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Are Clickbank as useless as they seem?

by TooHigh
29 replies
Hi guys,

I wrote a niche ebook and am launching it now.

I was going to sell it thru Clickbank because I thought they provided a service of secure downloads.

Now that I actually try to upload it, I realize that I am still responsible for delivering the product. Clickbank ask me to provide a sales page, a thank you page, and they put their own page in the middle, and take 7.5%+$1 for it.

Seeing as I have to provide the download myself, and make my own sales page and my own thank you page, what the hell am I paying them for?! Am I missing something here, or are Clickbank actually as useless as the white crayon?
#clickbank #useless
  • Profile picture of the author SunilTanna
    They provide

    the processing of customer payments,

    Correct handling of sales tax and vat issues

    the anti-fraud tracking

    The affiliate tracking,

    the access to a network of affiliates who have trust that they will get tracked correctly, and paid for their efforts,

    Paying your affiliates without you having to worry about it

    And a ticket based support system.


    And there is a few extras as well, such as the marketplace listing, the tid/vtid conversion tracking, and, for those who use it, their upsell feature, their trial and recurring billing features, etc.


    If you really want clickbank to do more for you, have a look at clickbank powered. However (a) it costs more, (b) if you use clickbank powered then pretty much every aspect of your site becomes dependent on clickbank, whereas with clickbank DIY you retain control and could even switch to another retailer or payment processor, relatively easily, if you wanted to or if it became necessary in future.
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    • Profile picture of the author mmbill00
      Originally Posted by SunilTanna View Post

      They provide

      the processing of customer payments,

      Correct handling of sales tax and vat issues

      the anti-fraud tracking

      The affiliate tracking,

      the access to a network of affiliates who have trust that they will get tracked correctly, and paid for their efforts,

      Paying your affiliates without you having to worry about it

      And a ticket based support system.


      And there is a few extras as well, such as the marketplace listing, the tid/vtid conversion tracking, and, for those who use it, their upsell feature, their trial and recurring billing features, etc.


      If you really want clickbank to do more for you, have a look at clickbank powered. However (a) it costs more, (b) if you use clickbank powered then pretty much every aspect of your site becomes dependent on clickbank, whereas with clickbank DIY you retain control and could even switch to another retailer or payment processor, relatively easily, if you wanted to or if it became necessary in future.
      Well done for highlighting these benefits.
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    • Profile picture of the author digitalsapien
      Originally Posted by SunilTanna View Post

      They provide

      the processing of customer payments,

      Correct handling of sales tax and vat issues

      the anti-fraud tracking

      The affiliate tracking,

      the access to a network of affiliates who have trust that they will get tracked correctly, and paid for their efforts,

      Paying your affiliates without you having to worry about it

      And a ticket based support system.


      And there is a few extras as well, such as the marketplace listing, the tid/vtid conversion tracking, and, for those who use it, their upsell feature, their trial and recurring billing features, etc.


      If you really want clickbank to do more for you, have a look at clickbank powered. However (a) it costs more, (b) if you use clickbank powered then pretty much every aspect of your site becomes dependent on clickbank, whereas with clickbank DIY you retain control and could even switch to another retailer or payment processor, relatively easily, if you wanted to or if it became necessary in future.
      This is so true!
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  • Profile picture of the author Langeani
    I haven't sold anything on Clickbank yet, but there are some benefits:

    - Payment system - they'll take care of everything, receiving, handling refunds, paying your affiliates...

    - Affiliate army - there are LOTS of affiliates there. Your product has a chance of getting affiliates without you even talking to these people. You should still recruit your affiliates, but you'll defintely get value out of that

    - Clickbank's trust factor - many times, your affiliates and or buyers will doubt you or who you are. The fact that your product is on Clickbank can actually help you out with that.

    Anyways, take a look at Paypal, Warrior+, JVZoo.. they all have fees to handle your money.

    Let's hope someone with more experience on Clickbank drops by.

