Would *you* ever pay to sign up for an Affiliate Program?

Probably not!

Unless they had some crazy good affiliate training, products, and other exclusive content...

Yea, I really wouldn't pay for being an affiliate....like you said, it looks a little scammy.

I probably wouldn't, unless it came with some extra added value beyond just the ability to promote the products in question!

Paul

You should never pay to play.
The problem with most claims on sites is that they are simply false and when the obvious question is asked "Why do you need me when you are making so much" you generally get a response of "I just want to put to put something back".And the 3 bears !
In a way there are many affilaites who pay all the time since they often promote a product incurring expenditure even if it's only the monthly broadband fee.You are working for someone for nothing until a sale is made.
I met Soren Jordansen & Cindy Battye who created CB Pirate at a conference last Saturday in London and they were basically offering 10 ready made member ship sites plus he would help you develop your own clickbank product and he also offered an iphone tablet all for £1,700 odd.Hmmm... no thanks but they are genuine people who have created massive lists.A few people ran to the back of the hall to sign up but again they must realise it's bigger bucks to sell at seminars.Launching your own clickbank product seems a great idea but it better be good otherwise you'll get low gravity.

Nope. Why would I pay to promote someone. Sounds like those pyramid schemes, where you pay up front. BAWH

Never... If they are super reputable and have a great track record of paying super high commissions then maybe. But if you can't allow me to chow my credentials and let me sell your products we really don't need to be doing business.

Not in this lifetime. No. Nadda.
I'd put together my own warehouse before I ever paid a cent to work for someone else.

That's ridiculous. Why should I have to pay when I'm making them money?

I think I would pay for the wso pro affiliate program because I do have a list of from warrior forum.

Always wondered what the thinking behind charging affiliates was. Is it to see how serious they are or just for the vendor/agent to make a few more bucks?

The fact that Warrior Plus charges actually put me off joining.

David

My initial thought was No. Absolutely not...

Sounds to much like MLM...you need to buy their products or buy a kit in order to sell.

But there are exceptions to every rule As Tina Golden stated and Trieu explained..

How can you say no to this:

Most likely not...but in a special situation: absolutely.

Well stated Alexa Smith.

I pay to be a WSO PRO affiliate... One sale a month recoups the cost though... I actually joined for the stats as a vendor though

I agree that Incansoft is very unique in it's structure and would be the exception to the rule.

I have a review site for a niche product that I've promoted for several years now and there's one company (supposedly the "upscale brand") that actually charges affiliates $80.00 to join their program. I see several of my competitors have ponied up but I just can't bring myself to do it.

It's not the $$, it's the principle. I get requests daily from companies asking to be on my site. Part of the premise of Affiliate Marketing is that the producers of those products are passing along part of their marketing "costs" to me as well as part of their earnings. They're already saving money by having affiliates (if they're doing it right). I'm not going to cut them an additional check for good measure.

I never take free products for reviews and I'm not going to pay to be an affiliate for someone - aside from the many dollars that I spend monthly promoting my sites.

Not in a million years. There are just too many "free" affiliate programs out there I can lose money on already...

Maybe. Only because how would you know how to to promote that affiliate program in an honest way if you haven't even tried it out for yourself?

Hi:

Shireen here :-)

I wouldn't pay for any affiliate program.

There are lots of great products out there which I can promote for FREE :-)

Never.

If the seller needs to recoup costs through fees slugged on affiliates, it really makes me wonder how optimistic they are about the product they are actually selling.

Every business decision should be based on risk/reward and if the reward is great enough and the risk is a few bucks, why not?

Just read through the above comments... I wont single any one single person out but to those that have stated some form of resounding 'NO WAY' / 'AS IF' / 'NOT EVER' answer are way off the mark.

I don't mean that in any offensive way but I think you've possibly been a little narrow-minded in your answer.

