Be Careful Promoting ClickBank Products As An Affiliate

85 replies
Let me start by saying that I've been working online since 1997 and I've always been skeptical when it comes to promoting ClickBank products as an affiliate and my recent test proves me right for being so skeptical.

I own a particular product in the internet marketing niche that has been averaging me 20 sales per day for the past 18 months (with no affiliates and paypal as the processor). I recently decided to update the product with added information and such. I decided to do a little experiment while the product was being updated. After reaching a few ClickBank products, I found one worthy of my promotional efforts so I redirected all of my current traffic to that product while mine was being updated (for about 2 days) and guess what, I wasn't credited with a single sale within these two days. When I look at the clickbank analytics I've had a ton of both order form impressions and submits but zero sales.

Like I said, with this same traffic my product sells at an average rate of 20 sales per day, there is something really corrupt going on with clickbank. After seeing these results I had to double check my setup but everything is setup correctly.

I'm someone that really feels that most people use the word scam too freely but in my opinion clickbank is a scam in one way or another. I knew this before I decided to do this test but I just don't understand why so many people are suggesting clickbank when so many people are seeing these types of problems.
#affiliate #careful #clickbank #products #promoting
  • Profile picture of the author bt
    That's why I prefer to promote my own products. I am not going to mention any names, but I have lost trust with one of the affiliate networks I have been with for a long time, I just about know they are shaving my commissions and It really ticks me off.

    I am going to start promoting only my own products In the future and get completely away from affiliate products.
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[5701856].message }}
    • Profile picture of the author Michael Fereday
      Originally Posted by bt View Post

      That's why I prefer to promote my own products. I am not going to mention any names, but I have lost trust with one of the affiliate networks I have been with for a long time, I just about know they are shaving my commissions and It really ticks me off.

      I am going to start promoting only my own products In the future and get completely away from affiliate products.

      Sounds like you've got the right idea there.
      Signature

      Like Dogs? Come see us to Get Daily Heart, Soul and Fun for The Dog Lover in You! http://www.facebook.com/PuppyDogDaily ; http://www.PuppyDogDaily.com

      {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[5729054].message }}
      • Profile picture of the author Michael Fereday
        I'm new to affiliate marketing and have not sold anything on Clickbank yet...but, tell me if I read it correctly in their terms somewhere that in order to get paid, you have to have so many sales made to/through Mastercard or Visa (not just paypal) in order to get your check cut for you to have bankable funds.

        Anybody familiar with this?
        Signature

        Like Dogs? Come see us to Get Daily Heart, Soul and Fun for The Dog Lover in You! http://www.facebook.com/PuppyDogDaily ; http://www.PuppyDogDaily.com

        {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[5729080].message }}
        • Profile picture of the author Dawn Wise
          Originally Posted by Michael Fereday View Post

          I'm new to affiliate marketing and have not sold anything on Clickbank yet...but, tell me if I read it correctly in their terms somewhere that in order to get paid, you have to have so many sales made to/through Mastercard or Visa (not just paypal) in order to get your check cut for you to have bankable funds.

          Anybody familiar with this?
          Yes, they do have a policy like this. And if you're going to make a living promoting Clickbank products, this rule won't be a problem. If you're just going to make a few one-off sales and then call it quits, then it's going to be an issue.

          This policy is described here http://www.clickbank.com/accounting.html#A15
          {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[5729154].message }}
        • Profile picture of the author Alexa Smith
          Banned
          Originally Posted by Michael Fereday View Post

          Anybody familiar with this?
          Yes - it's called the Customer Distribution Requirement, Michael. It functions (rather successfully) to protect affiliates against the otherwise-inherent problem that people could do you out of your affiliate commissions just by becoming an affiliate themselves for their one intended purchase, and put your commission in their own pocket.

          You can read all about it here (at the top): Accounting Policy - ClickBank

          Note that it refers to "5 sales", and not to "5 customers".
          {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[5729165].message }}
    • Profile picture of the author Ettienne
      Originally Posted by bt View Post

      That's why I prefer to promote my own products. I am not going to mention any names, but I have lost trust with one of the affiliate networks I have been with for a long time, I just about know they are shaving my commissions and It really ticks me off.

      I am going to start promoting only my own products In the future and get completely away from affiliate products.
      That's the way to go.
      {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[5780774].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author Lucy Writes
    I've heard of this happening to a lot of people, though I don't use Clickbank extensively enough to know if it's ever happened to me. It's only a tiny part of my IM business, and I get maybe a couple of checks from them a year, so I don't bother checking on order impressions and such very often there.

    Did you cloak your affiliate links to the Clickbank product? That's something I always do when I DO promote something on Clickbank, because I know it's too easy for someone to come in and change an uncloaked link to their own link.
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[5701859].message }}
    • Profile picture of the author Wealthyclark
      Originally Posted by Lucy Writes View Post

      I've heard of this happening to a lot of people, though I don't use Clickbank extensively enough to know if it's ever happened to me. It's only a tiny part of my IM business, and I get maybe a couple of checks from them a year, so I don't bother checking on order impressions and such very often there.

      Did you cloak your affiliate links to the Clickbank product? That's something I always do when I DO promote something on Clickbank, because I know it's too easy for someone to come in and change an uncloaked link to their own link.
      yup, fully cloaked with my own domain.
      Signature
      Now Accepting All Countries! Earn $5.10 Per Free Referral, Totally Free To Participate!
      WealthyClark.com
      {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[5702237].message }}
      • Profile picture of the author Wealthyclark
        Do you guy's see what I mean, no matter what, it seems that people love to find a reason in defending clickbank regardless of the undeniable major flaws they have. Clickbank has been in the game for a long enough time to have a better way of tracking but the fact is they don't care because the system benefits them by being flawed in ways that the brainwashed will never see.

        For the record, I didn't expect the same result as I have with my own product, in fact I sort of expected expected to be suckered out of some sales but this is crazy.

        The traffic I receive is in no way targeted directly to my product, it's targeted people that want to make a living online and as I said before I sell an average of 20 copies of my product daily with it. Same targeted traffic looking to earn online sent to a pretty good product on clickbank earned me zero. I actually think the clickbank product is more enticing than my own. It's Outrageous!
        Signature
        Now Accepting All Countries! Earn $5.10 Per Free Referral, Totally Free To Participate!
        WealthyClark.com
        {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[5702319].message }}
        • Profile picture of the author aaaa33030
          Originally Posted by Wealthyclark View Post

          Do you guy's see what I mean, no matter what, it seems that people love to find a reason in defending clickbank regardless of the undeniable major flaws they have. Clickbank has been in the game for a long enough time to have a better way of tracking but the fact is they don't care because the system benefits them by being flawed in ways that the brainwashed will never see.

          For the record, I didn't expect the same result as I have with my own product, in fact I sort of expected expected to be suckered out of some sales but this is crazy.

          The traffic I receive is in no way targeted directly to my product, it's targeted people that want to make a living online and as I said before I sell an average of 20 copies of my product daily with it. Same targeted traffic looking to earn online sent to a pretty good product on clickbank earned me zero. I actually think the clickbank product is more enticing than my own. It's Outrageous!
          The solution is simple

          Try promoting a different clickbank product and see if the order submit count is still high with $0 sales

          That should clear up your suspicions

          =========================

          If clickbank is doing something suspicious the same way they could snipe $0 in sales the same way they could snipe 0 order form submits so that affiliates would not raise suspicions and then bad mouth them all over the internet
          {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[5709801].message }}
      • Profile picture of the author rondo
        Originally Posted by Wealthyclark View Post

        yup, fully cloaked with my own domain.
        Cloaked how? Are you using a frame?

