36 replies
As you may know Amazons Affiliate program just nosedived.

Looking for alternatives for my outdoor/camping blog.

Tried CJ tonight but getting auto denied by everyone so seems impossible to find something there.

Any suggestions?

Thanks
A desperate man
#alternatives #amazon
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  • Profile picture of the author smedia11
    Checkout Walmart affiliate program. Its generally worse than Amazon %, but after those cuts it might be worth checking out.
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  • Profile picture of the author savidge4
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    Success is an ACT not an idea
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    • Profile picture of the author IGotMine
      Originally Posted by savidge4 View Post

      As long as you have decent traffic. Avantlink will generally deny sites with Alexa rank over three million.
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    • Profile picture of the author Sam Ajarn
      I would love to, and ive tried applying to avantlink around 4 times, everytime i get rejected due to insufficient traffic. I get 30k a month, and they wont tell me how much i need.

      Do you know how much traffic they look for?

      did you get people taking you up on the offer? and how does that work when they buy other things during the cookie?

      Auction only i think, doesnt really match my setup

      wishful thinking, i hope this is the case, i also affiliate in SE asia and some top companies cut their commissions on the same day as Amazon. However i just cant believe that after they will say like "here you go guys, the commission is back to normal now" they will probably think, well this % is the same as target and walmarts, and everyone is used to it now, so lets just keep it. Idk...
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  • It's better to have your own products listed for sale in the Amazon.com market place than being an affiliate.

    Being an affiliate always ment not usually being in control in the market place. Product vendors remove products or some other outside factors beyond your control may affect your income generated online.

    Digital products still seems to be making some sales during this lockdown period, so perhaps you can become a clickbank.com affiliate. The commission structure ranges anywhere from between 50% to 100% per sale. Non essential Products that requires shipping are often not even being listed in some online market places.
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  • Profile picture of the author myob
    If you've been getting decent traffic, consider approaching Amazon vendors directly. They've been hit with leaner profit margins from Amazon's increasingly greedy demands as well.

    I started doing this three years ago when they discontinued their performance-based commission slabs, where top affiliates were earning up to 10% commission in the highest tier.

    However, Amazon is still the big gorilla. For some of the products I promote there really isn't anything else out there that can handle the volume of orders and consistently timely deliveries (until the recent volume spike).

    But also, they really don't need us anymore,
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  • Profile picture of the author spartan14
    What about ebay ? you should try it
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  • Profile picture of the author cheese1688
    I think the best alternative would be to start selling something own.
    I know that amazon products convert very well, but don't you think it's enough to work for someone else and get like 3% of the sold items? Crazy...

    It's time to use our heads, brainstorm ideas, start creating/building something own, sell and keep the 100% profits!
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  • Profile picture of the author qwikaddotcom
    In a couple of months it should start getting back to normal. I don't believe any affiliate program is in a better position these days. Better to wait it out rather than frantically look for something else that may or may not work.
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    • Profile picture of the author myob
      Originally Posted by qwikaddotcom View Post

      In a couple of months it should start getting back to normal. I don't believe any affiliate program is in a better position these days. Better to wait it out rather than frantically look for something else that may or may not work.
      The "normal" for Amazon is dwindling commission rates. However, the Amazon affiliate program is still unbeatable for its off the charts conversion rates compared to anything else.

      The real power and value in this behemoth is to find the top selling products within your niches. The monthly affiliate sales reports are priceless as a market research tool.
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  • Profile picture of the author HansDavid
    Just type "keyword + affiliate" in Google & you'll find tons of vendors offering their affiliate programs.
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  • Profile picture of the author Stephen Crooks
    Amazon is of course the king when it comes to conversions but there are many out there that can certainly hold a torch up to Amazon in that sense.

    Walmart, Rakuten, Shareasale and CJ are just a few with major brands.
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  • Profile picture of the author VaneSSka
    Overstock. Newegg. Zappos. AliExpress. Jet.com. Barnes & Noble. Rakuten. give a try check them.
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  • Profile picture of the author Medon
    It's too early to jump ship my dear. Things will be alright once governments deal with the pandemic. Stay put.
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    • Profile picture of the author Matt D.
      What makes you so sure?

      Sure, maybe Amazon wants to save some money due to the increase of traffic they can't process. But when the traffic goes down, will they revert it back? If so, why don't they say so.

      I think it's very likely they never increase it back up. Basically now you get 1% of a sale which is almost nothing. Almost as if they killed the program.
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    • Profile picture of the author Stephen Crooks
      Originally Posted by Medon View Post

      It's too early to jump ship my dear. Things will be alright once governments deal with the pandemic. Stay put.
      It really isn't. The writing has been on the wall for Amazon affiliates for a while, this is the first nail in the coffin. There are plenty of other BETTER ways of generating income for YOUR traffic though.
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    • Profile picture of the author myob
      Originally Posted by Medon View Post

      It's too early to jump ship my dear. Things will be alright once governments deal with the pandemic. Stay put.
      I agree it is perhaps way too premature to jump ship. But don't expect commission rates to improve. With record growth and revenue, Amazon affiliates are becoming increasingly irrelevant.

