I'd like to know if anybody else does this. I am referring to ClickBank here, but the same thing applies to any affiliate program. When I come across a good ClickBank eProduct that I want to check out, I get the hoplink with my CB ID/Nickname, go to the sales page and buy it myself -- that way, my CB Account is credited with a sale, and I get the product for a big discount (75% is good!). Then, after using the product, you can write an informed review about it and sell it as an affiliate. Am I the only one who does this? If there are any rules against buying products with your own affiliate ID, then forget I mentioned it.
Depends upon the service. Always check the terms and conditions, or user agreement. One area where this works really well where you find an affiliate program that doesn't forbid self-purchasing is web hosting. Often you can make $90-$100 commish and pay only $60-$70 for a year. That's a negative cost!