        Also, you haven't said if you've tested to see whether your aff ID is present on the checkout page. Is it there?


        Andrew
        Signature
        {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[5708679].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author StunningWarrior
    Originally Posted by Wealthyclark View Post

    I redirected all of my current traffic to that product while mine was being updated (for about 2 days) and guess what, I wasn't credited with a single sale within these two days. When I look at the clickbank analytics I've had a ton of both order form impressions and submits but zero sales.
    Apologies if this is teaching you to suck eggs, but you aren't using the old version of hoplinks where your affiliate id is in clear text in the url?
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[5701869].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author briankoz
    2 quick comments:

    1. I don't think there's anything for Clickbank in purposely shaving off affiliate sales, as they still get paid their same cut regardless if there's a tracked affiliate sale or not (so there's no sinister reason on their part to do so).

    2. You said that you redirected your traffic to this different offer. Even if the other offer is similar, your traffic is geared towards your own product from the sounds of it, so it doesn't necessarily mean that you can get the same conversions for a different kind of product (even if it's very similar). And you'll always get a fair amount of order form impressions and so forth without sales -- that's pretty common.

    Even though you have reason to maybe be a bit skeptical of it all, I wouldn't jump to conclusions yet, especially with only a day or so of testing.

    - Brian
    Signature
    WebFire.com -- Over 25 Tools to Get Free Traffic, Rankings, Leads, and Exposure!
    MobileAutoresponder.com -- Build a Mobile List and Send Unlimited Text Messages!
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[5701929].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author Bill_Z
    Assuming that you set it up correctly, what makes you think the traffic is interested in a different product? How much traffic are we talking and how many order form impressions is "a ton"?
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[5701971].message }}
    • Profile picture of the author Wealthyclark
      Originally Posted by Bill_Z View Post

      Assuming that you set it up correctly, what makes you think the traffic is interested in a different product? How much traffic are we talking and how many order form impressions is "a ton"?
      A ton is 73 order form submits not order form impressions. I can not and will not believe that 73 or ever half of that many people had problems with their payments. The answer is that I was not credited for some sales that were made. While it is true that this is just my own opinion the evidence is all around, no mater what the brainwashed think. If you promote clickbank as an affiliate your lucky to be credited with half the sale you earned, period!
      Signature
      Now Accepting All Countries! Earn $5.10 Per Free Referral, Totally Free To Participate!
      WealthyClark.com
      {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[5702356].message }}
      • Profile picture of the author Alexa Smith
        Banned
        Originally Posted by Wealthyclark View Post

        A ton is 73 order form submits not order form impressions.
        I was on your side about this point. I think ClickBank needs to be asked how it can happen that there were 73 order-form submissions without a single sale being accredited to the affiliate. And I'd be interested to see what they say (especially if they say something that acknowledges that there were 73 order-form submissions without a single sale being accredited).

        Originally Posted by Wealthyclark View Post

        If you promote clickbank as an affiliate your lucky to be credited with half the sale you earned, period!
        To the large numbers of us very successfully making our livings from ClickBank, this comment, on the other hand, is simply too ludicrous to be worthy of a serious response at all, and is why I lost interest, here, after all. :p
        {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[5702409].message }}
        • Profile picture of the author Wealthyclark
          Originally Posted by Alexa Smith View Post

          To the large numbers of us very successfully making our livings from ClickBank, this comment, on the other hand, is simply too ludicrous to be worthy of a serious response at all, and is why I lost interest, here, after all. :p
          I'm sorry if this comment has turned you off Alexa, I respect your opinion because I have read lots of your comments on the forum over the past few years and you seem logical.

          I don't normally promote clickbank products because there is no doubt in my mind that something has been really wrong with their system for years but the comment was actually based off of my own experience and feelings. I have no idea what's happening with anyone's account other than my own.
          Signature
          Now Accepting All Countries! Earn $5.10 Per Free Referral, Totally Free To Participate!
          WealthyClark.com
          {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[5702480].message }}
    • Profile picture of the author Wealthyclark
      Originally Posted by Bill_Z View Post

      what makes you think the traffic is interested in a different product?
      What makes you assume that I'm an amature that doesn't know the meaning of targeted traffic? I researched and picked the perfect product targeted towards the needs and wants of my traffic.

      Like I said, with this same traffic sent to my own product I would have made an average of 40 sales with those two days. Sending this same traffic to a clickbank product produced zero sales. I'm not sending UN-targeted junk traffic expecting to make sales, please get a grip on reality.

      I can see that many warriors are in complete Denial when it comes to clickbank, what a sad situation to witness
      Signature
      Now Accepting All Countries! Earn $5.10 Per Free Referral, Totally Free To Participate!
      WealthyClark.com
      {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[5707051].message }}
      • Profile picture of the author wizzard74
        Originally Posted by Wealthyclark View Post

        What makes you assume that I'm an amature that doesn't know the meaning of targeted traffic? I researched and picked the perfect product targeted towards the needs and wants of my traffic.

        Like I said, with this same traffic sent to my own product I would have made an average of 40 sales with those two days. Sending this same traffic to a clickbank product produced zero sales. I'm not sending UN-targeted junk traffic expecting to make sales, please get a grip on reality.

        I can see that many warriors are in complete Denial when it comes to clickbank, what a sad situation to witness
        They're in denial just because they don't agree with your assessment?
        Signature

        You don't want to click here --> Richard Arblaster

        {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[5707186].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author Bruce NewMedia
    Personally, I think your test is flawed.

    It was a different product, with a different sales page, probably different appeals, maybe a different price point, and other subtle and not-so-subtle differences.

    I've seen traffic that one would think would naturally convert for one offer, since it did so well for a similar one, not convert at all - or only get one sale.

    CB has it's issues, but I don't think this is due to their tracking.
    _____
    Bruce
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[5701983].message }}
    • Profile picture of the author Alexa Smith
      Banned
      Originally Posted by Bruce NewMedia View Post

      CB has it's issues, but I don't think this is due to their tracking.
      I almost "agree completely" with this conclusion, Bruce.

      My one residual concern about it is that having a large number of order-form submissions (as opposed to impressions) without a sale is genuinely rather worrying: if many of them were very close together in time, there can be innocent explanations for it, (someone trying a no-good credit-card repeatedly? Other explanations?), but still, there's a limit to the extent that one can pass that finding off as "unlucky", and according to the quantity and timescale involved, it can indeed legitimately be interpreted as "suspicious", in my view. All the rest, I agree, is probably easily explained by exactly the factors you've mentioned.
      {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[5702261].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author Olson Mino
    Personally, I think your test is flawed.

    It was a different product, with a different sales page, probably different appeals, maybe a different price point, and other subtle and not-so-subtle differences.

    I've seen traffic that one would think would naturally convert for one offer, since it did so well for a similar one, not convert at all - or only get one sale.

    CB has it's issues, but I don't think this is due to their tracking.
    I just couldn't agree more with you Bruce.

    I have been working with CB for many years now both as a vendor an affiliate and I can assure you that there's nothing like that going on with CB period.

    What you're saying is no proof at all that CB are cutting you short...the product you promoted didn't convert and that's the end of it.
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[5702382].message }}
    • Profile picture of the author Wealthyclark
      Originally Posted by Olson Mino View Post

      I just couldn't agree more with you Bruce.

      I have been working with CB for many years now both as a vendor an affiliate and I can assure you that there's nothing like that going on with CB period.

