Buying Clickbank product through own Affiliate Link..

So can I buy from my own affiliate link?

Your not supposed to but people do.

I did two times and my account is still on + got my latest check.

Best thing to do is find a bonus that is worth more then your share of the sale, just Google "that product" Bonus. Espically round Launch tome, you can get crazy bonus's as people want to move up the league tables.

Even though Clickbank seemingly doesn't care (many people do it) it's not allowed according to Clickbank. If you're going to buy through your affiliate link, you're still going to gain the commissions for it but you aren't exactly helping the vendor (which is why I do not buy through my affiliate link).

To be honest it's really up to your personal ethics - If you don't feel like it's wrong then go for it it's pretty unlikely that you'll get caught. Personally I would not feel right doing it.

My $.02

I considered doing this, but haven't.
Could someone contact the content author and ask? Afterall, if I like your product I might promote the heck out of it and you make more out of it letting me take discount. Just a thought.

Or, maybe it's a cruddy product so no one wants to take the risk of being badmouthed.

Can anyone point to the part of Clickbank's TOS that prohibits this? I could not find anything, other than opinions on this and other forums.

I say screw it, save the money, buy it through your own affiliate link. Really, Clickbank doesn't care if you do, and I'm sure the vendor doesn't care. A sale is a sale. Do it...

Wow strong bump, I made this thread months ago.

Keep in mind that the reason the Gravity in clickbank is so high for most internet marketing products is not because they are so popular, but more because IMers buy IM products through their own links.

Everyone does it, but no, you aren't meant to.

Have you already satisfied the 5 customer requirement of 5 different credit card purchases?

If not, you won't get a commission check on your purchase anyway. After a certain amount of time they will slowly deduct $2.50 a week from your account until you qualify for a payout. If you don't qualify soon enough it will completely eat away your commission.

thehypnoman had the best idea, search for the product with the best bonus.

I get paid through Clickbank for a particular affiliate program that I’m involved with. Every time I renew my membership, I get paid a commission into my Clickbank account, likewise every time someone I refer renews their membership I again receive a Clickbank commission and haven’t had any problems. Like most other CB affiliates, I have bought products (which I intended to sell) so that I could try them out before reviewing/ recommending them to others. I do this with mostly new products and products that are lesser known and not alot of other people are selling. Also, if the product is something a friend/family member is interested in I’ll have them buy it through my link and tell me what they think about it. I don’t really see anything wrong with this.

Another thing that usually comes up in these conversations that I haven't seen yet is the affiliate side.

The owner still gets the same amount of money, clickbank still gets the same amount of money, but the affiliate that referred you is getting ripped off.

If you learned of this product through an affiliate, either through email, PPC or a search that took you to their site, they deserve the commission. The affiliate spent time and money to advertise the product to you and deserves their commission.

They will hold your commission if you have only one sale from that link....See their CDR clauses, it explains fully

High risk to get banned

have the rules changed recently? Can i have a friend by from my clickbank link? Will i get commission right away or would i have to wait for 5 sales from 5 different credit cards?

thanks Alexa,

what does CDR stand for?

What happens with a Paypal payment, still have to get 5 different people?

I normally buy through my own clickbank affiliate link

I use the same name and address to buy as that on my account profile

If the product is not worth the cost I get a refund

I don't entertain buying ClickBank products through my own affiliate link. Since it's one of my main income sources I tend to get someone else such as a friend or family member to do it for me. That's probably your best option.

Bad, bad idea... Don't do it. If you just HAVE to do it, just play it safe and have a friend or family member buy it.

What software product were you looking to buy.

I'm confused already.. I guess it's all up to you. If you want to risk your account..
for some who have been in clickbank for a while and who have been buying through their own link then I guess it's okay.

My advice --> FORGET IT!

Wow... people just don't want to read do they?

