How safe is Affiliate Marketing?

23 replies
Hey guys, I am thinking of getting into AM but I am wondering what happens when someone purchases a product from a link within your site and returns a product or has warranty or other issues, is there any liability for you in any way please?
#affiliate #marketing #safe
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  • Profile picture of the author Kay King
    If someone refunds you will lose that affiliate commission - any other 'liability' may depend on following the TOS of the product creator, the affiliate network if any, and the laws where you are located.
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  • Profile picture of the author MrPenn
    Originally Posted by mikehende View Post

    Hey guys, I am thinking of getting into AM but I am wondering what happens when someone purchases a product from a link within your site and returns a product or has warranty or other issues, is there any liability for you in any way please?



    Yeah you'd lose your commission for that return your "lead" made! If you're already paid the commission, you would lose it in future commissions!


    AM for me has been in the worst conversion rate since last year .... don't know about you but eCommerce is really great!
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    • Profile picture of the author Johnny12345
      Originally Posted by MrPenn View Post

      AM for me has been in the worst conversion rate since last year .... don't know about you but eCommerce is really great!
      That's an interesting observation.

      I'd like to hear more about the poor conversions you had with Affiliate Marketing, and also how ecom has been much better. Comments about conversion always grab my attention.

      John
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  • Profile picture of the author mikehende
    I wouldn't mind losing the commission just any possible liabilities is what I am looking into
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    • You will not have any liabilities of any sort apart from your commission being taken away by the vendor. Worry not. Liabilities will be on the vendor/merchant since they are the ones that are selling the products.
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  • Profile picture of the author William7uk
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  • Profile picture of the author DIABL0
    I've been promoting affiliate / CPA offers for 19 years.

    I've never once had an issue where some type of liability fell back on to me and has never been a concern of mine.

    With CPA offers, I've never run an offer where if there was a return it was taken back from my commissions. I think this mainly occurs with IM/MMO offers, which I don't promote.

    Additionally, I mainly promote PPL (pay per lead) offers. Which there is nothing that can be returned. However, if you don't generate quality leads, you could be dropped from being able to promote thee offer.
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    • Profile picture of the author codyhay
      I guess that's the right way to do the thing.
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  • Profile picture of the author fakhara
    Yes you did lose your commission. If you are already paid the commission, you would lose it in future commissions!
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  • Profile picture of the author White Pearl
    Refunds and charge backs are quite normal in any business whether its affiliate or dropshipping. There fore always find reliable products with good reviews so you know it will benefit your user.
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  • Profile picture of the author muscatbrillmindz
    It's NOT easy to target affiliates. It takes a lot of hard work and time, as with any other business model, offline or online. You need to pick a subject you know about, find relevant products / services to promote, add graphics, links, and so on to your site in a manner that is authoritative and informative, find an appropriate website host, and advertise / promote your page.
    Creating a profit through Affiliate Marketing takes time, just like creating any other company. Done properly, the average affiliate marketer will see success in 1-3 months and gain enough to leave their day job in 1-2 years. But you have to treat it as a company, put it in time, and work in your niche with reputable firms.

    Risks include, but are not limited to: getting "bored" with it Choose a topic/niche you enjoy giving up too early because you feel you're wasting a lot of time and you haven't made a sale (many newbies make this mistake between 3-6 months thinking one barely researched post per week and a spam site counts as a job).
    You should not clutter your page with advertising and links. Choosing the wrong ad network or in-house system Always study ad networks and in-house services, read their rules, before deciding to work with them.
    Affiliate Advertising is an undertaking and should be regarded as such. NO business is simple otherwise risk-free, or it would be done by everyone.
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  • Originally Posted by mikehende View Post

    Hey guys, I am thinking of getting into AM but I am wondering what happens when someone purchases a product from a link within your site and returns a product or has warranty or other issues, is there any liability for you in any way please?
    Hi,
    The affiliate is not liable but if there is a return or cancellation of the sale then you don't get paid the commission for that sale.

