Payment Considerations

Payment Considerations

Almost as important as HOW MUCH you get paid is WHEN you get paid. If your
merchant runs their affiliate program through an affiliate network, like Commission
Junction, you will be compensated when the affiliate network sends out payments. Most
affiliate networks send out payments monthly. These payments generally include all of
the prior month's transactions. For example, if you made 10 sales in January for a
merchant, you would receive your commissions the following month (February). This
allows merchants to verify all of the transactions before a payment is issued. This is
necessary because in some cases a sale may be reversed because of a fraudulent or
problematic order.

If your merchant runs an independent affiliate program, you will be compensated on their
time-table. Some merchants may pay their affiliates every 2 weeks, while others pay
them once a quarter (Amazon.com). Generally speaking, most independent merchants
compensate their affiliates on a monthly basis similar to the affiliate networks.
Many international affiliates (outside of the US and Canada) may experience additional
payment delays. If you are an international affiliate, check with your merchant or affiliate
network for more details about your payment schedule. In most cases the delay is
minimal.


How Do You Get Paid?

Most merchants and affiliate networks will send you a commission check. Many
merchants now offer direct deposit. This is my preferred method of payment. You tend to
get your payment faster and it's more reliable than the postal service. Plus, I hate trying to
track down checks every month; it's nice to know the money is in the bank!
Do They Offer Custom Payouts for Top Affiliates?
Merchants will often reward their top affiliates by offering them better payouts and
commission rates. Look for merchants that offer bonuses and increased commissions for
top performers. Some merchants will publish their custom rates in their program terms,
while other merchants have unpublished commission rates. If you don't see anything
published in the merchant's program terms, you will want to call or e-mail the Affiliate
Manager to find out if they have unpublished payouts for top affiliates.

Tip:
It's worth talking to your merchants about custom rates. Some of the merchants I promote
pay me double their published rate.

Check out the Merchant's Feedback

Before I join a merchant's affiliate program, I like to see what other affiliates are saying
about them. Keep in mind that people are more likely to complain about a merchant than
they are to give praise. When you are reading comments on a blog or a forum try to
weigh the feedback objectively.
*See the Section 2 Resources for a list of affiliate forums and blogs.

What are Their Customers Saying?
In addition to reading comments from other affiliates, I like to see what a merchant's
customers are saying about them. Don't just take the merchant's own testimonials into
account. Try and browse forums and blogs to get a general feeling for the overall
satisfaction of the merchant's customers.