    Cheers,

    Lee
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    • Profile picture of the author hometutor
      Protect your product with DRM. They don't give a sh*&^% about your point of view if someone asks for a refund they just give it.

      Rick
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      • Profile picture of the author onlineinternetbiz
        Originally Posted by hometutor View Post

        Protect your product with DRM. They don't give a sh*&^% about your point of view if someone asks for a refund they just give it.

        Rick
        This is the single biggest downfall of Clickbank. If you are selling an information product it is super easy to get it, read it and get a refund and get the information for free.

        All someone has to do is email an email address which I try not to give out (even though it can be found) with their receipt and the batch system refunds it. Clickbank never even touches it.

        That said, it is probably the easiest way to get a bunch of affiliates as everyone is familiar with their code and like everyone has said they handle all the BS, and that is what you pay them for.

        I'm not a huge fan of theirs either, but can't really say anybody is better.
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        • Profile picture of the author JohnMcCabe
          Originally Posted by onlineinternetbiz View Post

          This is the single biggest downfall of Clickbank. If you are selling an information product it is super easy to get it, read it and get a refund and get the information for free.

          All someone has to do is email an email address which I try not to give out (even though it can be found) with their receipt and the batch system refunds it. Clickbank never even touches it.

          That said, it is probably the easiest way to get a bunch of affiliates as everyone is familiar with their code and like everyone has said they handle all the BS, and that is what you pay them for.

          I'm not a huge fan of theirs either, but can't really say anybody is better.
          It's not Clickbank's downfall, it's vendors not understanding the underlying model.

          In this model, you are a wholesaler, Clickbank is a retailer. Technically, you are selling your product to Clickbank and they are selling it to the consumer. Within that model, Clickbank can set any refund policy they choose.

          If I buy a toaster from Walmart, make my breakfast, then return it to Walmart, I get a refund. Walmart then sends the toaster back to you and gets credit for the return.

          You, as vendor, simply choose whether or not you want Clickbank retailing your stuff.
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  • Profile picture of the author JamesBorg
    There are separate solutions for the secure download. One solution is e-junkie.com, which also allows you to tag PDF files with the buyer's details (won't be a problem for a pro pirate). It integrates well with PayPal, ClickBank, and other payment processors.

    Or you could do what I do: Just change the thank-you page's name whenever it's clear the thank-you URL has been shared. Besides, a lot of pirates will simply distribute your product itself rather than linking to your thank-you page. There's not a whole lot you can do in the end.

    Consider piracy the cost of doing business. I suspect the segment of "I'll grab an illegal copy if I can find it, otherwise I'll pay for it" individuals is exceedingly tiny. Pirates are mostly people who aren't going to buy your product anyway, so you can even consider piracy free publicity. It's not unheard of for marketers to kickstart the piracy themselves, thereby targeting pirates at the same time they target buyers.
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  • Profile picture of the author TooHigh
    I don't mind piracy. I am a pirate myself.

    I'm just wondering what Clickbank do for me that justifies their fees. It seems they're basically just an affiliate network.

    If I sold the book myself and used Paypal for payments, I'd just be paying Paypal's fees, which are approximately half (3.4%+$0.50 instead of 7.5%+$1). The only thing I'd miss out on would be the affiliate network, so I'll have to test Clickbank for a while and see if their affiliate network balances their fees.
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  • Profile picture of the author Devin X
    Banned
    Originally Posted by TooHigh View Post

    Hi guys,

    I wrote a niche ebook and am launching it now.

    I was going to sell it thru Clickbank because I thought they provided a service of secure downloads.

    Now that I actually try to upload it, I realize that I am still responsible for delivering the product. Clickbank ask me to provide a sales page, a thank you page, and they put their own page in the middle, and take 7.5%+$1 for it.

    Seeing as I have to provide the download myself, and make my own sales page and my own thank you page, what the hell am I paying them for?! Am I missing something here, or are Clickbank actually as useless as the white crayon?