      What you're saying is no proof at all that CB are cutting you short...the product you promoted didn't convert and that's the end of it.
      Why would a vendor of clickbank admit that affiliate sales aren't being tracked, when this happens you earn the full sales price. lol:p
      Signature
      Now Accepting All Countries! Earn $5.10 Per Free Referral, Totally Free To Participate!
      WealthyClark.com
      {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[5702403].message }}
    • Profile picture of the author warriorclub
      Originally Posted by Olson Mino View Post

      I just couldn't agree more with you Bruce.

      I have been working with CB for many years now both as a vendor an affiliate and I can assure you that there's nothing like that going on with CB period.

      What you're saying is no proof at all that CB are cutting you short...the product you promoted didn't convert and that's the end of it.
      I'm not gona say I agree with Wealthyclark, but he does have a enough proof to Warrant more research into the matter.
      Signature

      "There is nothing impossible to him who will try" Quote by Alexander the Great

      {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[5729236].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author briankoz
    So you said that your target market is people who want to make a living online, and that your offer sells decently well but the other offer for a day or two didn't sell at all. Do you know if others have promoted this other product?

    There are thousands upon thousands of "make money online" products out there. Some convert awesome with high EPC's and some simply flop and barely sell at all even if you send thousands of targeted hits their way.

    If you know of others who have promoted that same product, ask what their EPC's were. If everyone else had high EPC's and you had crap, then there MIGHT be an issue assuming that you sent more than just 100 or so clicks that way which isn't enough to tell if it's working or not.

    Not defending Clickbank at all (nor do I think others in this thread necessarily are) like you're implying -- just pointing out a few things and making sure it's a fair test.

    Brian
    Signature
    WebFire.com -- Over 25 Tools to Get Free Traffic, Rankings, Leads, and Exposure!
    MobileAutoresponder.com -- Build a Mobile List and Send Unlimited Text Messages!
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[5702384].message }}
    • Profile picture of the author Wealthyclark
      Originally Posted by briankoz View Post

      So you said that your target market is people who want to make a living online, and that your offer sells decently well but the other offer for a day or two didn't sell at all. Do you know if others have promoted this other product?

      There are thousands upon thousands of "make money online" products out there. Some convert awesome with high EPC's and some simply flop and barely sell at all even if you send thousands of targeted hits their way.

      If you know of others who have promoted that same product, ask what their EPC's were. If everyone else had high EPC's and you had crap, then there MIGHT be an issue assuming that you sent more than just 100 or so clicks that way which isn't enough to tell if it's working or not.

      Not defending Clickbank at all (nor do I think others in this thread necessarily are) like you're implying -- just pointing out a few things and making sure it's a fair test.

      Brian
      I totally understand the point of view from yourself and others but I'm not a new kid on the block. I'm actually to the point in my online career where I know if a product will convert by simply reading the sales page, anyone that's been deep into IM for a while knows what I mean. I'm not saying that I have it down to the percent it will convert but I know a good sales page and I know my traffic. Period!
      Signature
      Now Accepting All Countries! Earn $5.10 Per Free Referral, Totally Free To Participate!
      WealthyClark.com
      {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[5702429].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author Olson Mino
    A ton is 73 order form submits not order form impressions. I can not and will not believe that 73 or ever half of that many people had problems with their payments. The answer is that I was not credited for some sales that were made. While it is true that this is just my own opinion the evidence is all around, no mater what the brainwashed think. If you promote clickbank as an affiliate your lucky to be credited with half the sale you earned, period!
    You obviously don't know what you're talking about...no offense there...but I get credit for all the sales I make as an affiliate.

    Let me give you an example:

    I'm all over CB promoting different products in different Niches but there is one niche that I want to point out here and that is the IM niche.

    I'm very active promoting IM product launches to my list as well as with SEO and one of my main marketing strategies is to offer a Bonus so people can by through my link. I have been doing this for over 4 years now and each and every time someone buys through my link, they contact me to get the bonus pack.

    There hasn't been a time when someone contacted me to get the bonus pack and I couldn't find their receipt in the transaction section.

    So for me CB is a gold mine and they have in my opinion one of the best tracking systems available.
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[5702417].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author Olson Mino
    To the large numbers of us very successfully making our livings from ClickBank, this comment, on the other hand, is simply too ludicrous to be worthy of a serious response at all, and is why I lost interest, here, after all.
    QUOTED FOR TRUTH
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[5702428].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author Lenny Winkle
    I've recently started promoting clickbank products with good luck and while this thread doesn't concern me ( hard to complain when I'm making money) it did bring up something I'm wondering if I'm doing wrong?

    There's discussion of cloaking links and not using the "old version of hoplinks". I simply find products in the marketplace, click promote and copy the link provided with a tracking code I add. Am I doing it wrong? Is there something I should be doing different?

    If so can you point me toward the information or share how I should be doing my links differently? Thanks
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[5702495].message }}
    • Profile picture of the author Wealthyclark
      Originally Posted by Lenny Winkle View Post

      I've recently started promoting clickbank products with good luck and while this thread doesn't concern me ( hard to complain when I'm making money) it did bring up something I'm wondering if I'm doing wrong?

      There's discussion of cloaking links and not using the "old version of hoplinks". I simply find products in the marketplace, click promote and copy the link provided with a tracking code I add. Am I doing it wrong? Is there something I should be doing different?

      If so can you point me toward the information or share how I should be doing my links differently? Thanks
      That's exactly the problem, you can't complain because your making a few bucks and you can't miss sales you never knew you had. Would you feel the same if clickbank openly told you that you made 20 sales today but they only feel like paying you for 5? Would you still say I'm making money so I can't complain?
      Signature
      Now Accepting All Countries! Earn $5.10 Per Free Referral, Totally Free To Participate!
      WealthyClark.com
      {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[5702536].message }}
      • Profile picture of the author Lenny Winkle
        Originally Posted by Wealthyclark View Post

        That's exactly the problem, you can't complain because your making a few bucks and you can't miss sales you never knew you had. Would you feel the same if clickbank openly told you that you made 20 sales today but they only feel like paying you for 5? Would you still say I'm making money so I can't complain?
        well, I haven't had any problem with a large # of order forms not converting and my conversion rate for the amount of traffic I have seems extremely high and I'm earning more than I have from other methods.

        Obviously if clickbank told me that I'd be pissed but I don't believe that's the case. I also think a 2 day sample that you claimed is hardly proof of anything.

        That's all beside the point. I have no desire to get drawn into your bitching I was simply asking for advice from other people using clickbank about cloaking links and whether I should be doing something different with regard to the links I'm using.

        Fortunately no one is forced to promote anything so you can just move on. What's the real purpose of your rant? You're genuinely that concerned about me?
        {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[5702624].message }}
        • Profile picture of the author Wealthyclark
          Originally Posted by Lenny Winkle View Post

          well, I haven't had any problem with a large # of order forms not converting and my conversion rate for the amount of traffic I have seems extremely high and I'm earning more than I have from other methods.

          Obviously if clickbank told me that I'd be pissed but I don't believe that's the case. I also think a 2 day sample that you claimed is hardly proof of anything.

          That's all beside the point. I have no desire to get drawn into your bitching I was simply asking for advice from other people using clickbank about cloaking links and whether I should be doing something different with regard to the links I'm using.

          Fortunately no one is forced to promote anything so you can just move on. What's the real purpose of your rant? You're genuinely that concerned about me?
          If you really have that big of a problem with my rant why would you attempt to highjack the thread?

          And for the record, I'm not b****ing as you stated. I just wanted to let people know that the problems that I hear them complain about so much are in fact valid from my point of view. And only an amature with very little traffic would think 2 days isn't long enough to test, visitor count is what matters not days. And what is this make believe method you speak of.

