I have a retail site and am about to launch an affiliate program. It will be self managed & commission per sale. I can spend about 10-15 hours a week on it. I am looking for a network that has good tools, a good publisher base, and is easy to use for publishers I recruit that might not be that familiar with affiliate marketing. I am looking at CJ, Linkshare, Pepperjam, and Shareasale. All fit my budget. Suggestions?
I would say you should go with CJ. They have worked well in the past, and I know many people in the affiliate marketing market (that have worked for companies like this) and they always had great things to say about CJ.
I was leaning toward CJ until I read the fine print of the contract last night. They charge 15 cents every time I email a potential publishing partner. I haven't found similar language in the literature for the others. I am pretty appalled.
They are fairly expensive to work with, but then again so are a lot of the other companies you listed. I think any of those companies would be fine, they all have a good reputation.