    LOL so how are you going to sell your product, facilitate the transactions, protect against fraud, and make sure you don't lose a ton of money? Hmmm? Paypal won't help you there. Having your own payment processing and secured servers would cost you thousands per month that you don't have, and you'd need a customer support system to deal with customers, chargebacks, refunds, and other issues that you obviously haven't considered. SMH...your question is so damn silly I'm almost dumbstruck.

    Originally Posted by TooHigh View Post

    I don't mind piracy. I am a pirate myself.
    I hate pirates! You'll hate them too if you survive long enough in this game.
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  • Profile picture of the author dannygnenerate
    Hmmm... Ok, so if you're selling on clickbank then remember this. The power is no longer in your hands, the power is in the hands of the affiliates. In general the people who browse clickbank are those that are promoting offers. What benefit or incentive are you giving them? People make millions with Clickbank. Approach this with a real plan, a structured plan and you'll do fine. Coming at it with a negative angle will never benefit you ever.

    Even though your affiliates are in control because they are the promoters you have to paint the illusion that you are in control... They more they believe in you and your product the more they will promote. Give true value and you'll do just fine. This is your business treat it as such.
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  • Profile picture of the author GoodFE
    I don't mean to be rude, but if you are balking at a measly 50 dollars payment then you will struggle to make a splash in IM. In your original post you seemed upset that you had to make a sales page and a thank you page, did you think that clickbank made them for you? for 50 dollars?

    TBH Clickbank offer a good service for a fair price, but your mentality seems all out of whack to me. You mentioned that you yourself are a pirate, and pirates tend to have a problem paying for anything that they think they could get for free. 50 dollars doesnt go a long way anymore, and you have to spend money to make money most of the time.

    The time alone that you would need to spend to make this venture work without clickbank is ridiculous. This is a business, and if you are upset about paying 50 bucks then I'd recommend pursuing something else. Maybe throw the book up on kindle or something, because you really need to reevaluate everything about you plan IMO.
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  • Profile picture of the author TooHigh
    Originally Posted by TheRealDudeman View Post

    LOL so how are you going to sell your product, facilitate the transactions, protect against fraud, and make sure you don't lose a ton of money?
    1. I need to sell it myself anyway; Clickbank don't provide that service. 2. I take payment by paypal, and provide a download link on a payment page. 3. What sort of fraud do you mean? 4. How would I lose money?

    Originally Posted by GoodFE View Post

    I don't mean to be rude, but if you are balking at a measly 50 dollars payment then you will struggle to make a splash in IM. In your original post you seemed upset that you had to make a sales page and a thank you page, did you think that clickbank made them for you? for 50 dollars?
    The time alone that you would need to spend to make this venture work without clickbank is ridiculous. This is a business, and if you are upset about paying 50 bucks then I'd recommend pursuing something else. Maybe throw the book up on kindle or something, because you really need to reevaluate everything about you plan IMO.
    I think you misunderstand. I am just asking what exactly it is that clickbank DO. I was never under the impression that Clickbank made sales or thank you pages; I was, however, under the impression that they provided the service of secure downloads in exchange for payment. They represent themselves as an 'online retailer', but in fact they don't sell the products. I have a site in the niche with about 170 visits a day, so if I can convert a percent or two, then I can have a little stream of income. Could you please clarify what extra time I would have to put in by bypassing Clickbank?

    Originally Posted by SunilTanna View Post

    On a $100 book, the difference is 4.6% of the sale price

    On a $50 book, 5.1%

    On a $20 book, 6.7%

    Do you think you can sell at least this sort of percent more by being on clickbank?
    Yep I did that math already. I'm gonna have to give it a test-run and see whether the profit from the affiliate sales balances the fees.

    Thanks all!
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    • Profile picture of the author GoodFE
      Attracting affiliates for a start, it would be much harder when you are doing it by yourself. That alone is worth 50 quid. Clickbank is the best way for you to attract affiliates, and by doing this yourself you will need to spend a long time building relationships with people. I think a lot of top affiliates wouldn't bother promoting someones product if they didn't believe in it enough to invest 50 dollars to attract affiliates and get a ready-made security/returns system. Besides that, Clickbank is like a stamp of approval. It gives potential buyers (and potential affiliates) security, the same way that most people won't buy an expensive product on ebay unless the seller has a good track record, a lot of buyers will look for that security from you that if they are not happy they can return it without much issue.