          I think your main goal is to get your post count up and you've never made a single dime online and probably never will because even with a high post count you wouldn't know what to do next so I won't continue this conversation with you. The End!
          Signature
          Now Accepting All Countries! Earn $5.10 Per Free Referral, Totally Free To Participate!
          WealthyClark.com
          {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[5702736].message }}
          • Profile picture of the author Lenny Winkle
            Originally Posted by Wealthyclark View Post

            If you really have that big of a problem with my rant why would you attempt to highjack the thread?

            And for the record, I'm not b****ing as you stated. I just wanted to let people know that the problems that I hear them complain about so much are in fact valid from my point of view. And only an amature with very little traffic would think 2 days isn't long enough to test, visitor count is what matters not days. And what is this make believe method you speak of.

            I think your main goal is to get your post count up and you've never made a single dime online and probably never will because even with a high post count you wouldn't know what to do next so I won't continue this conversation with you. The End!
            Thanks so much for your informative helpful posts. I'm not trying to hijack your rant. People replied that perhaps you weren't cloaking your links or using the old link method. I'm simply asking for further clarification on the matter.

            I could care less about post count. I'm trying to get some information and your not offering any information only insults. I'm not trying to continue a conversation with you I was trying to converse with other people in the thread who were actually posting useful information and conversing in an adult manner.

            Fwiw your statement sure sounds like bitching
            {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[5702837].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author Danny Cutts
    Like many here I have not had a problem with clickbanks tracking...

    I reckon its due to the offer just not converting.....
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[5702550].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author Jetmir
    I've lost my trust on ClickBank too.

    I've been promoting in the near past 2 ClickBank products. I was doing pretty good and make like $900. Not that much, but it wasn't bad for the beginning.

    2 Checks were on their way when I suddenly one day see that I couldn't be able to log in. Shared a few emails with one of them guys, one of them tried to help, but then he stopped. Then, after I asked them what's happening, one of them replied that my account had been closed and that it had $0.00. Why? All the sales were fraudulent(They said).

    I mean, how's that possible(ALL of them, which were from different people).

    I call that a steal. No further explanation whatsoever from them.
    Signature

    ATTENTION: Do you wanna make up to 100$ a DAY with 20 minutes of super-easy work?

    It's never been easier. Send me a Private Message for details.
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[5702761].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author tryinhere
    Well I find it confusing, my site records show a lot of click throughs yet cb does not record them ? will keep a closer eye, more interesting is a product i stopped promoting over 12 months ago and is not listed still to this day gets hops recorded and I have no idea how or who is even promoting it.
    Signature
    | > Choosing to go off the grid for a while to focus on family, work and life in general. Have a great 2020 < |
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[5702864].message }}
    • Profile picture of the author Wealthyclark
      Originally Posted by tryinhere View Post

      Well I find it confusing, my site records show a lot of click throughs yet cb does not record them ? will keep a closer eye, more interesting is a product i stopped promoting over 12 months ago and is not listed still to this day gets hops recorded and I have no idea how or who is even promoting it.
      It seems that many warriors don't like people bad mouthing clickbank, evidence or not. You see how many want to make it seem that I'm crazy and that I don't have a clue. My guess is that most are product owners selling through clickbank which would mean that they are benefiting from this glitch or they just don't know any better.

      If you search the topic you will find that there is a big problem with clickbank crediting affiliates and lots of people are witnessing it but many don't have a clue because they through promotions up and forget about it so when sale some they don't know how anyway. They are just happy to have a few bucks.

      I'm not crazy!
      Signature
      Now Accepting All Countries! Earn $5.10 Per Free Referral, Totally Free To Participate!
      WealthyClark.com
      {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[5702901].message }}
      • Profile picture of the author tryinhere
        Originally Posted by Wealthyclark View Post

        It seems that many warriors don't like people bad mouthing clickbank, evidence or not. You see how many want to make it seem that I'm crazy and that I don't have a clue. My guess is that most are product owners selling through clickbank which would mean that they are benefiting from this glitch or they just don't know any better.

        If you search the topic you will find that there is a big problem with clickbank crediting affiliates and lots of people are witnessing it but many don't have a clue because they through promotions up and forget about it so when sale some they don't know how anyway. They are just happy to have a few bucks.

        I'm not crazy!
        well from this post it makes me wonder for sure, i have very good tracking and very target traffic on my site and around 6 CB products in a banner , so over the coming 2 weeks i am going to run a structured test where i will deliberately click through on each banner once a day then also check my stats to confirm all is working. from there I will check CB and see if they are being recorded ? at this stage i doubt they are but running a controlled test I will see ( and yes i will double check my links to confirm they are correct as well )

        As for the site still getting hits, this was only ever promoted in adwords, and that campaign was canceled over 12 months ago, but still gets hops most days, and today i found a mmo product with a hop that I have never promoted before in my account.

        I never really bother with CB as a main gig but checking these today sure looks at maybe a test as above, not that I don't have enough crap to worry about but may as well check it, for me though if it is out i will just dump the affiliate stuff ? may be easier than worrying about it.

        / edit just an update tracking seems to be working fine but still not sure why i have tracking for extinct campaigns still going, it seems like a ghost type hop recording.
        Signature
        | > Choosing to go off the grid for a while to focus on family, work and life in general. Have a great 2020 < |
        {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[5703200].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author vishalb
    @Wealthyclark

    Actually I think I had experienced that same problem a couple of months back! I sent 5000 visitors and got not a single sale! Got the order form impressions (don't remember if I got any order form submits) ... But I think I can maybe relate a bit to you with this.

    Anyways, I am wondering if you sent traffic and the hoplinked page was within a frame or an iframe or somthing? Because, I think that they have some policies that they don't consider those hops as genuine.

    But then again, if they would not have considered a hop genuine, shouldn't it not show up as traffic in the reporting? I dont know..

    Anyways, do talk to clickbank in getting the issue sorted and please update us all on what they have to say. Would really like to know myself too ..

    Cheers
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[5702990].message }}
    • Profile picture of the author nik0
      Banned
      Clickbank is the biggest scammers place in the whole world. I always wonder why that site doesn't get out of the air by the authorities, there is nothing good coming from there and on top of that I hear tons of "shaving" stories.

      I have 3 of their products on my website which includes article marketing robot cause they only allow Clickbank and a cookingbook and 3d software that I know works. It was pretty hard to find products that are legit on their site. Anyway, I get plenty of visitors to my site but haven't made a single sale in 2 months.
      {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[5703006].message }}
      • Profile picture of the author vishalb
        Originally Posted by nik0 View Post

        Clickbank is the biggest scammers place in the whole world. I always wonder why that site doesn't get out of the air by the authorities, there is nothing good coming from there and on top of that I hear tons of "shaving" stories.

        I have 3 of their products on my website which includes article marketing robot cause they only allow Clickbank and a cookingbook and 3d software that I know works. It was pretty hard to find products that are legit on their site. Anyway, I get plenty of visitors to my site but haven't made a single sale in 2 months.
        I don't think its a good idea to judge clickbank. There could be many reasons why sales could not have been made. Maybe try changing your product to one with a higher gravity. Try to sell something which the targeted traffic on your site might buy.

        For me, I tried that one thing which didn't work. And later I tried a different thing and I ended up with 2 sales from 500 visitors. So I guess good idea experiment and see what works and what does not...
        {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[5703066].message }}
      • Profile picture of the author zaco
        Originally Posted by nik0 View Post

        Clickbank is the biggest scammers place in the whole world. I always wonder why that site doesn't get out of the air by the authorities, there is nothing good coming from there and on top of that I hear tons of "shaving" stories.