Who dug up this old fossil????

ive did it before and I've never lost an account or not gotten checks... I like to buy the product I'm promoting before promoting something blindly not even knowing if it's of qaulity to my list

I have considered doing this myself as I have not reached the threshold of 5 sales with 5 different credit cards etc but do not want to get my account closed so I am just waiting for one more sale so I can collect my first check.

ok so i will be getting a few friends to order what i need. There are about 2 products i want to go... and once i reach 5 total sales with credit card then i should receive the cheque? Also is there a price limit on the items that need to be ordered? couldnt i get 3 other friends to make cheap filler orders if needed?

thanks

If it's against ClickBank's T&C, it seems like no-one in Clickbank actually cares because it's done hundreds of times on a daily basis. I personally frown upon such practice, but if Clickbank doesn't enforce their own T&C themselves, what should anyone care then?

Just want to clear something up, regarding the 5 different credit cards. Will the following example work?

Buying from my wifes credit card, House #1 (same house i live in)
Buying from dads credit card, house # 2
Buying from moms credit card, house #2
Buying from friends credit card, house #3
Buy from friend #2s credit card, house #4

So all names and credit card #s are different, the only thing that would be same is the zip/postal codes.

Would this be ok, im not using my own credit card so there shouldn't be any violations.

Thx

oh and one more thing, will i see the order in my clickbank account the same day of a purchase or do they post only when 5 different credit cards are used?

I understand that they cannot catch you if a friend does it. but wanted to clarify if the 5 credit card requirement can be all different cards but 2x cc's in same household.

I'm glad to see this thread and the responses in it. I unintentionally did that once. I figured it was against the TOS, but didn't really know how to correct it, so I didn't. So far, nobody's said anything.

If it's an IM product than do a search on the interent where people also offer bonuses if you buy the product trough their affiliate link. You might want to do that instead and get more out of your money.

Jeffyman, Since people aren't listening to Alexa and reading the TOS, I want to say that you are the best answer I've seen here so far. It seems that people are defending a moral issue. (whether a referring affiliate gets paid) However, what you are doing is also valuable. I know it's not always the case, but I like to think that I am purchasing from someone that knows the product well enough that I can trust their opinion about it. What you are doing is important because it addresses the issues of credibility and relationship and list building. I have unsubscribed from plenty of affiliates that have endorsed some pretty lame products. If the affiliate has gained my trust, I am happy to pay full price and I want them to get paid. I am a real estate broker. Property buyers expect me to know more about what they are purchasing than they do. That's why they come to me and allow me to get paid. I think this question of whether we can or cannot purchase from our own account would be moot if we knew and trusted who we were purchasing from.

I just read through their entire TOS at CB. There's nothing there that says it is against their TOS to buy through your own affiliate link.

If you're not comfortable, don't do it. It (still, a year later) doesn't appear to be against CB TOS.

Okay, as a relatively 'newbie' marketeer I was unsure of this so stayed away. Now after going over the thread, I have decided to bite the bullet and go ahead and buy through my link.

If I need to review a product I figure there's no difference to the merchant who gets the commission. After all, it's a sale that might not have happened in the first place (I am allowed a bit of self justification ain't I ;-))

...and besides, with my growing skillbase, if it's a good product then he'll or she'll benefit from the avalanche of sales I'll generate!

How can people not feel right about this? WHAT THE F***!?!?!?!?!
Clickbank products are software, the vendor earns +85%, which is why you are being paid 50%. I do when I form time to time find valuable clickbank offers. And it has nothing to do with personal ethics, in fact- I would say you are stupid if you didn't.
I find it ironic when internet marketers not only leave money on the table, they are in fact throwing them out of the window...

I bought product from my affiliate link to try it but it seems Clickbank did not care about it. Commission was added though.

Not a good thing to do.....D.J.

Re: Buying Click Bank product through own Affiliate Link

If this is a violation of CB laws what is the penalty? So if an affiliate is promoting the product and have need of it how should he/she go about buying it? What if members of the said household uses the same credit card to purchase from CB not knowing it is a violation buying from own affiliate link?

1) It's NOT against Clickbank's T&C. Read them through: you will not find any entry anywhere against such practice. So, basically they don't care.

2) It's freaking gay. Affiliate links should be used as a promotional tool, not as a self-granting discount coupon. I myself (as a vendor) ban every buyer/affiliate doing this.