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Alternative to Clickbank... (And Yes... Because of that STUPID Header!!)

by TweetPilot
47 replies
If you're a top Clickbank vendor then you'd have been sent a few emails now to let you know about the most obscene, insane change to Clickbank. If you've not received the emails then I suggest you check out: Introducing the New Always on Shopping Portal | ClickBank

They've proven yet again that they are behind the times. I don't care what excuses they make for this bar whether it's because of pressure from Visa (laughable) or if it's to prevent fraud (taking the piss considering the domain they want to redirect to has been marked as untrustworthy on MyWot and EVERY product will now be tarnished with the same brush)

But my thread is not here to moan about Clickbank and their stupidity (although I've had a fairly good rant already) but it's to find out from other vendors what they plan on doing.

Are there any worthwhile alternatives out there that offer the same sort of 'all-in-one' package that Clickbank does?
#alternative #clickbank #header #stupid
  • Profile picture of the author TweetPilot
    ClickBank | A Global Internet Retailer - That's a hoplink with the header working just so you can see unobtrusive it really is... (Sarcasm)

    But don't worry, “The Always On Shopping Portal is a major enhancement to the overall ClickBank experience,” said CEO Ray Morris.
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    • Profile picture of the author nicheblogger75
      Originally Posted by TweetPilot View Post

      ClickBank | A Global Internet Retailer - That's a hoplink with the header working just so you can see unobtrusive it really is... (Sarcasm)

      But don't worry, "The Always On Shopping Portal is a major enhancement to the overall ClickBank experience," said CEO Ray Morris.
      WOW that is AWFUL! Yeah that's not obtrusive at all (chuckle)! And what a monstrous sales page leak those 2 links are on the right side.

      I'm not sure who came up with this idea at Clickbank, but they ought to be sent packing like yesterday!

      They are going to lose so much business it's not even funny.

      I for one will NEVER promote another Clickbank product as long as that monstrosity is the very first thing people will see when they land on the sales page. Any affiliate who has any experience at all will never agree to promote something like that.

      If you real think about this it's totally ridiculous. It's like Google putting a toolbar across the top of your website every time you get organic search traffic from them.

      How exactly will it cut down on fraud?

      I thought it was a bad idea when I first heard about it but now that I've seen I think it may just be about the worst idea they have ever had.

      I give Clickbank another year, maybe two, before it becomes totally irrelevant.
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      • Profile picture of the author TheGMa
        Oh Lordy!!!

        From 2000 to 2010 I did very well with affiliate marketing using Commission Junction (CJ something-or-other now) plus another really good, user-friendly network and AdSense when it started. Never, not once, did I use Clickbank. One look at their publisher set up and I was outta there. Frankly, I was surprised to discover that it's still alive and popular.
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    • Profile picture of the author dustinthigpen
      Originally Posted by TweetPilot View Post

      ClickBank | A Global Internet Retailer - That's a hoplink with the header working just so you can see unobtrusive it really is... (Sarcasm)

      But don't worry, "The Always On Shopping Portal is a major enhancement to the overall ClickBank experience," said CEO Ray Morris.
      From looking at that link, it looks like they did follow through and take it down. Well, from the hoplinks anyway.

      I came in on the tail end of this. So that constant thick white bar on the main clickbank page, was on top of all the affiliate product pages? Yikes, glad they got rid of that...
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      • Profile picture of the author SantamNaha
        Three of my clickbank accounts have been suspended without showing any valid reasons. When asked, support team says some purchased from your link and we suspect there's a high chance of refund / chargeback. So we suspended your account.
        Three accounts one after another.

        Is this a valid reason to suspend an account?

        Thanks
        santam
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        • Profile picture of the author GoodnightSweetRatRace
          Originally Posted by SantamNaha View Post

          Three of my clickbank accounts have been suspended without showing any valid reasons. When asked, support team says some purchased from your link and we suspect there's a high chance of refund / chargeback. So we suspended your account.
          Three accounts one after another.

          Is this a valid reason to suspend an account?

          Thanks
          santam
          Really!?

          What was your refund rate like?
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          • Profile picture of the author Kay King
            I don't recall if the "update" was on the CB portal page when the first post was made in this thread.

            Introducing the New Always on Shopping Portal | ClickBank

            Reading it now with the "update" ....