        I have 3 of their products on my website which includes article marketing robot cause they only allow Clickbank and a cookingbook and 3d software that I know works. It was pretty hard to find products that are legit on their site. Anyway, I get plenty of visitors to my site but haven't made a single sale in 2 months.

        Getting plenty of visitors and no sales has nothing to do with clickbank, it has to do with the way you are promoting the products, I can get 1 million users a day but I didn't do the right job to promote that product or they are not even interested in the product, it all depends if u r users are buyers or just looking for information to read... so basically u r visitors are not targeted even if you think they are... or they are not interested in the product as I said.
        {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[5703138].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author RichardDean
    I have been scammed by affiliate marketing (no names) so I know it does happen.

    did you click your own link and look at the bottom to make sure it is your affiliate Id shows. Have a friend or someone buy to test it and refund them.

    You know it is so easy to do as a programmer point of view to sway the affiliate commissions not saying that is what happen but it can be done easy.

    I have some doubts about some of the 3rd party vendors I have used in the WSO section.

    When I use the 3rd party ones just to hope to make product of the day... Never have yet.

    When I use the 3rd party the WF sales produced from just the WF go down.

    When I use my own payment affiliate program the WF sales from the WF direct goes up.

    So someone goes to WF / WSO they see the WSO they like it they order it.... Could the 3rd party easy have a trigger built in (because it is going thru there system) to redirect it so it registers as an affiliate sale for them and take the direct sale. Sure could would be easy to do.

    What about this you upload your product thur there system to be downloaded.

    Could they then redirect a sale so it shows no record of the sale on your stats as ever making a sale... they sure could very easy.

    I'm only skeptical because I have caught a few doing this by having friends buy thru my own link and they registered as no sale or the owner affiliate sale.

    They claimed a glitch happen... of course.

    I have had emails saying my WSO was bumped and it was not... like eight times... But was this a sales that took place that was hidden? I'm not saying anything was foul play but it could be done easy.

    It's hard to think the WF on it's own produced hardly any direct sales.

    So does the WF with no affiliates or 3rd party gateway produce for the fee that is paid to have the WSO?

    I'm up in the air.

    Richard
    Signature

    5 Minute Mobile Sites... My Next WSO Comming Soon.

    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[5703111].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author aderra
    Banned
    ClickBank has a lot of junk and some gems. You have to sort through the categories that interest you and find what works. I wish there was a shortcut, but I'm not sure that there is one.
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[5703132].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author WilliamBlah
    This could easily be blown out of the water by having a Clickbank vendor do a split test between selling their product via Clickbank, and selling their product without.

    With it being so simple to test and verify, I don't see why people would spend time debating it without doing the above! Especially seeing as IF there was something going on, then it is going to be hitting people's profit.

    Regards
    Will
    Signature
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[5707113].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author WaterSprings
    If Clickbank has junk & gems products ,what percentage of their total products would you say are gems ? Would you say less than 5% or more ?
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[5708058].message }}
    • Profile picture of the author myob
      Originally Posted by WaterSprings View Post

      If Clickbank has junk & gems products ,what percentage of their total products would you say are gems ? Would you say less than 5% or more ?
      Admittedly, they take some digging to find, but 100% of the CB products I promote are real gems. And, if any of them stops converting at less than what I consider a stellar level, they get dumped. It can be as simple as that.
      {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[5708482].message }}
    • Profile picture of the author Alexa Smith
      Banned
      Originally Posted by WaterSprings View Post

      If Clickbank has junk & gems products ,what percentage of their total products would you say are gems ? Would you say less than 5% or more ?
      5% would be enormous - that's about 750 products.

      Maybe ...

      I promote between 20 and 25 gems at the moment. You really do have to "mine" for them a bit, though.
      {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[5708509].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author Peru101
    Lenny,
    Hopefully this will help.
    Instead of promoting a product with your straight aff link, make a redirect from your site. People can easily highjack your commissions through your aff link.
    The quickest way if you have Wordpress is to use a pluggin like PrettyLink, make your redirects permanent from their option settings, and set up a link from your domain. You can use the product name or a shortened one if you like.
    The address will look something like this: YourSite.com/ProductNameHere
    If you want to use tracking, just put in the entire aff link url with the tracking code attached.

    I agree, someone should do their own independent test on CB. I haven't had a problem with them, but I haven't promoted a lot either.
    Sure would be interesting to see their excuse if something was wrong.
    Horror stories go around about the WF too.
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[5708216].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author Zayne
    I love Conspiracy theories!

    Z
    Signature

    "Being Successful is A State of Mind - Thinking Successful = Being Successful"

    www.newageonlinebusiness.com - Who Else Wants to Make $1000 a week online?

    www.dollarzayne.com/free-offer - 43 Businesses You can Own Today - FREE!

    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[5708577].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author Dominican
    If anything, I would think that vendors do not fare as well as affiliates on CB, if the vendors don't have many affiliates.

    For vendors, a large chunk of the money would go to the affiliates, then the vendor... unless the affiliates were selling enough, and there were enough affiliates doing the same...

    That's where I'd see the issue.

    Also, with CB, if people do a chargeback, it gets taken out of YOUR account, as the affiliate...same for a refund...

    If that happened each time, you will not get it, or see it; though usually, at least with my account, that processing never even occurrs till the second payment round (if you are doing weekly).

    Also, just because you are making 20 sales with yours, does not mean that the product you are selling for someone else does the same.... especially if the book is not that good.

    In the case where you mentioned the fact that you could see sales, the only place you'd be able to see that is in your CB account...and if they were there, but left....that would be the result of people refunding, or perhaps CB blocking your traffic source for that product.
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[5708621].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author Lenny Winkle
    Alexa, I've read all of your posts I can find about clickbank. Can you share any more about how you find good products to promote? I've read and understand your post about gravity not being a good indicator.

    Without that I'm basically left to look for new products and products that I think look decent when I click on them. What are you're thoughts on using other tools like cbengine?

    Also, when I use the current hoplink builder it looks as if the link is cloaked, except for the tracking code I add, is this true? Do I need to be taking extra precautions when making links?

    thanks
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[5708672].message }}
    • Profile picture of the author Alexa Smith
      Banned
      Originally Posted by Lenny Winkle View Post

      Alexa, I've read all of your posts I can find about clickbank. Can you share any more about how you find good products to promote?
      If you've seen this one, maybe not ... http://www.warriorforum.com/main-int...ml#post2161932

      Originally Posted by Lenny Winkle View Post

      What are you're thoughts on using other tools like cbengine?
      I'm a real skepchick about "sites that give ClickBank information". Less so about Cbengine than any others, not because I use it myself but because I think I've seen Norbert make a favourable comment about it, and that's a good recommendation, if so.

      My point is: all these sites have no access to any information from ClickBank that you and I don't also have (i.e. ClickBank's Marketplace statistics). What they do have is their own "secret proprietary algorithm" which claims to be able to tell you which products are selling well. If they claim that, they're lying, because that information is simply not available: ClickBank (rightly, in my view) does not disclose sales volumes. In my opinion, what those sites are really doing is making guesses, based on "popularity" (the algorithm for which is not disclosed by ClickBank) and "gravity" (that one is fully explained by ClickBank but sales volumes are not part of its inputs) and coming up with their own conclusions on that basis. My feeling is that it has to be mostly that, because there is no other basis available. So I don't believe a word of it, myself.

      One thing I can tell you with certainty is that many products with single-figure gravities are consistently outselling products in their same niches with three-figure gravities. This is simply factual. But it's also not what you asked, at all.