      But my main point is that your mentality is wrong, and I will stand by that. If you are unwilling to part with 50 dollars then I can't see you being a success. You don't need to spend money to make money, but those that completely shy away from things like this never succeed. I could understand if it was 5000, but the fact that you are unwilling to invest 50 dollars to use clickbank is just ridiculous.
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      • Profile picture of the author TooHigh
        Originally Posted by GoodFE View Post

        Attracting affiliates for a start, it would be much harder when you are doing it by yourself. That alone is worth 50 quid. Clickbank is the best way for you to attract affiliates, and by doing this yourself you will need to spend a long time building relationships with people. I think a lot of top affiliates wouldn't bother promoting someones product if they didn't believe in it enough to invest 50 dollars to attract affiliates and get a ready-made security/returns system. Besides that, Clickbank is like a stamp of approval. It gives potential buyers (and potential affiliates) security, the same way that most people won't buy an expensive product on ebay unless the seller has a good track record, a lot of buyers will look for that security from you that if they are not happy they can return it without much issue.

        But my main point is that your mentality is wrong, and I will stand by that. If you are unwilling to part with 50 dollars then I can't see you being a success. You don't need to spend money to make money, but those that completely shy away from things like this never succeed. I could understand if it was 5000, but the fact that you are unwilling to invest 50 dollars to use clickbank is just ridiculous.
        It's the percentage too, not just the $50. And I don't mind parting for it. I tried to make it clear several times that I'm wondering what I'm getting in exchange for the money. I don't mind paying for something; I do have a problem with paying for nothing.
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        • Profile picture of the author JohnMcCabe
          Originally Posted by TooHigh View Post

          It's the percentage too, not just the $50. And I don't mind parting for it. I tried to make it clear several times that I'm wondering what I'm getting in exchange for the money. I don't mind paying for something; I do have a problem with paying for nothing.
          For many people, the percentage Clickbank charges is worth it to them to have CB handle payment processing, including refunds, as well as the affiliate management (paying commissions, deducting refunds from commissions, taking steps to thwart affiliate fraud).

          Clickbank is also much older than PayPal. Back in the day, it was quite difficult for online sellers to get their own merchant accounts, and when they could, the fees were higher than Clickbank's. Online sellers were very happy to pay the percentage rather than go through the hassle of having people physically mail payments, and then sending them the product once the payment cleared.

          Clickbank had to structure things the way they did (technically, you could say CB acts as a kind of digital 'dropshipper', collecting the payment as a retailer and then sending the details to you for fulfillemnt).

          You aren't paying for "nothing", but nowadays there are alternatives, as others have mentioned. Whether their service is worth what it costs is something you have to decide for yourself.
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          • Profile picture of the author hometutor
            Originally Posted by JohnMcCabe View Post


            Clickbank is also much older than PayPal.=
            No they're not. I've been online since 95.

            Rick
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            • Profile picture of the author JohnMcCabe
              Originally Posted by hometutor View Post

              No they're not. I've been online since 95.

              Rick
              According to Betterwhois.com, the domain name clickbank.com was first registered on 5 August 1998, while paypal.com was first registered 14 July 1999.

              According to both Clickbank's website and Wikipedia, Clickbank opened its digital doors in 1998. According to PayPal's site, the company became the PayPal we know today in June of 2000.

              So Clickbank is basically two calendar years older than PayPal.

              There's a saying that "Internet years" are like "dog years", so Clickbank would be about 14 Internet years older than PayPal.

              My first website went up in August 1996 after two years on AOL and Compuserve. Even had accounts at Prodigy and The Well...
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              • Profile picture of the author SunilTanna
                Originally Posted by JohnMcCabe View Post

                According to Betterwhois.com, the domain name clickbank.com was first registered on 5 August 1998, while paypal.com was first registered 14 July 1999.