            We are actively evaluating the data we gathered during our test to see what iterative changes should be made to the format and content of the header, though we will not serve it through an iframe. As we make modifications to our approach, we will keep you updated.
            Translation: We are flailing around trying to save our bright idea that no one likes...so we'll let you know as we use you (and your products and income) for guinea pigs, folks...
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            • Profile picture of the author SunilTanna
              I just thought I should mention that there is a ClickBank facebook group where this is also being discussed (currently the 2nd most recent post and comments in reply to it).

              If you want to find, in facebook search for "ClickBank", and since there are several other groups with ClickBank in the name, the one you want is ClickBank, Product/Service, and it has about 68,000 members.
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              • Profile picture of the author discrat
                Iam not seeing any huge headers at top with CB on it when i click on OP's link. Did they change something ??
                http://diyhomeenergy.com/System/
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                • Profile picture of the author SunilTanna
                  They've turned it off for the time being, but their planning to bring it back in slightly modified form.
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                  • Profile picture of the author Pnigro
                    Originally Posted by SunilTanna View Post

                    They've turned it off for the time being, but their planning to bring it back in slightly modified form.
                    We don't know that.

                    They're considering other ways of increasing brand awareness.
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                    • Profile picture of the author Sid Hale
                      Originally Posted by Pnigro View Post

                      We don't know that.

                      We don't???

                      What part of this do you not understand?
                      Update: Since this blog was posted we have since concluded our testing with the iframe. The vendor Pitch Pages that were included in the initial test will no longer show in an iframe for ALL Hop traffic starting today.

                      The ClickBank branded header must be part of your marketing funnel and at the top of any page with a ClickBank payment link, to reduce the volume of consumers who report their charges as fraudulent due to the lack of awareness of ClickBank being the Internet Retailer of the transaction. This is a problem that affects you as much as ClickBank since you lose revenue from the buyer, affiliate commissions are returned, and the consumer ultimately opts-out of future purchases or subscriptions from you.

                      We are actively evaluating the data we gathered during our test to see what iterative changes should be made to the format and content of the header, though we will not serve it through an iframe. As we make modifications to our approach, we will keep you updated.
                      That's the update on Clickbank's blog, (linked to by Kay just above)

                      The iframe was a way for them to make it automatic for that portion of the traffic that came in from hoplinks, regardless of whether or not the vendor had installed the javascript on their sales page.

                      They still (according to the above blog update) intend for vendors to install the javascript that puts the header on the page itself (regardless of traffic source), but until they can begin to enforce that they are scrambling a little.

                      As Sunil said...

                      Originally Posted by SunilTanna

                      They've turned it off for the time being, but their planning to bring it back in slightly modified form.
                      Here's that link again for you...
                      Introducing the New Always on Shopping Portal | ClickBank
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                • Profile picture of the author agmccall
                  Originally Posted by discrat View Post

                  Iam not seeing any huge headers at top with CB on it when i click on OP's link. Did they change something ??
                  DIY Home Energy
                  they have mostly been removed, but if you just go to clickbank.com and click on any of the "featured" products you will see it.

                  al
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  • Profile picture of the author BrainstormMarketing
    Well if you're promoting IM products, I NEVER use clickbank, I just use warriorplus (because internet marketers will just buy through their own clickbank link to get a 75% "discount")

    However, if you want to market other products, CJ (Commission Junction) is supposed to be one of the best out there, better than clickbank. You can also market physical products as well as electronic products on Commission Junction.

    But I'm not sure what you mean by clickbank banners. Of course they advertise themselves when you look at their products through their "store" that they have now, but I haven't seen clickbank banners on any clickbank products, except for the one you linked to above (which is actually on clickbank's website).

    However I'm not a clickbank vendor, so maybe I'm missing something.
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  • Profile picture of the author MilesBaker
    It's much larger than I was expecting, and I didn't realize it would be stuck at the top as you scroll down the page which I don't care for.

    I'm hoping they tone it down and make it smaller.

    Anyhow, here are some alternatives in no particular order...

    http://paydotcom.com
    http://www.digiresults.com/
    http://www.affiliate-wire.com/
    http://www.click2sell.eu/
    http://www.clicksure.com/
    http://payspree.com/
    https://shareasale.com/
    http://rapbank.com/
    https://clickbetter.com/
    http://www.jvzoo.com
    http://www.e-junkie.com/
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  • Profile picture of the author ThousandDollarDays
    Agree that it's an awful move by Clickbank. Better to start building your own brand rather than someone else's.

    If you use WordPress, I'd suggest Easy Digital Downloads for selling digital products. It does take some time to set up though.

