Reason You Shouldn’t Waste Your Time With eBay Partner Network: You have definitely been bitten by the “affiliate marketing” bug. When you consider the bountiful opportunities for a lucrative referral income, you can’t help but get excited.
You will soon break free from the constraints of your 9 to-5 job.
You daydream about having your ideal vehicle sitting in your driveway. You see yourself relaxing and having fun on the vacation you’ve been postponing for years. The only thing left for you to do is choose the finest affiliate network to join and start promoting some items that pay a good commission.
However, there is a problem with this:
You can choose from a wide range of possibilities. You are completely at a loss for where to begin. You are overcome with emotion.
Which resources can you put your faith in? Are you sure that this information is still accurate? A large number of moving parts are involved in the creation of an online business; how can these be simplified?
The eBay Partner Network is a well-known affiliate network that is offered on the eBay website, which is a global online auction platform. It is a programme that has been around for a while and has gone through a number of big changes.
The question is:
Is it worthwhile to sign up for the eBay affiliate programme at this point?
In this essay, I will offer the TL;DR on how to become an eBay partner as well as explain the reasons why we believe it is no longer worthwhile to join. I will also provide you with some excellent alternatives so that you can evaluate your options and make an educated choice about the future of your affiliate marketing.
Let’s get started!
What exactly is the eBay Partner Network, and how does it function exactly?
A well-known affiliate marketing scheme that was established in 1995 is called eBay Partner Network (EPN). It is a subsidiary of the colossal American global e-commerce firm known as eBay Inc., which has its headquarters in San Jose, California, in the United States.
Everyone is familiar with eBay, which is one of the major online auction and e-commerce sites. On eBay, you can find some amazing prices on a wide variety of goods, and the site itself is quite user-friendly.
eBay has a wide range of sellers, from large companies to small business owners who run dropshipping operations and everything in between.
On their website, eBay offers three different ways to purchase items:
1. Fixed-price items
Items with a set price are denoted by the presence of a distinct “Buy It Now” button. Simply hitting the “Buy It Now” button will allow you to acquire these items immediately. You will be responsible for paying the price that is shown.
2. Flexible price auction items
Next to the bid box for each of these goods is a button labelled “Place Bid.” There is a display of the “current bid” price. There is a predetermined amount of time—3, 5, or 10 days—that each item up for auction is available for bidding. When the timer reaches zero, they will sell the item to the person who submitted the highest bid.
3. Dual-price items
On eBay, some sellers choose to sell their items via auction in addition to offering a “Buy-it-now” option for instant purchase of the item. These things are open for business in either capacity. If no one clicks the “Buy It Now” button before the auction is over, the item will be sold to the person who placed the highest bid.
How their affiliate program operates – eBay partner network
As an affiliate, you have the opportunity to advertise the products listed through any of the aforementioned three sales techniques. When someone makes a purchase on eBay using the specific referral link that you provide, eBay will give you a commission.
And when you take some time to look at eBay’s figures, it’s clear to see why the affiliate programme first appealed to so many people. There are many ways to sell things on the auction website, which handles more than $22.6 billion in gross merchandise every year.
But the issue is with eBay’s commission structure and the length of time cookies are kept (more on this later).
Affiliate Resources And Support – eBay partner network
When it comes to support resources, the eBay partner network does an adequate job of getting you up to speed on all you need to know. You will have access to the following materials once you become an eBay affiliate:
- Quick-start guides — affiliate marketing guides that show you how to start earning fast
- FAQ’s — answering common questions you may have about the program
- Webinars — eBay host webinars for affiliates showing them how to promote products successfully
They go through the fundamentals, but there is nothing particularly noteworthy to point out here.
EPN provides help in two different ways, should you feel the need to reach out to someone:
- You can get in touch with the company by filling out a contact form. Usually, you’ll get a reply within a few hours, and at the very least, within 24 hours.
- The Help Section is where you can find comprehensive guidelines as well as a large number of videos that will assist you in getting started. They answer the majority of the questions that are typically asked in this section.
At the moment, you can’t get help by phone or live chat.
How The Commissions Structure Works
Because eBay is essentially an auction site, the commission structure is organised very differently from the way that a typical affiliate programme is organised.
You will earn a predetermined commission percentage for the majority of affiliate programmes, which is based on the overall value of the product that is being sold.
Affiliate partners on eBay can make anywhere from 50–70% of the revenue that eBay generates.
This indicates that you are compensated through the eBay partner network based on commissions from auction fees rather than the whole sale price of the product itself. This makes sense when one considers that the majority of listings are for real things being offered for sale by third parties. As a result, receiving a commission that is comprised of a high percentage is virtually unattainable through this programme.