      Originally Posted by Lenny Winkle View Post

      Also, when I use the current hoplink builder it looks as if the link is cloaked, except for the tracking code I add, is this true? Do I need to be taking extra precautions when making links?
      I don't know about "precautions", per se ... but in my own business, I would never use an unmasked hoplink, because of all the prospective customers who are reluctant to click on them. I use a redirected .info domain-name, myself, for each product I'm selling. There are other ways, though: there's "PrettyLink" if you're a Wordpress user (I'm not). As long as you stay away from url-shorteners/forwarders like tinyurl/bit.ly and so on: those can be a disaster, for this purpose.

      Apologies if this long-winded reply was of no use to you at all ...

      Originally Posted by Claire Koch View Post

      their policy to take percentages of your sales if your account isn't getting any action is a nightmare
      They have no such policy, Claire.

      You're referring to their dormant account charges, but they don't work on that basis at all. They take (initially) a flat $1 every two weeks, regardless of your sales, and only after you haven't made a sale at all for 90 days. And you can at any stage stop them from doing that, and "buy another 90 days", simply by buying any $3 product once through your own account.

      I agree with you that it's an unpleasant and undesirable policy, and I wish they didn't do it, but it doesn't involve taking "percentages of your sales": this is simply untrue. And it's only a "nightmare" (if it's that at all!) after 90 days without a single sale.

      Accounting Policy - ClickBank

      Originally Posted by Claire Koch View Post

      why wait 2 weeks for a check
      I don't. I wait two weeks for a direct deposit into my bank account, with all the paperwork done for me, and I'm delighted not to be dependent on the vendors at all, for payment. The saving grace for me is that I can earn unlimited amounts of money that way without jeopardising my PayPal account by having multiple thousands suddenly paid into it.

      ClickBank payments work brilliantly for people who are running a business, not going 90 days without a sale or needing instant PayPal cash.
      {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[5708774].message }}
      • Profile picture of the author jonj31070
        Originally Posted by Alexa Smith View Post

        If you've seen this one, maybe not ... http://www.warriorforum.com/main-int...ml#post2161932



        I'm a real skepchick about "sites that give ClickBank information". Less so about Cbengine than any others, not because I use it myself but because I think I've seen Norbert make a favourable comment about it, and that's a good recommendation, if so.

        My point is: all these sites have no access to any information from ClickBank that you and I don't also have (i.e. ClickBank's Marketplace statistics). What they do have is their own "secret proprietary algorithm" which claims to be able to tell you which products are selling well. If they claim that, they're lying, because that information is simply not available: ClickBank (rightly, in my view) does not disclose sales volumes. In my opinion, what those sites are really doing is making guesses, based on "popularity" (the algorithm for which is not disclosed by ClickBank) and "gravity" (that one is fully explained by ClickBank but sales volumes are not part of its inputs) and coming up with their own conclusions on that basis. My feeling is that it has to be mostly that, because there is no other basis available. So I don't believe a word of it, myself.

        One thing I can tell you with certainty is that many products with single-figure gravities are consistently outselling products in their same niches with three-figure gravities. This is simply factual. But it's also not what you asked, at all.



        I don't know about "precautions", per se ... but in my own business, I would never use an unmasked hoplink, because of all the prospective customers who are reluctant to click on them. I use a redirected .info domain-name, myself, for each product I'm selling. There are other ways, though: there's "PrettyLink" if you're a Wordpress user (I'm not). As long as you stay away from url-shorteners/forwarders like tinyurl/bit.ly and so on: those can be a disaster, for this purpose.

        Apologies if this long-winded reply was of no use to you at all ...



        They have no such policy, Claire.

        You're referring to their dormant account charges, but they don't work on that basis at all. They take (initially) a flat $1 every two weeks, regardless of your sales, and only after you haven't made a sale at all for 90 days. And you can at any stage stop them from doing that, and "buy another 90 days", simply by buying any $3 product once through your own account.

        I agree with you that it's an unpleasant and undesirable policy, and I wish they didn't do it, but it doesn't involve taking "percentages of your sales": this is simply untrue. And it's only a "nightmare" (if it's that at all!) after 90 days without a single sale.

        Accounting Policy - ClickBank



        I don't. I wait two weeks for a direct deposit into my bank account, with all the paperwork done for me, and I'm delighted not to be dependent on the vendors at all, for payment. The saving grace for me is that I can earn unlimited amounts of money that way without jeopardising my PayPal account by having multiple thousands suddenly paid into it.

        ClickBank payments work brilliantly for people who are running a business, not going 90 days without a sale or needing instant PayPal cash.

        Wow Alexa! What great advice! I read your thread about selecting products from Clickbank and I am going to give your way a try. It makes total sense not to stick with the IM niche. Way to much competition! Thank you for your input.
        {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[5739268].message }}
      • Profile picture of the author joseph7384
        [DELETED]
        {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[5781629].message }}
        • Profile picture of the author MP80
          Originally Posted by Alexa Smith View Post

          I agree with you. It's wrong and they should change it.

          It could be worse, though, for three main reasons ...

          (i) it comes into effect only when you've gone 90 days with no sale

          (ii) it's only $1 every two weeks, when it does first come into effect

          (iii) you can avoid it at any stage, and buy yourself another 90 days, just by buying a $3 product through your own account.

          So it's not a disaster, perhaps? 90 days is a long time to be without a sale?
          I just checked one of my [dormant] clickbank accounts, and it is now empty . As Alexa said, they took $1 in the beginning per fortnight, then $5, then $35. The $35 charge should actually have been $50 , believe it or not, but they had already sucked me dry by that stage. $105 was taken in total.

          Originally Posted by joseph7384 View Post

          It's not $1 anymore, now it's $5 every two weeks until 3 different cc have been used before they will payout.

          -Joseph
          As far as I know it's supposed to be five purchases with different cards, plus a paypal purchase. But I am just going from memory there, and they may have changed their terms since I first read them. I have definitely had more than three different purchases in that account anyway.

          The good news is, a long-forgotten website of mine (with minimal to no backlinking) appears to be ranking now, as I have had some regular clickbank sales coming in from there over the past few weeks. (Perhaps 'Autopilot' income isn't a myth after all! )
          Signature
          Before you do ANYTHING else in your day - do at least ONE thing that brings money into your business.
          {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[5782485].message }}
        • Profile picture of the author Alexa Smith
          Banned
          Originally Posted by joseph7384 View Post

          It's not $1 anymore, now it's $5 every two weeks until 3 different cc have been used before they will payout.

          -Joseph
          Respectfully, Joseph, you have this completely wrong.

          Check it for yourself: it's right here: Accounting Policy - ClickBank

          What happens is that after 90 days they take $1 per pay period (2 weeks) in dormant account charges, and if you don't correct the situation they'll then increase that after a further 6 months with no sale to $5 per pay period for your account. As I explain in my post above, you can completely avoid that at any stage, simply by buying one $3 product through your own account.

          So if they're taking $5 per pay period from your account, then (a) you haven't had a single sale or purchase for 9+ months, and (b) you could easily have avoided it anyway at a one-off cost of about $1.50 (the non-commission element of a cheap purchase). I'm "just saying".

          Also, there's no "3 credit-card requirement". It's a "5 credit-card requirement", and that's the Customer Distribution Requirement, an entirely different thing from the dormant account charges. You can check that one for yourself, too - it's here: Accounting Policy - ClickBank

          Checking the source is more helpful than misinforming people, you know?
          {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[5783778].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author Claire Koch
    I haven't promoted clickbank in ages their policy to take percentages of your sales if your account isn't getting any action is a nightmare for newbies totally unfair i really dislike that,
    and i can see the op's point as well after all these years besides why wait 2 weeks for a check when there are so many instant solutions online now. just search for paypal affilates or get an account at payspree to start out the instant way
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[5708736].message }}
    • Profile picture of the author wiredtolive
      Originally Posted by Claire Koch View Post

      I haven't promoted clickbank in ages their policy to take percentages of your sales if your account isn't getting any action is a nightmare for newbies totally unfair i really dislike that,
      and i can see the op's point as well after all these years besides why wait 2 weeks for a check when there are so many instant solutions online now. just search for paypal affilates or get an account at payspree to start out the instant way
      YUP!! The policy to take percentages of sales if an account doesn't have much activity....is just not right. I mean come on give newbies a break, would ya!!