      However, currently there is nothing else out there that I've seen that can match Amazon's name recognition, unique ordering agility, and efficiency for massive traffic fulfillment.

      For most of the niches I market in, there is nothing else comparable, although I am moving up private deal arrangements with some of my best performing manufacturers and vendors.
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      • Profile picture of the author Stephen Crooks
        Originally Posted by myob View Post

        I agree it is perhaps way too premature to jump ship. But don't expect commission rates to improve. With record growth and revenue, Amazon affiliates are becoming increasingly irrelevant.

        However, currently there is nothing else out there that I've seen that can match Amazon's name recognition, unique ordering agility, and efficiency for massive traffic fulfillment.

        For most of the niches I market in, there is nothing else comparable, although I am moving up private deal arrangements with some of my best performing manufacturers and vendors.
        You are right of course and nobody is disputing Amazon is and will be forever probably the number 1 go to online shop. Nothing else compares to their ability to get customers champing at the bit with wallet in hand.

        Up until now, that has been more than enough to keep affiliates interested in promoting their products. However, after these scathing cuts, you have to look at the numbers and they just don't add up anymore. Just to stand still, most affiliates will need to double the amount of traffic coming to their sites!

        There are plenty of different and better ways to monetise our traffic that give a far better return. Surely that is all that matters at the end of the day?

        I am going to go through all my Amazon sites with a spreadsheet at the ready, and work out exactly how much each visitor to those sites brings in. I am also going to actively look at all the alternatives out there. Alternative affiliate stores, Adsense or other advertising, CPA and I am 100% sure that a mixture of those will pull in more bang for my buck than Amazon will from now on.

        It is clear, Amazon no longer need affiliates. I am also sure that the associates program's days are numbered. Right now, I would be looking at the alternatives.
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        • Profile picture of the author GordonJ
          Originally Posted by Stephen Crooks View Post



          It is clear, Amazon no longer need affiliates. I am also sure that the associates program's days are numbered. Right now, I would be looking at the alternatives.
          The great Google slap downs, panda, penguin, etc., one of which hurt many a Warrior who were into article marketing showed us all how dangerous it could be to rely on other people for income.

          One Warrior went from six figures a year, to four in less than a few months.

          All affiliate programs (unless you run the program) rely on someone else. Even experienced product creators may struggle as affiliates go elsewhere.

          This isn't to say affiliate marketing is a good or could be a good revenue source, but it might be only one EGG you keep in the basket and multiple streams of income would serve all affiliates well right now.

          We may have reached a tipping point with affiliate marketing, and once the scales get too far down, we'll hear of many other people whose income dropped dramatically overnight.

          Sure, have affiliate marketing as one REVENUE stream, but make sure you diversify as quickly as you can.

          GordonJ
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          • Profile picture of the author myob
            Originally Posted by GordonJ View Post

            We may have reached a tipping point with affiliate marketing, and once the scales get too far down, we'll hear of many other people whose income dropped dramatically overnight.
            People are confidently buying products on Amazon well into the four-digit price range and sometimes even five figures at the click of a button. For affiliates, Amazon has made it easy to make sales, and commission levels reflect that.

            Many Amazon affiliates will continue to earn substantial profits. But the tired model of affiliate promotions (ie "product reviews", PPC, SEO) will no longer be effective for any affiliate program in the new economic landscape.
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  • Profile picture of the author Kay King
    The sites that will still profit are those that are focused on targeted niches - are authority sites in certain niches, etc. Those are content heavy sites owned by marketers who KNOW their niche well and are known IN the niche.

    They also have the ability perhaps to write new deals with manufacturers - or to quickly pivot to other affiliate programs. Marketers with authority sites will get approved by CJ and Share-A-Sale programs much easier than the 'made for amazon' site owner

    Years ago Adsense moved away from 'built for adsense' - Amazon is moving away from 'built for amazon' sites. Amazon also recently mentioned upcoming changes in how reviews are vetted.

    With record growth and revenue, Amazon affiliates are becoming increasingly irrelevant.
    Exactly. I doubt Amazon will decline after the pandemic. Many people who DID not order online in the past are doing so now. Others are learning now how efficient it is to order basic supplies online - and they will continue those buying habits into the future.
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  • Profile picture of the author IGotMine
    Amazon affiliates are becoming increasingly irrelevant.
    It's a common occurrence online. When they are new they welcome all comers. When they grow to a certain size and don't need you anymore, you are suddenly expendable.

    My first experience was with Squidoo. Remember when they did the big spam eradication? I had a Pioneer badge on Squidoo. Several of my well-performing lenses they loved so much previously and brought them thousands of visitors were suddenly "spam bait."

    Help them build it and then get the hell out!