Therefore, on a typical basis, you are responsible for approximately half of eBay’s regular 10% final value fee for listing fees. The specific amount varies depending on the type of item being purchased. To give you an idea of what they are, here is a sample list of some of them:
Collectibles (50% commission)
- Toys & Hobbies
- Sports Memorabilia, Cards & Fan Shop
- Stamps
- Coins & Paper Money
- Pottery & Glass
- Antiques
- Art
- Dolls & Bears
- Entertainment Memorabilia
Fashion (70% commission)
- Clothing, Shoes & Accessories
- Jewellery & Watches
- Health & Beauty
Home & Garden (60% commission)
- Home, Furniture & DIY
- Crafts
- Baby
- Pet Supplies
- Garden & Patio
- Home Appliances
Lifestyle (60% commission)
- Sporting Goods
- Musical Instruments
- Tickets & Experiences
- Gift Cards & Coupons
- Holidays & Travel
These commissions appear to be quite generous at first glance, yet, upon closer inspection, you discover that they come from a puny 10% listing fee.
Because of this, in order to generate anything even remotely approximating a considerable income from the affiliate programme, you will need to refer a very large number of visitors.
Having said that, several affiliates have reported making several thousand dollars annually through the use of the site.
However, this was before eBay implemented a number of significant modifications to its partner network in 2013. Because of these changes, participating in the programme as an affiliate is virtually pointless…
EPN Cookie Duration Changes Sparked Outrage From Affiliates- eBay partner network
In 2013, eBay made certain adjustments to the way in which it managed its affiliate programme.
The duration of the cookie was directly relevant to the adjustment.
In the context of affiliate marketing, a cookie is essentially a line of code that is used to track the behaviour of users when they are visiting a website. Cookies are small text files that are kept in your computer browser. Cookies enable affiliate networks to attribute product sales to the appropriate affiliates.
When looking for new affiliate programmes, seasoned affiliate marketers pay careful attention to the length of time that cookies are stored on their customers’ computers. This is significant because it defines your selling window, which is the amount of time between when a potential customer clicks on one of your affiliate links and when a sale may be attributed to your marketing efforts.
For Instance:
Assume for a moment that you are a member of the Amazon Associates programme and that you use your photography blog to promote digital cameras sold on Amazon.
In this particular illustration, Amazon has a cookie window of 30 days. This means that if someone clicks on one of your referral links, Amazon will give you credit for any sales that happen on Amazon during the next 30 days.
There are even high-paying affiliate schemes that provide cookies that last a whole year.
However, in 2013, eBay reduced the lifespan of cookies from a whopping seven days down to just twenty-four hours.
What’s the worst about it?
The majority of auctions on eBay take between seven and ten days. In general, this is how things work out for those that are affiliated with eBay:
You point someone in the direction of a product listing on eBay. Your referral is not allowed to bid on the same day as you because this is an auction. They will probably take a cautious approach and wait until the last day of the auction to place their bids.
What do you think?
Your commissions are forfeited since the customer you referred did not make a purchase during the cookie’s 24-hour window of validity. Ugh. Finally, after all of the laborious effort you put into bringing the person to the platform, you are finally rewarded.
What a slap in the face this is.
Because of this adjustment, many hardworking affiliates saw a significant reduction in the amount of money they were able to earn, which caused an uproar. The loss could be as high as 90% in some cases.
In point of fact, an irate eBay associate published graphics demonstrating his financial losses.
This first image presents affiliate impressions, clicks, and earnings during 2011, as follows:
Over the course of the year, this marketer made $2,625.97 from 33,375 clicks on their advertisement.
The following chart displays the amount of money that was made after achieving roughly three times as many clicks as before the adjustments that took place in 2013:
And from roughly 100,000 clicks, he only made a pitiful $99.62 this time.
Discuss the practise of retaliating against marketers by making unfair alterations to the programme.
On the Warrior Forum, an irate affiliate unleashed their ire on eBay. The praise that he had previously heaped upon them on the podium was immediately taken back by him.
Another despondent affiliate went so far as to start a petition in the hopes of convincing eBay to abandon its one-day cookie policy.
However, eBay did not budge in the least.
They claimed that the adjustment would, in the end, be beneficial to affiliates. This “slight drop in sales” was just brief.
In fact, the change has made EPN one of the least appealing affiliate programmes on the web.
No one truly understands why eBay made the decision to implement this move, but there is no point in speculating about it because the internet is rife with companies that have excellent affiliate programmes.
Alternatives That Are Much Better Than The eBay Affiliate Partner Network
You would be wasting your time if you participated in the eBay Partner Network affiliate programme because the programme does not adequately compensate you for the valuable time and effort you put in.
There are other high-quality programmes out there that will reward you handsomely for the promotional work you put in, and you may receive returns that are way greater than those. And with good reason, as effective affiliate marketing is hardly a stroll in the park by any stretch of the imagination.
Here are three excellent illustrations of leading affiliate programmes:
1. Capitalist Exploits Insider
Founded by multi-millionaire businessman Chris MacIntosh, Capitalists Exploits Insider is an investment advisory product consisting a team of expert money managers, entrepreneurs, and investors.
It pays a 50% revenue split for successful referrals.