      And for newbies, there are other options available. Seek 'em out, set 'em up and profit.

      Wealthyclark, thanks for the post. I do feel CB has some issues with their tracking. This post seems to be split, half having had some experiences similar to yours and the other not.

      Either way, an experience is an experience!! And just because the experience is not so positive doesn't mean those individuals are CB haters. They are just trying to state what they have experienced and give you some pause in your own dealings to think a little about their not so positive experience....that's all.

      I mean where would we all be if it was not for the sharing of experience, ideas...etc.??
      Signature
      Other people's wills are as independent of mine as their breath and bodies.
      We may exist for the sake of one another, but our will rules its own domain.

      {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[5779885].message }}
      • Profile picture of the author Alexa Smith
        Banned
        Originally Posted by wiredtolive View Post

        YUP!! The policy to take percentages of sales if an account doesn't have much activity....is just not right.
        I agree with you. It's wrong and they should change it.

        It could be worse, though, for three main reasons ...

        (i) it comes into effect only when you've gone 90 days with no sale

        (ii) it's only $1 every two weeks, when it does first come into effect

        (iii) you can avoid it at any stage, and buy yourself another 90 days, just by buying a $3 product through your own account.

        So it's not a disaster, perhaps? 90 days is a long time to be without a sale?
        {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[5779996].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author sunray
    This thread really questions the usefulness of promoting clickbank products. There could never ever be 73 order form submissions and no sales unless someone did it on purpose. A form submission with no resulting sales should be a rare exception.

    What I don't get though, is how the average of 20 sales a day increased to 73 purchasing attempts. If all 73 were actual costumers, that's over 300 % of increase! Doesn't make sense, does it? Most likely the problem is in the ClickBank system that does not function properly at all.
    Signature

    Use these laws and make the Law of Attraction work
    QuantumMindSuccess Learn how to live a happy, healthy and abundant life.
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[5709085].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author samuraig
    Was it maybe one of the products that had a signup on it for a video or something else before making the sale? It's possible that the sale would come later after the email marketing kicked in if that's the case.
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[5709486].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author John Romaine
    73 order form submission and 0 sales?

    That sounds excessive.

    Can you show us a screendump?
    Signature

    BS free SEO services, training and advice - SEO Point

    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[5709582].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author mrjosco
    Originally Posted by Wealthyclark View Post

    Let me start by saying that I've been working online since 1997 and I've always been skeptical when it comes to promoting ClickBank products as an affiliate and my recent test proves me right for being so skeptical.

    I own a particular product in the internet marketing niche that has been averaging me 20 sales per day for the past 18 months (with no affiliates and paypal as the processor). I recently decided to update the product with added information and such. I decided to do a little experiment while the product was being updated. After reaching a few ClickBank products, I found one worthy of my promotional efforts so I redirected all of my current traffic to that product while mine was being updated (for about 2 days) and guess what, I wasn't credited with a single sale within these two days. When I look at the clickbank analytics I've had a ton of both order form impressions and submits but zero sales.

    Like I said, with this same traffic my product sells at an average rate of 20 sales per day, there is something really corrupt going on with clickbank. After seeing these results I had to double check my setup but everything is setup correctly.

    I'm someone that really feels that most people use the word scam too freely but in my opinion clickbank is a scam in one way or another. I knew this before I decided to do this test but I just don't understand why so many people are suggesting clickbank when so many people are seeing these types of problems.
    So you tested one product, one time and came to the conclusion that all of Clickbank is a scam? Man, I hope you don't tell my bank account!
    Signature

    Vintage and Retro Shirts from Vinretro

    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[5710464].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author GeorgR.
    I agree that lower gravity products can be the way to go, in fact when i do research on ebengine etc. i filter out the higher gravity products.

    But then it can still be a trial/error thing. At the end, what is deciding is the actual QUALITY of the product and also how well the vendor page can sell the product, amongst other things of course. (Eg. YOUR presell on YOUR page)

    Aside from that it's just silly to make a general assumption about "clickbank products" and the usefulness (or non usefulness for that matter) because there are simply plenty of product to choose from ranging from junk to the hidden gems....

    My own advice: Stay away from IM & MMO products...stay away from 200+ gravity products, look at the vendor sales pages..what impression do you get from their sales page...wording, claims etc...use common sense.
    Signature
    *** Affiliate Site Quick --> The Fastest & Easiest Way to Make Affiliate Sites!<--
    -> VISIT www.1UP-SEO.com *** <- Internet Marketing, SEO Tips, Reviews & More!! ***
    *** HIGH QUALITY CONTENT CREATION +++ Manual Article Spinning (Thread Here) ***
    Content Creation, Blogging, Articles, Converting Sales Copy, Reviews, Ebooks, Rewrites
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[5710586].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author eplanellas
    How can the results from Clickbank be so varied? Some people love them and some people hate them. However, if one person is making a living off of clickbank and another is not making anything, the problem cannot be clickbank alone. Surely there is some other variable that is producing these mixed results. Why would some one who has no personal interest in the company lie and say they were making money through the system when they weren't? I don't think clickbank discrimates betweeen its affilates.

    If it is not the link or the sales page that is the problem, then it has to be something else...

    After all, internet marketing is an art.
    Signature

    Creative digital marketing solutions from the queen of content. ElisaPlanellas.com -
    Make It Happen.

    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[5717258].message }}
    • Profile picture of the author Alexa Smith
      Banned
      Originally Posted by eplanellas View Post

      How can the results from Clickbank be so varied?
      I think that's true, in general, of most forms of "self-employment", isn't it? About 10% of people make about 90% of the money in many walks of life?

      More specifically, with ClickBank, some people get and follow grotesquely misguided advice about "how the game works" and end up (for example) promoting only high-gravity products with a vendor's opt-in on their sales pages, and depending exclusively on SEO for their traffic - and then not even building a list! I suspect that many of them genuinely don't even begin to realise the overwhelming extent to which they're stacking the deck against themselves.

      Originally Posted by eplanellas View Post

      However, if one person is making a living off of clickbank and another is not making anything, the problem cannot be clickbank alone.
      Exactly so.

      But even in observing this, and applying some logic to the situation, you're actually looking beyond "conventional impressions". Many people just don't work that out. I know it stretches the imagination a little, but I honestly think it's true. These, of course, include the people who try it (or imagine they've tried it) for a few months, don't earn a penny and then end up announcing that "it's all a scam". :p

      Originally Posted by eplanellas View Post

      After all, internet marketing is an art.
      An art and a science, perhaps?
      {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[5729004].message }}
  • {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[5728837].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author Steve Holmes
    Would the most logical form of action not just be to actually, in retrospect, have a friend purchase the product via your link and offer them a refund?

    Sure you might lose 50% of the sale but at least you will have a solid indication and indisputable foundation on which to base claims.

    Up until this point it's merely conjecture between both parties, both from the aggressor and defender and also might I add, hence the friction on this thread.
    Signature
    "Live like you'll die tomorrow, Learn like you'll live forever" - M. Ghandi
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[5729426].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author ChadOath
    Have you contacted the vendor to see if they were experiencing anything weird as well?