As also mentioned above the only true and REAL answer is 'it all depends on the program'

Many have already dropped it's name and it's the most appropriate here - the WarriorPlus site that WF members use to sell their WSOs.

That has an affiliate program that enables vendors to have affiliates promote their WSO.

It costs about $4 a month to join the affiliate program and be able to prmote WSOs.

Are many of you saying above in your answers that you would never join such program? If so YOU'RE the crazy one!

I wont drop figures but let's just say for my $4 ( and MANY other warriors ) I'm not complaining, in fact I'm profiting MASSIVELY.

Now let's flip it...

Would I pay to be part of a program that would only release my money when I joined - NO

Would I pay to join an affiliate program that had some weird conditions on me getting my money - NO

Common sense right?

Hopefully my reply hasn't offended anyone but instead helped some people.

Don't be so sharp to blow something away becuase you misjudge it :-)

Some of the greatest things in life and in online business come from making investments into it... Just be wise to the decisions you make and always make well informed decisions :-)

Dean

From my perspective, if the affiliate network had access to a specific product I wanted to promote that other networks did not, I would do it sure. I would think of the fee as a small price to pay to limit the competition on the product from other Affiliates who refuse to pay the fee on principle.

It's not the first time I see something like it, to me it's just asinine. An affiliate is a private promoter who gets hired for his/her promotion services and get paid in form of commissions. To me that would be like having to pay to show up for work, like a cover charge to do a job; in a *nudy* bar that's acceptable because some go there just to get their "thrill" and drink ice water and never spend a dime.

I'd never pay to promote something UNLESS it was big ticket items that paid a lot like real estate, exotic car, big rigs, euclids, heavy equipment, CNC's, private jets... Stuff that even at a 1% commission would give out dandy paychecks. For example, you promote euclids that cost 6-7 figures, even at 1% even if you sell one would give you... Well, you get the picture THAT would be worth paying a monthly fee to promote.

One thing to check is it even legal to charge to be an affiliate - in many jurisdictions its not legal unless you create a franchise - which costs $$$ in legal fees. Just because many people do charge doesn't mean they are legally doing it. The laws are so different between counties, states, and nations that its a slippery slope at best - so even if you're inclined to pay to play - you need to make sure you're covered from any liability. IANAL, but I guess the most liabilities are with the vendor since they could be held accountable for whatever the affiliates do to get their cash - but as an affiliate you can have liability too.

--Jack

I only know multilevel marketing you have to pay to play. Never heard of an affiliate program that requires you to pay.

BigMike - that's a great explanation and answers what I was asking too

Thanks for sharing.

David

They should pay me to promote for them, not the other way around!

SWOM isn't really an affiliate program. It is a pyramid because you aren't being paid for a sale so much as paying for the opportunity to scam someone else. Typical MLM scheme. Nothing is being sold by the company which makes it a pyramid.

Pay? Sure, why not?

Would you pay to be a McDonalds affiliate? (they call them "franchises" ...not affiliates).

People have been paying to be affiliates / franchises for years and getting rich doing so. Only on the internet is an affiliate spot free. And as a result, look how many affiliates it takes to find 1 good one that is worth supporting?

When there's a product with wealth creating potential, you would be a fool not to pay to be an affiliate to sell it. There are a LOT of caveats to this position of course as there are too many crappy franchises er, ah, affiliate programs.

I had never heard of swom, but just took a look. Technically, you aren't paying to be an affiliate. You are paying to join the site, and one of the benefits of membership is the affiliate program. That is not at all uncommon, especially in the make money online world. The affiliate programs for many membership sites are open to paying members only.

I'm not saying I would join swom. I'm just saying what they are doing is not unusual.

John

Oh hells no would I ever pay for an affiliate program! Sounds sketchy to me.

I would normally say no but Warrior Plus requires it be be an affiliate small monthly subscription

Depends..

Most likely no.

It would have to depends on the affiliate program, the price and if it brings
alot of value to the table. If the price is fair then i wouldn't have a problem
with paying