    For an all-in-one solution with the payment processor built-in, you can try Gumroad or SellWire. Fastspring is another option especially suitable for those nostalgic for Clickbank's 8-9% processing fees
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  • Profile picture of the author TweetPilot
    Haha, oh the 8-9% fee we put up with but these changes seem like the kick we've all needed to make a move to become financially better off.

    And Miles, you're right. The bar is horrendous. There are far better ways they could have gone about it. From what I understand they've been pressured by merchants to do this to show they are the vendor (which legally they are).

    But I'm sure they could have required vendors to add a 'by Clickbank' or 'brought to you by Clickbank' logo to the end of their own logos or at the end of the page. Maybe ensured that the final text on sales pages was more prominent even with links to the marketplace/support pages.

    We'd have all settled for that.

    But this huge bar that then sends potential customers to an untrustworthy site according to MyWot (used by millions as a chrome extension to warn against untrustworthy sites) seems like the death of CB.
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    • Profile picture of the author SunilTanna
      Some obvious alternatives for software (not sure about other types of product) are Avantgate, FastSpring, Blue Snap (formerly Plimus), SW Reg (owned by Digital River). - and I think there are a bunch of other brands also owned by Digital Reiver in addition to SW Reg.

      Some others for various types of products: CCNow, Verotel, 2Checkout, CCBill,

      In the UK - WorldPay (which has various account types), SagePay

      Probably a lot more - I don't know if there's a comprehensive list anywhere..


      After more than 15 years with CB, I'm now expecting to move my main product to a different platform because of this header thing.. No point in quitting completely, but will probably cut my CB volume by 80% or 90%. What a pity.
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  • Profile picture of the author julesw
    Watch out if you are using OP2 the CB header blocks the countdown timer and Overlay Optimizer Exit intent!
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  • Profile picture of the author stackman
    Clickbank seems to assume that everyone uses a Clickbank-exclusive sales or funnel page. I offer customers several ways to pay for my digital product on the funnel page. I will NOT put a Clickbank banner on top of that page, especially since most customers don't choose Clickbank.

    Goodbye Clickbank, after about 12 years of a good relationship.

    BTW, I've sent a note of protest to support @ Clickbank.com
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  • Profile picture of the author Stefan Vee
    Quite amazing that no-one mentions zaxaa.com as an alternative selling platform:
    https://www.zaxaa.com
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    • Profile picture of the author Kiwigal
      I gather from Clickbanks latest email is that they will gather all the traffic we send them and then put them on their own mailing list to sell to, can someone correct me if i am wrong please.
      It does appear that the customer will be opting in to two mailing lists.
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      • Profile picture of the author TweetPilot
        Originally Posted by Kiwigal View Post

        I gather from Clickbanks latest email is that they will gather all the traffic we send them and then put them on their own mailing list to sell to, can someone correct me if i am wrong please.
        It does appear that the customer will be opting in to two mailing lists.
        That's certainly not the impression I got from the most recent email. Could you post the extract that suggests this?
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        • Profile picture of the author Kiwigal
          "As a reminder, ClickBank product vendors are now required to include a small JavaScript code on all pages within their marketing funnel. This code simply returns a piece of HTML content that injects a thin ClickBank-branded header on top of the page. The header will include the following menu options:
          A Customer Support link that opens up a customer support dropdown box in order to keep the customer on the page instead of navigating away.
          A Marketplace link that opens a new browser tab and links to ClickBank's consumer-facing website of featured products at clickbank.com.
          A Customer Account link that opens up a dropdown account login box to make purchasing easier for repeat customers. (Available end of October)"

          Thats the way I read it....
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  • Profile picture of the author Randall Magwood
    Smart people will still continue to make great money with Clickbank despite the header.
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    • Profile picture of the author nicheblogger75
      Originally Posted by Randall Magwood View Post

      Smart people will still continue to make great money with Clickbank despite the header.
      IMO any affiliate who continues to promote Clickbank products with that massive sales page leak is not very smart at all. Just saying...
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    • Profile picture of the author Sid Hale
      Originally Posted by Randall Magwood View Post

      Smart people will still continue to make great money with Clickbank despite the header.
      No... the smart people will be making the move to other platforms.
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  • Profile picture of the author yukon
    Banned
    You would have to be a moron to pay $50 for promoting another persons domain (CB), especially links in the header.
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  • Profile picture of the author Joan Altz
    Not too concerned with the support box link, but with the marketplace link, they should have it so that if someone clicks through to the marketplace and buys something, then the vendor, or the sending affiliate, gets a cut.

