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Amazon: Ships From and Sold by... Are You Leaving Money on the Table?

by Elle Holder
6 replies
  • SEO
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Maybe some of you already do this, but I just stumbled across it and thought I would share. I'm doing some cursory research on a new niche I'm thinking of. A physical product. Just one of those ideas that popped into my mind. When that happens I'll check to see what kind of assortment Amazon offers and then I'll go to my Affiliate Networks and see if they have any retailers selling products in that niche, since for some of my sites I don't limit myself to Amazon links. Simple enough to do; just do a search on the item within the network interface and it will tell you what retailers they have partnered with in your niche.

So I've found a bunch of retailers and I'm browsing around on one site, and they have some great stuff. On a whim, I decide to see if by chance Amazon has the same product. Yep. Same price. Free shipping. Amazon clearly states that it's shipped and sold by Company X. This is where I go huh. Depending on what fee tier you're at, you're getting anywhere from 4 to 8.5% commission from Amazon and a 24 hour cookie. (Maybe 90 day if something gets added to a cart) But through my Affiliate Network, Company X is offering a 10% commission and a 60 day cookie! I did some further research in the niche and I could get up to 13% with a cookie that never dies, depending on the retailer. Yikes! Why didn't I think of this before?

I know some of you like to stick to products that are shipped and sold via Amazon, and there are good reasons for that. However, in some cases I'll deal with things sold through 3rd party sellers if I think they have a good rep. That just takes a little more research. Going forward, you can bet I'll be checking things against my affiliate networks to see who is offering me the better deal.

Oh, and if you're going to do this, make sure you update your disclaimer. It will have to show your regular Amazon disclaimer plus whatever your affiliate networks expect of you.
#amazon #leaving #money #ships #sold #table
  • Profile picture of the author adamcm
    I haven't done any testing on this, but I think the conversion would be higher on Amazon sites than with others but I could be wrong.

    In saying that one of my sites is filled with products from a CJ merchant who offers 13% rather than the amount I would receive from Amazon. I figured the much higher commission was well worth more than the potential lost conversions. But I could be completely wrong.
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    • Profile picture of the author Elle Holder
      Originally Posted by adamcm View Post

      I haven't done any testing on this, but I think the conversion would be higher on Amazon sites than with others but I could be wrong.

      In saying that one of my sites is filled with products from a CJ merchant who offers 13% rather than the amount I would receive from Amazon. I figured the much higher commission was well worth more than the potential lost conversions. But I could be completely wrong.
      Good point. Like I said, this just became apparent to me, so no testing here either.

      I know that people feel safe with Amazon, and for good reason. But I've also had good success with other retailer links. And not just huge retailers either. There are some smaller ones that have gained some recognition in their own right. And a lot of them are 3rd party sellers on Amazon.

      In the end I guess it will be like anything else. Test, test, test. Nonetheless, it was an eye opener for me, and I thought I would point it out.
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  • Profile picture of the author wolfmmiii
    I typically stick with products shipped and sold by Amazon because I've seen far fewer returns/overturned commissions on those types of sales.
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    • Profile picture of the author Elle Holder
      Originally Posted by wolfmmiii View Post

      I typically stick with products shipped and sold by Amazon because I've seen far fewer returns/overturned commissions on those types of sales.
      Yeah, that was on of the reasons I alluded to in the OP. There are many reasons why Amazon is a good choice, and should likely be the first choice, but sometimes we get such tunnel vision we forget there are other options. Or we just never explore other options. And sometimes those other options are really quite viable.
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  • Profile picture of the author wolfmmiii
    Agreed. It is often much easier to rank for those products from third parties because people shy away.
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    • Profile picture of the author Elle Holder
      Another thing is that if you're worried about returns the affiliate networks - at least some of them - will give you a snap shot over X period of time, telling you the return history. If Company X stats show X number of sales and zero returns in a 90 period, that makes me feel all warm and fuzzy.

      So if I'm thinking of using a 3rd party seller on Amazon that is also part of an Affiliate Network and offering a better commission, I would check their returns as part of my research.
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