If you use www.bit.ly URL shortening for your CJ affiliate links, will the clicks and commissions be credited to your account? Is this allowed by most merchants?
When you redirect affliate links there is always the chance your cookies get dropped. The best thing you can do is contact the publisher and ask them if you can use redirects. Then you test them by clearing your broswer cache and testing to see if the cookies are intact. You will lose impressions data. Redirecting CJ links isn't a great idea, but I know that it's possible. You are much better off doing it on your own servers and avoiding delays and problems incurred when you trust a 3rd party site.
1. How do you see if the cookies are intact? 2. How do you lose impressions data using a redirect? I set up redirects on my site via .php pages. Does that mean impressions are not recorded accurately? Thanks!!
Its better to be safe than sorry, isn't it. I really think you should go and contact your AM and ask if there is any url redirection service compatible with CJ links without losing the impression data,etc.
Why would you shorten a CJ URL with a redirect service that you don't control? What's stopping that shortening service from replacing your ID with theirs, or just breaking? You can use redirects as long as you use HTTP 301/302 redirects (.htaccess, PHP header location, etc...) - no meta refreshes, though.