    Affiliate Marketing is safe and low risk, all you need is to select a niche that you are interested/passionate, a domain, web hosting, website and mainly time to promote it.

    For example, if you are interested in golf, set up a website or blog about it and promote products that are related, for instance clothing, shoes, books about golf etc. Don't get involved with something that you don't enjoy. With time you will have a decent audience and social media follow up to market to.

    Good Luck
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  • Profile picture of the author ahad0806
    Yes, you made a very good observation regarding the affiliate programs. I will like to make it clear here that yes it all depends on the terms and conditions of the Affiliate Program owner but in major cases, you might lose your commission.

    But yeah don't fear that AM is the worst business model for making money, instead, it is the best for making huge profits without even creating any product.
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  • Profile picture of the author spartan14
    Dont focus so much on having problems with affiliate marketing .Instead focus on how you can generate traffic to make money .If you are an affiliate its not your product you just recomend it .The responsability its on the vendor ,you just recommend the product
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    • Profile picture of the author Reddevil007
      Originally Posted by spartan14 View Post

      Dont focus so much on having problems with affiliate marketing .Instead focus on how you can generate traffic to make money .If you are an affiliate its not your product you just recomend it .The responsability its on the vendor ,you just recommend the product
      This!


      Plus one needs to do due diligence about the affiliate program they are trying to promote as that can make or break your chances of making it into the affiliate marketing space.
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  • Profile picture of the author warddaniel402
    On the off chance that somebody discounts you will lose that affiliate commission - some other 'risk' may rely upon following the TOS of the item maker, the subsidiary system assuming any, and the laws where you are found.
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  • Profile picture of the author Chris-
    Any good affiliate system will have a process for handling refunds. So learn about the process, understand how it works, and keep in mind that some refunds are inevitable.

    While some refunds are inevitable, how many you get depends mostly on things like the quality of the product of course, and the quality (targeting etc.) of the buyer traffic. As one can see from skimming through a list of affiliate products on an affiliate site . . . some have very low refund percentages, some have much higher, and same goes for affiliates.

    If you want to be in this business for the long-term and make real money, then I recommend going with the honest, high-quality end of the market, because who and what you work with affects YOUR reputation, results etc.

    Chris
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  • Profile picture of the author Donald Faulknor
    Amazon Affiliate (for example) states that you can be charged for returns up to six months after a purchase. After six months, you're in the clear. My suggestion is to look up the policies of all the affiliates you use and don't spend any of the money until you're in the clear. If it's six months, hold onto the money for that long for all purchases. It's as safe as YOU make it. If you rush to spend the money, then you're risking owing the affiliate money, but that's because you made that choice. I recommend: reading the terms. This will help you to identify how to stay protected from personal losses.
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  • Profile picture of the author jtxmisc
    Affiliate marketing is pretty safe.....have no problem with it so far..
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  • Profile picture of the author Kam Ami
    if someone purchase product from your aff. link and then return the same product then the amount which you have earn from that product will be deduct from your commission.
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  • Profile picture of the author IGotMine
    Done properly, the average affiliate marketer will see success in 1-3 months and gain enough to leave their day job in 1-2 years.
    And your source for this statement?

    Most people who attempt affiliate marketing have little if any success and never leave their day job.
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  • Profile picture of the author ChrisBa
    Originally Posted by mikehende View Post

    Hey guys, I am thinking of getting into AM but I am wondering what happens when someone purchases a product from a link within your site and returns a product or has warranty or other issues, is there any liability for you in any way please?
    How safe is anything ?

    If someone returns the product then you will lose the commission. But this is very similar to any other industry.
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  • Profile picture of the author Marian
    It's perfectly safe, just promote to the right audience and the refunds will be low... if any!

    Marian
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  • Profile picture of the author Ibrahim Sumon
    Most novice partners need to do an instructional class to begin in the business. There will be several individuals attempting to sell you courses, a digital book, an online class and numerous different sorts of data. Do your examination before picking your preparation program.
    The best part is that you can get a digital book that is brimming with fun and is certainly not a down to earth, useful exercise. So ensure your name is with a well-known name.
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