program for being too successful. One of my programs cancelled me after several months of them being concerned that I was taking their customers. They eventually trumped up reasons for cancelling me and while I asked them to change their terms of service to reflect what they claimed I violated, they still have yet to do so. This is a very large, high profile company. Because my pages were so successful at selling their products, I began promoting their products through another vendor who purchases from them. Within 6 weeks, this vendor informed me that I violated his terms of service, yet is unable to tell me how. I only used the links that he had available in Commission Junction, which remain there even yet. He also informed me that he didn't have time to discuss this as he had to fix his relations with the company that he purchases his products from. Interestingly, this is the very same company that originally dropped me. I have asked Commission Junction for assistance in understanding this situation because nothing has changed within this vendors terms or links and there has yet to be a valid reason for terminating me. Commission Junction remains silent after more than 2 weeks. I was sending more than $10,000 a month in product sales to these companies. To the original one, I was sending them recurrent club orders numbering 80 - 110 a month that didn't add into the dollar sales amount. What the heck is this? Do companies only want affiliate links and not their sales? What sense does this make? Certainly what it proves is that our affiliate business is only as successful as our vendors will allow us to be and that they can shut us down any time they chose; what are our options... their practice seems illegal, yet they have the control as is included in the terms of service. I would love to hear what you have to say about this, Ros. This is not a perfect fit for this topic, but I have to ask if anyone has been cancelled from an affiliate program for being too successful. One of my programs cancelled me after several months of them being concerned that I was taking their customers. They eventually trumped up reasons for cancelling me and while I asked them to change their terms of service to reflect what they claimed I violated, they still have yet to do so. This is a very large, high profile company.

Because my pages were so successful at selling their products, I began promoting their products through another vendor who purchases from them.

Within 6 weeks, this vendor informed me that I violated his terms of service, yet is unable to tell me how. I only used the links that he had available in Commission Junction, which remain there even yet. He also informed me that he didn’t have time to discuss this as he had to fix his relations with the company that he purchases his products from. Interestingly, this is the very same company that originally dropped me.

I have asked Commission Junction for assistance in understanding this situation because nothing has changed within this vendors terms or links and there has yet to be a valid reason for terminating me. Commission Junction remains silent after more than 2 weeks.

I was sending more than $10,000 a month in product sales to these companies. To the original one, I was sending them recurrent club orders numbering 80 – 110 a month that didn’t add into the dollar sales amount.

What the heck is this? Do companies only want affiliate links and not their sales? What sense does this make? Certainly what it proves is that our affiliate business is only as successful as our vendors will allow us to be and that they can shut us down any time they chose; what are our options… their practice seems illegal, yet they have the control as is included in the terms of service.

I would love to hear what you have to say about this, Ros.

]]> By: beth http://netprofitstoday.com/blog/resolving-merchant-side-affiliate-commission-tracking-problems/comment-page-1/#comment-94180 beth Tue, 11 Aug 2009 14:15:21 +0000 http://www.netprofitstoday.com/blog/?p=3246#comment-94180 Rosalind, Have you ever experienced a merchant that has a suspiciously large number of voided sales? And it always seems to coincidentally be the large amount sales. Any idea on what a "normal range" for percent of voided sales is? Appreciate your insight. Rosalind,
Have you ever experienced a merchant that has a suspiciously large number of voided sales? And it always seems to coincidentally be the large amount sales. Any idea on what a “normal range” for percent of voided sales is? Appreciate your insight.

]]> By: David http://netprofitstoday.com/blog/resolving-merchant-side-affiliate-commission-tracking-problems/comment-page-1/#comment-94179 David Tue, 11 Aug 2009 14:12:09 +0000 http://www.netprofitstoday.com/blog/?p=3246#comment-94179 Yes, I have had a similar problem. I won't name names this time. But it was actually the affiliate tracking software that was broken. they had a data center outage and there was an entire days worth of commissions down the tubes. They would not pay at all because they said the data center outage was beyond their control. The merchant was still up and running however and continued to make sales. The merchant did not offer to pay me either based on past history for Saturdays and I didn't ask because we have had a very good relationship over the years and I do not want to stress it now. However, I believe that this particular affiliate tracking software glitches a lot. I can't prove it, but I believe it to be true. All of this has conspired to make me want to be a merchant for my product instead of an affiliate. I will have my own affiliate program soon. And you can bet that after being an affiliate and 'knowing' that I've lost plenty of sales due to affiliate tracking software - I will be taking care fo my affiliates. Yes, I have had a similar problem. I won’t name names this time. But it was actually the affiliate tracking software that was broken. they had a data center outage and there was an entire days worth of commissions down the tubes. They would not pay at all because they said the data center outage was beyond their control. The merchant was still up and running however and continued to make sales. The merchant did not offer to pay me either based on past history for Saturdays and I didn’t ask because we have had a very good relationship over the years and I do not want to stress it now.

However, I believe that this particular affiliate tracking software glitches a lot. I can’t prove it, but I believe it to be true.

All of this has conspired to make me want to be a merchant for my product instead of an affiliate.

I will have my own affiliate program soon. And you can bet that after being an affiliate and ‘knowing’ that I’ve lost plenty of sales due to affiliate tracking software – I will be taking care fo my affiliates.

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