    It seems like you went to the top and forgot the middleman.
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[5729554].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author Seant7871
    I too have my doubts about Clickbank. I have been promoting several products that get lots of clicks per day, but no sales. I was promoting one credit product that was getting between 50 - 125 clicks per day and no sales. Another anxiety product was getting between 30 - 80 clicks per day and no sales. I sent an email to the vendor asking him if he could suggest ways to increase my conversions and he never replied. I don't promote that any product anymore and I replace it with a CPA offer.
    I setup a YouTube video to promote a memory product that was getting over 200 plus views per day and at least 100 plus clicks on the affiliate link, but I only got one sale. This product got over 50,000 views over a nine month period and I only made one sale. It is a great product with a great sales page.
    It is very dishearten to put in so much effort to promote a product, get traffic, get people on your list, and not see some rewards for your efforts.
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[5738610].message }}
    • Profile picture of the author aaaa33030
      Originally Posted by Seant7871 View Post

      I too have my doubts about Clickbank. I have been promoting several products that get lots of clicks per day, but no sales. I was promoting one credit product that was getting between 50 - 125 clicks per day and no sales. Another anxiety product was getting between 30 - 80 clicks per day and no sales. I sent an email to the vendor asking him if he could suggest ways to increase my conversions and he never replied. I don't promote that any product anymore and I replace it with a CPA offer.
      I setup a YouTube video to promote a memory product that was getting over 200 plus views per day and at least 100 plus clicks on the affiliate link, but I only got one sale. This product got over 50,000 views over a nine month period and I only made one sale. It is a great product with a great sales page.
      It is very dishearten to put in so much effort to promote a product, get traffic, get people on your list, and not see some rewards for your efforts.
      What you're saying is that promoting clickbank products is not very profitable for you but yet you are advertising in your signature "How to Make Money with Clickbank"
      {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[5777854].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author PlatinumLady
    All I can say is I'm learning with my eyes shot.
    Signature
    You won’t believe this amazing source of 100% free PLR content! I was gobsmacked! So will you!

    If you know What & Why you will surely know How to fix it. Find out here


    Your Attitude will Determine your Altitude. Choose wisely!

    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[5780368].message }}
  • Things that make you say hummm? From reading your first post, I see the law of attraction in place here! You expected that clickbank wouldn't work for you and guess what? You got what you excepted! I would be curious to see what that same traffic do on another offer that's not your own product and not a clickbank product and see if the same traffic convert for you! I can say I never had any problems out of clickbank all the years I been promoting clickbank products.
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[5780511].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author Vikram73
    There is an element of screwiness with CB analytics. Often times the analytics stop tracking in some people's accounts. Often times a sales gets cleared by the affiliate and the vendor side analytics don't' update.

    But I promote my own product as an affiliate to myself (to test conversions) and the sales work every single time. So yes, ClickBank is very trust worthy to me in terms of getting checks out on time and also in paying my affiliates honestly.

    When you hear these CB conspiracy stories about "stolen sales" - you can go look at the product yourself and try to buy it yourself through your affiliate link.

    I bet it works. The people usually haven't tested this themselves before coming here to complain.

    BTW - if you changed your payment processor and even kept the same sales page it might kill all of your sales.

    The ClickBank order form unless it's integrated nicely into the site (disclose CB is our payment processor, look into inserting your banner / logo etcs. into the order form page) then it can negatively impact your conversion.

    Paypal is a much more trusted name than Clickbank to the average joe (who probably has never heard of CB). Going from your site to some random payment processor page is not intuitive and can cost you sales.

    Integrating the CB order form into my site and using similar themes on both helped my conversions - especially my 'order form submissions'.
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[5781153].message }}
    • Profile picture of the author Jeff Henshaw
      Have you contacted the vendor to see if they were experiencing anything weird as well?

      It seems like you went to the top and forgot the middleman.
      The vendor in most cases won't give a 'monkey's toss' to use the vernacular, especially if he or she is getting paid for the sale.

      You are on your own!

      Just my thoughts,

      Jeff.
      {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[5781362].message }}
      • Profile picture of the author garyv
        Originally Posted by Jeff Henshaw View Post

        The vendor in most cases won't give a 'monkey's toss' to use the vernacular, especially if he or she is getting paid for the sale.

        You are on your own!

        Just my thoughts,

        Jeff.
        The smart ones will. I've actually contacted affiliates myself in the past, because I've noticed in my logs that they've made a mistake in their hoplink that is not giving them credit for their sales. Had I of not done that it's likely that the affiliate would have just replaced my product with another one, and I would have lost out in the end.



        But that order form submit count with no sales sounds sketchy. I would definitely contact someone a Clickbank about it. I'm willing to bet that even they would think that something's not right with it.

        And by the way, if someone over there at Clickbank was smart enough to skim profits without being detected, that they'd probably have the know how to get rid of that order form submit count? Just sayin. - Give them a call.
        {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[5782004].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author Randall Magwood
    You should consider switching to Paydotcom.
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[5781495].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author Marhelper
    I have made a lot of money with CB over the years, for that I am thankful. However, I have had tracking issues in the past that really made me wonder.
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[5782084].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author Will Edwards
    This is a concern that gets voiced here periodically, but I have never been convinced by the so called evidence and I'm afraid, this is another case in point.

    Out of curiosity, I just checked both of my CB accounts (one is an account I use as a vendor, the other as an affiliate) for the past 14 day period and I can see nothing wrong with the stats.

    If the OP wants to conduct a fair test, perhaps he should consider putting his own product in the marketplace. With an identical sales page, same traffic source and a decent sample size over an extended period of time, perhaps that might actually tell us something.

    Just my 2c.

    Will
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[5782400].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author positivemagic
    Is it just with clickbank having problems? How about the other sites like commission junction?
    Signature

    Ps. What if instead of hunting people down until they begged you to stop... pre-qualified prospects actually sought you out and asked you what you do and how you do it? Click here.

    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[5782437].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author infoaddicts
    for years now,CB is proven... tested ...reliable... money making prospective..Have heard many success stories..all the Content above is just discouraging
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[5783164].message }}
    • Profile picture of the author wiredtolive
      Originally Posted by infoaddicts View Post

      for years now,CB is proven... tested ...reliable... money making prospective..Have heard many success stories..all the Content above is just discouraging

      Why is it discouraging? It's just other peoples experiences. Not everyone is gonna have the same dealings with the almighty CB that you may have.

      There are success stories and there are not so successful stories. I think it's great that we have a venue and the freedom to voice all of these experiences so others can make their own choices and decisions about using such services like the almighty CB!!
      Signature
      Other people's wills are as independent of mine as their breath and bodies.
      We may exist for the sake of one another, but our will rules its own domain.

      {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[5785421].message }}
      • Profile picture of the author Alexa Smith
        Banned
        Originally Posted by wiredtolive View Post

        Not everyone is gonna have the same dealings with the almighty CB that you may have.
        They are when it comes to the implementation of the payment mechanism and accounting policies.

        Unfortunately, this thread contains quite a bit of factual misinformation both about the Dormant Account Charges and about the Customer Distribution Requirement. It's all too easy for people to read it and take as "factual", whereas the reality is actually very different.

        Originally Posted by wiredtolive View Post

        There are success stories and there are not so successful stories. I think it's great that we have a venue and the freedom to voice all of these experiences so others can make their own choices and decisions about using such services
        I agree with that, of course, as long as people don't misrepresent to others (as some have, above) ClickBank's regulations and payment procedures, in the name of "voicing their experiences" - something which, as the saying goes, "only happens all the time".
        {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[5785850].message }}

Trending Topics