    They need a global affiliate link integration for the marketplace.
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  • Profile picture of the author jasondinner
    They should put it in the footer so they can be in compliance with VISA - which we all know is a bunch of crap...

    But either way, it looks much better at the bottom - where no one will see it..
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  • Profile picture of the author stackman
    I have never considered Clickbank a reputable company and now I'm sure -- always a little sleezy. Maybe the IRS should take a look at them for their excuses for not sending 1099 tax forms in all the years I've been with them. Never quite understood how they get away with that.
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  • Profile picture of the author Vendor-Lock
    I haven't been using clickbank for 2 years now, but was going back to add a product today.
    When they sent me updates about this new banner/link to other products thing.....
    I decided not to use Clickbank again. So they've lost my business.

    This new banner thing is the most intrusive, counter-active thing they've done yet.
    I always liked clickbank, and had a lot of success with them, but I refuse to put
    my hard work and effort out there just to provide them free traffic back to their site
    so people can buy some related product instead of mine. I'm guessing they will
    see a huge drop in sales, simply because Vendor's are going to bail. I just did.
    It doesn't sound like anyone here like their idea either, so definite fail on their part.

    Commission Junction is good. I've used it, and sold products there.
    Perhaps make sales pages for all the marketplaces and affiliate platforms
    and try them all. Keep the ones that are working for you.

    yours truly,
    Jeff Noyes

    Vendor-Lock Hosting & Software co.
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  • Profile picture of the author trevord92
    Be careful if you swap to Digiresults - they vanished for quite some time recently so all their payment links didn't work.

    More info in this thread.
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    • Profile picture of the author Donnaile
      Looks like they changed their tune. Just received this email from Clickbank:

      "You received an email yesterday announcing the launch of the Always On Shopping Portal.

      We want you to know that we are listening, and that we have heard your concerns.

      Our testing with the iframe to extend brand recognition has concluded. The vendor Pitch Pages that were included in the initial test will no longer show in an iframe for ALL Hop traffic starting today."

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  • Profile picture of the author Branlan17
    This is what I hope happens because of this, whether they follow through or not: More people decide to create their own product and treat their website/blog like a real business.

    I struggled with affiliate marketing for a long time and I only ever made decent money online after I stopped trying to "make money online" and instead tried to build a business that produced valuable products people actually wanted to opt in for, that they actually wanted to buy because they trusted me, etc.
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  • Profile picture of the author AAVU Against CBAOSP
    Please read our post in the other Warrior Forum thread about the ClickBank Always On Shopping portal. It is midway down the 4th page:

    http://www.warriorforum.com/main-int...-header-4.html

    If You Don't Want ClickBank to Hijack Your Website, Traffic, Sales and Customers, Sign Our Petition Now and Spread It On Your Social Networks and To Your Contact Base!

    Please sign our petition here:

    Petition Affiliates and Vendors United against ClickBank's Always On Shopping Portal

    -AAVU Against CBAOSP
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  • Profile picture of the author Oliver13
    I don't see the header?
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  • Profile picture of the author Raydal
    OK, I was wondering if my computer was blocking the header since I don't see
    any either.

    -Ray Edwards
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  • Profile picture of the author Tom Reed
    Originally Posted by TweetPilot View Post


    Are there any worthwhile alternatives out there that offer the same sort of 'all-in-one' package that Clickbank does?
    I guess I'm not a huge fan of building my
    business on a platform that gets to dictate
    how I run my business... so I would so "NO".

    Have you ever thought about the fact that
    a business buyer is going to value your business
    a lot less when it's based upon the whims of
    another business?

    If you're just hunting "cash" then I suppose it
    does not matter but I think most people will
    find that they can make far more money outside
    of the ClickBank family.
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  • Profile picture of the author davemiz
    zaxaa looks really interesting… I mean you're paying like $500 a year for it…. but it looks like it's got a lot of tools.

    BUT… CB has TONS and TONS of affiliates…. so if your shit converts people will just randomly start promoting it.
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  • Profile picture of the author zendot
    Any updates on this? I wanted to include some CB products in my email sequence, but after reading about what they did, I'm not sure I want to.

    Are there any other alternatives to CB with such good commissions? CJ has some nice products, but the commissions are like 5-15%, which is not much.
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