October 25, 2009

Amazon Associate Scheme

Amazon call their affilliate scheme the  "associates program"  . The one big drawback of the Amazon scheme is that you only get commission if the user makes a purchase during the "session" - i.e during the visit to Amazon that came via your link. If they close down the browser and come back an hour later - you get no commission. Most affilliate schemes use cookies to track when visitors arrive from an affiliate  link. Many  sites will pay commission on any sales made for up to 30 days after the initial visit.   There must be millions of clicks from Amazon associates that get nothing in commission - but the click may well result in a sale within  a few days.
But - even with this drawback - the Amazon associate program can be a good money earner if used in the right way. By linking to specific products on pages that provide relevant  information about those products. The commission paid by amazon starts at a low rate but rises to 9% for those associates that sell a lot of stuff. The maximum commission for electrical items is capped at £7 - which is another negative factor with Amazon. On a sale of £1000 - that works out at just 0.7% commission.  Many online shoppers trust and know Amazon - so they are more likely to purchase from them than from a site they have never heard of before.

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