    It was all a good learning experience. I learned to keep my income out of the hands of large, greedy entities as much as possible.
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  • Profile picture of the author IGotMine
    We may have reached a tipping point with affiliate marketing,
    Not affiliate marketing as a whole. There are too many opportunities and affiliates who can actually make sales are in demand.

    I do agree wholeheartedly about not depending on a single program.
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  • Profile picture of the author IGotMine
    will no longer be effective for any affiliate program in the new economic landscape
    That's a pretty wide net and not even close to accurate. The PPC campaigns for the affiliate products (SAAS) I'm promoting are doing very well and I don't foresee that changing.

    I've never done "reviews" or SEO so I can't comment on those.
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    • Profile picture of the author myob
      Originally Posted by IGotMine View Post

      That's a pretty wide net and not even close to accurate. The PPC campaigns for the affiliate products (SAAS) I'm promoting are doing very well and I don't foresee that changing.
      Perhaps not ... for now. But keep in mind, all of the companies with affiliate programs are also competing against their own affiliates in PPC (as well as SEO).
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  • Profile picture of the author Toomakesense
    Did you try Aliexpress and Clickbank? i think that should be a good second option
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  • Profile picture of the author Kay King
    What I'm seeing today are members here and elsewhere asking "where is the best affiliate program for.....(insert a niche here)...".


    They don't seem to realize if a marketer has spent his time researchinf his market - finding the right products and testing his methods till they start to sell....he is NOT going to give away his process or his source.
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    Saving one dog will not change the world - but the world changes forever for that one dog
    ***
    Sometimes I just want someone to hug me and say...
    "It's going to be OK - here's a horse and two million dollars."
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  • Profile picture of the author writeaway
    OP, if you're serious about making REAL money with Amazon Affiliate Product Review type sites, look into partnering with DROPSHIPPERS

    Why settle for 1% to 10% crumbs at Amazon when a dropshipper can pay you 20% to 30%?
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  • Profile picture of the author dsimms
    Originally Posted by Sam Ajarn View Post

    As you may know Amazons Affiliate program just nosedived.

    Looking for alternatives for my outdoor/camping blog.

    Tried CJ tonight but getting auto denied by everyone so seems impossible to find something there.

    Any suggestions?

    Thanks
    A desperate man
    I read a case study on an affiliate site a fews ago, and considered the site to be an authority, in his case study, he was involved in many high-end affiliate programs, he stated that being involved in several top brand affiliate programs, none of them even equaled the combined amount he was making through amazon affiliate program....

    amazon has always been the best affiliate program, however, they figure if they can keep cutting back to help their bottom line, then there will be those that will still promote their brand, and I would expect amazon to cut more in the future.

    in my opinion, amazon does not really need full time affiliates anymore, and if they squeeze out top tier earners, then lower tier affiliates will still promote the amazon brand...

    I am not sure if this cut was planned or due to covid-19. I can imagine this virus is starting to impact the bottom line of top tier companies such as amazon. For some reason, people think just because everyone is at home, then they are just shopping their nights away on Amazon, and that may not be the case. Buying habits have changed, for instance, I need less amazon, and more food on the table, so I stop amazon shopping, and may shop more on Walmart so I can go pickup my groceries.
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  • Profile picture of the author CloudCheddar
    Try Flexoffers. They have a very wide range of offers in all niche and pays well. That's what I use.
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  • Profile picture of the author vphoner
    The commission cuts may be temporary to discourage orders. Amazon is swamped. Amazon also stopped advertising on google. This shows a pattern of them wanting less business at this time. Perhaps after all the hoopla is ended, we can get back to normal commissions.
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    • Profile picture of the author Stephen Crooks
      Originally Posted by vphoner View Post

      The commission cuts may be temporary to discourage orders. Amazon is swamped. Amazon also stopped advertising on google. This shows a pattern of them wanting less business at this time. Perhaps after all the hoopla is ended, we can get back to normal commissions.
      I wouldn't count on that to be honest. The important thing is, if you still have the same traffic, you can monetise it any way you want. There are plenty of more lucrative options out there.
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  • Profile picture of the author vphoner
    Curious as to whether everyone got their commission cut, even those grandfathered into the old system with the 8.5% if you sold over 3,000 items a month. Because I know of people that told me their grandfathered commission schedule ended May 1st. Wondering if that is happening systemwide, including the Newspaper affiliate review sites that we have seen popping up in recent years. If so, this will be a big blow to them. They will have to stop advertising on google.
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  • Profile picture of the author myob
    Some of my Amazon sites are getting record sales, especially in gardening, camping, and medical equipment, These top sellers can also be found on other networks (CJ, Shareasale, Rakuten, etc) which do pay much higher commissions.

    The Amazon affiliate monthly sales report is a priceless tool for showing the hottest selling products and customer buying patterns. If you can demonstrate traffic and sales, vendors and manufacturers on Amazon are often receptive for private deals for which I have been able to negotiate 10%-15% commission or more.
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