12 {{ upvoteCount | shortNum }}
12 {{ upvoteCount | shortNum }}

Is it wise to offer both Ebay & Amazon?

by FlashDriveDT
10 replies
Most of my pages promote Ebay and so far only when a specific item was not available on Ebay but instead on Amazon I would place a link to Amazon. I'm prioritizing Ebay because of the 7 day cookie duration plus easy paypal payments which Amazon doesn't offer to affiliates abroad (I'm German).

Now I had my first Amazon sale however and it was sweet. The commission was higher than it would have been with Ebay so I'm having doubts now about my current structure. I'm wondering if it would be a good idea to offer both Ebay as well as Amazon links for each product I'm promoting? Like "Buy now at Ebay (link) or buy now at Amazon (link)".

We're talking tech items here and they're pretty much impulse buys so I guess amazon would actually be the better, more trusted platform. I just don't like the fact that the cookie lasts 24 hours only. And I'm afraid that if customers are offered both options, the majority will go with Amazon. So in other words, I might have a few better single commissions but overall the number of sales/commissions might be lower. Is there anyone here who's using this type of model on their affiliate site? If yes, can you tell me what the CTR comparison is and which of the two convert more money overall?

Again, my main issue is the way Amazon-com pays non-US citizens. Maybe someone here knows of an easy legal way to get a US account for deposit? Is this possible at all? I guess I would need a US aquaintance that I can trust to open an account for me, huh? I actually contacted my american ex-wife about this a while back but it seems for now, it's no go. I guess we're both not really thrilled about this possibility.

I would appreciate your feeback and suggestions!
#amazon #ebay #offer #wise
  • Profile picture of the author CDarklock
    If they're largely impulse buys, 24 hours isn't an issue. I would offer them both side by side for all products. That way, people who don't buy from eBay might buy from Amazon, and vice-versa. It also lets your visitors do their own comparison shopping.
    Signature
    "The Golden Town is the Golden Town no longer. They have sold their pillars for brass and their temples for money, they have made coins out of their golden doors. It is become a dark town full of trouble, there is no ease in its streets, beauty has left it and the old songs are gone." - Lord Dunsany, The Messengers
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[904677].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author Flyingpig7
    Well you could sell new items on Amazon and Used ones on Ebay, although Amazon do have a used section for some things, (books, dvds). I think you will find most will say Ebay has a better commission structure as Amazon is best for bulk sales at 4 to 10% each sale. Personally I would say have different sites one for Amazon the other for Ebay as opposed to mixing them up on the same site that could lead to User confusion; unless you are providing a shopping comparision site. Maybe you could test them out on different sites and see what converts best for you in your chosen niche.

    I hope I'm helping as there seems to be a lot there for you to decide on. Hope others have better ideas here than mine.
    Keren
    Signature

    Have a great day

    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[904681].message }}
    • Profile picture of the author FlashDriveDT
      Originally Posted by Flyingpig7 View Post

      Personally I would say have different sites one for Amazon the other for Ebay as opposed to mixing them up on the same site that could lead to User confusion; unless you are providing a shopping comparision site.
      No, I'm not. User confusion is something that I am concerned about. Because the way I link to ebay is not just one listing (like from a store) but the search overview. Depending on the product these listings can already be a lot to choose from so also providing amazon could be too much. I do find the variety better on Ebay for my niche, but the question is if that is actually a good thing? I read somewhere that it's actually better to pre-choose for visitors. Personally I wouldn't want to be treated that way, but maybe the masses do. What do my fellow Warriors say?


      Originally Posted by The Expert

      Build your site with Amazon then go search for a script called Exit Splash. What it does is try to stop your traffic from exiting your site by offering them a "special offer" or something. It only kicks in if they back out of the site completely though. Not if they click through to Amazon.

      Your special offer could be Auctions for the same item.
      Interesting idea but that's not something I want to do. Scripts like this are very annoying IMO (as a visitor) and like it says "Don't do unto others as you would have others do unto you."

      I started doing this last week and I'm getting about 50% of my exit traffic to click through to Ebay.
      But do they convert? I imagine that many of those 50% click through to Ebay because they can't figure out how to properly get away from that window and your page. Honestly, I find that type of method bad.