Nothing that should shake the foundations of the world just yet, until you look at the numbers.
Capitalist Exploits is proud to present its two flagship items, which are:
Affiliates can earn a commission of $788 from one company, while another can earn a substantial $1,500 from another.
If you can secure six sales of the first product each month, your annual revenue will be in excess of $50,000. You only need to make three sales per month of the second product to reach the same target as you did with the first.
With revenues like this, the eBay Partner Network (EPN) seems like it would be a piece of cake to participate in.
Additional highlights of the programme include the following:
- An amazing Trustpilot average customer rating of 9.4/10 across all products
- A global product/service used by subscribers in 53 countries.
- A first-rate support system. You’ll get a dedicated partner manager and video walkthroughs.
2. WP Engine
WP Engine is the most popular premium WordPress hosting platform available today. In a word, they provide subscription services that let you host and manage your WordPress website.
In June of 2018, WP Engine completed the acquisition of a business known as Studiopress. Over one million WordPress websites are currently powered by the Genesis framework, which was developed by Studiopress.
Studiopress also makes cool WordPress themes that are now cleverly bundled with different WP Engine hosting plans.
You will earn a commission of 35% on StudioPress theme sales if you are a WP Engine affiliate. When it comes to hosting, things start to get really interesting because you can make either $200 or one hundred percent of the customer’s first payment, whichever is higher (with a cap of $7,500).
You read that correctly. With WP Engine, you have the potential to earn up to $7,500 from a single sale.
It is obvious that something like this would not occur very frequently; rather, it would be the result of referring an enterprise client who had extremely high hosting requirements. However, it demonstrates what is possible. And which reputable affiliate programmes are willing to offer commissions to marketeers?
In the event that this wasn’t enough, WordPress Engine also provides affiliates with special bonuses and discounts that they can then pass on to their customers.
WP Engine will reward you with a bonus of up to $1500 for every 60 referrals you send their way. The minimum number of referrals required to earn this bonus is just five per month.
You will have access to exclusive special discounts as an affiliate, which you will then be able to pass on to your clients…
This is the equivalent of rolling out the red carpet for affiliate marketers.
WP Engine has thoughtfully developed a programme that is beneficial to all of those who are involved. They treat their affiliates with respect, provide a product that is top-notch, and pay commissions that are among the highest in the business.
If you have a following of people whose websites are powered by WordPress, you might make a fortune by becoming an affiliate for WP Engine.
3. Clickfunnels
The software programme known as Clickfunnels is one that enables business owners to construct and scale their operations with the assistance of potent sales funnels built with simple drag-and-drop user interfaces.
The company has approximately 100,000 users, and users have created more than 5.46 million funnels up to this point in time. Clickfunnels gives a 40% discount on recurring payments for life, which comes out to $118.80 per referred customer on the Platinum plan. This discount is good for as long as the customer keeps their subscription.
To add insult to injury, this is only the beginning. My experience has led me to believe that Clickfunnels is among the most entertaining, cutting-edge, and forward-thinking businesses I’ve come across.
Even their advertisements are almost certain to put a grin on your face:
Russell Brunson, an entrepreneur who assists businesses in increasing their profits by improving the efficiency of their sales and marketing, is the one who came up with the idea for Clickfunnels.
Russell has created a suite of items that can be promoted as part of your Clickfunnels affiliate programme by utilising the tactics that he teaches through Clickfunnels. Some examples of these are audiobooks, training programs, and book funnel packages.
In addition to receiving recurring commissions from Clickfunnels, this means that you have the potential to make up to $967 on every sale.
Please allow me to elaborate:
DotCom Secrets is the title of a book that was written by Russell Brunson. This book may be given away for “free plus postage” if the appropriate channels are followed. This sales funnel starts by giving the prospect a free copy of the book. Then, it leads them through a series of upsells and one-time offers that get better and cost more.
Here’s what it looks like:
That’s quite badass, wouldn’t you say?
As an associate for Clickfunnels, you have the opportunity to market a wide variety of items, including the Dotcom Secrets funnel.
As a whole, the programme is effective due to the fact that they mix high-ticket and recurring affiliate commissions, which enables you, as an affiliate, to earn a significant amount of money.
NOTE:
- Signing up as an affiliate for Clickfunnels enables you to promote their full-suite of products.
- Dope bonus prizes — If you sign up 100 customers, they’ll send you a cheque of $500 monthly to offset your payment on your dream car. And, if you can get 200 sign-ups, they’ll pay you $1000 per month!
- A full suite of promotional materials such as banners, email swipe examples and landing pages.
- A sticky cookie — you enjoy all future purchases made by your referrals, without doing extra work.
Is It Worth It to Join the eBay Partner Network?
The straightforward response is no.
Don’t squander your precious time.
You would get more out of subscribing to WP Engine or Clickfunnels, which are more advanced options.
They have a higher price. They have made multiple payments.
And unlike eBay, which only gives you a ridiculously short window of time to make a sale, these sites allow you far more time.