                According to both Clickbank's website and Wikipedia, Clickbank opened its digital doors in 1998. According to PayPal's site, the company became the PayPal we know today in June of 2000.

                So Clickbank is basically two calendar years older than PayPal.

                There's a saying that "Internet years" are like "dog years", so Clickbank would be about 14 Internet years older than PayPal.

                My first website went up in August 1996 after two years on AOL and Compuserve. Even had accounts at Prodigy and The Well...
                For extra fun, go to archive.org and check out the historic versions of ClickBank & PayPal.

                The earliest version of clickbank that they have is 25 Jan 1999

                The earliest version of paypal that they have is 13 Oct 1999.
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                - Protect Your Thank You Pages & Downloads
                - Give Your Affiliates Multiple Landing Pages (Video Demo)
                - Killer Graphics for Your Site
                SPECIAL WSO PRICES FOR WARRIORS + GET THE "CLICKBANK DISCOUNT" TOO!
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              • Profile picture of the author hometutor
                Originally Posted by JohnMcCabe View Post

                According to Betterwhois.com, the domain name clickbank.com was first registered on 5 August 1998, while paypal.com was first registered 14 July 1999.

                According to both Clickbank's website and Wikipedia, Clickbank opened its digital doors in 1998. According to PayPal's site, the company became the PayPal we know today in June of 2000.

                So Clickbank is basically two calendar years older than PayPal.

                There's a saying that "Internet years" are like "dog years", so Clickbank would be about 14 Internet years older than PayPal.

                My first website went up in August 1996 after two years on AOL and Compuserve. Even had accounts at Prodigy and The Well...
                Ladies and gentlemen I stand corrected. My apologies for the misinformation.

                Rick
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  • Profile picture of the author Kim Standerline
    It sounds as though you're looking for something more like JVZoo, you'll get a secure download there plus you'll still have access to affiliates

    Kim
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  • Profile picture of the author workoutstuff1
    Like someone on this thread mentioned before JVZoo.com might work well for you. Also, there are other sites that can do instant PayPal payouts to affiliates when they sell your products which would make it easier for you to get affiliates to support you.

    PM me if you have any more questions.
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  • Profile picture of the author LimitlessTraffic
    to be honest, the affiliate program itself is worth the cost.
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  • Profile picture of the author ashishthakkar
    I do not think their customer service is the best.

    If you ignore your customer's email and do not reply to them after a certain point of time then that says a lot about you and your business.

    I removed my old product and tried adding a new product.
    It was rejected.
    Then they kept telling me email after email that i need to improve my chargeback rate.
    Yes, i understand that but if you just have 1 product to sell and that product is rejected then i do not think i can improve my chargeback rate.

    1. No, they did not close my account.
    2. They did not explain me what i have to do next. They just kept telling me to add a new product after i have a better chargeback rate.

    So i kept asking them how i could improve the chargeback rate with 0 products and they just ignored all my emails.

    Either they are stupid or they don't care. BOTH not good for any business.
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  • Profile picture of the author Daniel Evans
    Originally Posted by TooHigh View Post

    Am I missing something here, or are Clickbank actually as useless as the white crayon?
    Do you neglect adding areas of light to your art?

    A dab of white to the pupil is what brings a portrait to life you know.....
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  • Profile picture of the author 10kaday
    Just go with clickbank it's worth it
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  • Profile picture of the author timpears
    If you can't see the benefit of Clickbank, then I think you are short sighted, and probably not up to this kind of market. You probably won't ever manage to take advantage of the power of the tens if not hundreds of thousands of affiliates that will be happy to promote your book for a slice of the revenues. Snt turn your $100 a month business into tens of thousands of dollars per month. But for all that, they take a 4% slice of the pie, so give tyhat up, and the tens of thousands of dollars extra in sales you are going to take home every month.

    4%, what a joke. If only you knew.
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