      Originally Posted by Greg Jacobs View Post

      I have both eBay and Amazon on many of the pages, and eBay makes me about 10x more.
      Oh really? Would you be willing to tell me your niche? Feel free to PM me. I think whether Ebay or Amazon converts better depends largely on the product. I know from one of the first affiliates I met that Amazon was doing better for him than ebay. Again, the question is if it's a good idea to offer both on the same page, presumably side by side. I could imagine that there's some who are wary of Ebay and rather like to go new/"normal" with Amazon. But like flyingpig said some may be lured more by the curiosity factor of ebay. Sigh, I don't know what to do. Btw, I only have ONE site. Before I do more I want to learn everything there is with this one and milk it to the max.

      Originally Posted by Greg Jacobs View Post

      Overstock is a good option as well.
      I presume that's another aff program? Can you provide a link? Thanks.

      P.S. I had my second Amazon comission so I guess the universe is telling me something...:confused:
      Signature
      {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[927666].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author Bounderby
    Could somebody please explain to me the Amazon fee structure (for the UK at least).
    They have two options - a "classic" flat rate of 4% across all sales, or a staggered "performance" rate starting at 5%. If I sell one product on the performance rate at 5%, why would I even consider the classic rate?
    What am I missing??
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[904728].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author Flyingpig7
    Ah, one level is for anything that is not electronic goods the other includes electronic goods sales on Amazon. The commission is staggered according to how much bulk sales you made in a month (or between payment dates). You can build up the bulk very quickly by lots of sales of small items then mixing that with a few large commission items (ie: electronic goods), that is why Amazon is very attractive to some Affilates.
    That's my understanding. I dont' do a huge amount of selling in the Marketplace but I find the conversions very easy because of the brand and the size of the site.

    Keren
    Signature

    Have a great day

    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[904781].message }}
    • Profile picture of the author The Expert
      Here's a tip that can get you the best of both worlds...

      It seems that you are leaning towards Amazon. One of the unique differences between the two is that Ebay offer's auctions. This is a huge factor because it instills curiosity and the desire to get a better deal then at retail (which most consider Amazon to be).

      Build your site with Amazon then go search for a script called Exit Splash. What it does is try to stop your traffic from exiting your site by offering them a "special offer" or something. It only kicks in if they back out of the site completely though. Not if they click through to Amazon.

      Your special offer could be Auctions for the same item.

      I have a site that sells a digital product related to a physical product. If the customer tries to exit I use the script to try and get a second chance by sending them to Ebay to buy the item.

      I started doing this last week and I'm getting about 50% of my exit traffic to click through to Ebay.
      {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[905102].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author Flyingpig7
    That sounds like a great idea The Expert, thanks for the tip.
    Would the script show up at all if they are looking at your website so that they click on it for curiousity factor (on a....click me....link for example). I mean when a viewer is not exiting your site just looking at it? I like your conversion rate too .


    Cheers
    Keren
    Signature

    Have a great day

    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[907105].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author Bounderby
    To further hijack this thread (sorry!), presumably being an Amazon.com affiliate would be better than UK, even though I am UK based, for the larger audience. Is there a way to run both and have the relevant redirection depending on visitor location?
    Reading through the UK terms, it says commission is only payable for purchases on the UK site.
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[907339].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author Flyingpig7
    Yes it is true you do have to register individually for each Amazon area you are selling in, Us, De (Germany), Fr(France), Uk and so on...... That is because they issue cheques for your sales in each area using each Amazon site.
    As for which is better US or Uk that I cannot answer. Nor do I think there is a way to redirect bearing in mind the visitor would have to pay postage costs from a UK site to the US unless product is manufactured here. The way I see it the only way around is to have separate sites for both, register for both that way you get paid in your niche for both areas a bit like scaling up your sites. You could do this with Wordpress or a php rich site. Wordpress is simpler as there are great plugins available for Amazon and Ebay.
    You might find someone else more technically minded here on the forum who knows a way around some your technical question.
    I hope that is of some help to you.

    Keren
    Signature

    Have a great day

    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[909772].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author Greg Jacobs
    eBay.



    I have both eBay and Amazon on many of the pages, and eBay makes me about 10x more.
    Overstock is a good option as well.
    Signature
    Click here to learn how I raised 110k in 24 hours with Crowdfunding!
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[909967].message }}

Trending Topics