Hello everyone, I would like to consult someone experienced with Clickbank. Here is what I've discovered recently: One particular Clickbank vendor has redirected his site URL to another site. So what happens is my visitor clicks on my affiliate link and ends up on his site. If she buys immediately I am credited. But let's say she doesn't buy immediately. She memorizes his main domain without ?hop=my-clickbank-id then next day if she simply types in that domain she will be redirected to vendorsite2.com. She won't realize the difference because it is almost the same. She buys a book, I get nothing. Anyone has any advice? Is there any way to prevent this from happening? Thanks!
Are you using the correct hoplink version that drops your cookie for 30-60 days? Correct link looks something like this: http://bdcdddozwbi9iluv9c.hop.clickbank.net (Your cookie stays on customers PC so if he/she returns directly to vendor site you should still get the sale. Incorrect is this: http://www.domain.com/cb?cb=YourClickbankID (No cookie is dropped and you will not get sale credit if he/she returns later to buy product) If you are using the correct link then you can report the Vendor to Clickbank for bad practices but i suspect you are using the wrong hoplink version as most Vendors are honest.
Wow thanks for your answer. I am using the first one - I get it when I click on Promote button. http://vendor.com/?hop=my-clickbank-id is only something you see in the browser's URL bar when vendor's page loads. I've also compared how it works with many other vendors and I always get my links the same way (that is through Promote, then Create Hoplink buttons in Marketplace). To check if anything is wrong I first visit them with my cookie, then leave. Then come back again directly to their domain.com, click on BUY button, scroll down the order form and check my affiliate ID down there. Normally I should find it there since my cookie was set, but with this particular vendor I don't, because what he does is he simply REDIRECTS his initial vendor.com (where my affiliate cookie would work) to his another website, something like THEvendor.com and there if I click on BUY button there will be simply affiliate=title and not my ID. To make it clear: you would be able to get to his vendor.com only through http://vendor.com/?hop=someones-clickbank-id but if you type in vendor.com you immediately get redirected to THEvendor.com so no affiliate gets a commission (and this vendor is very famous by the way). So I probably was getting my commissions only when customers referred through my site were buying immediately during their very first visit. But if they left and came back they got redirected to THEdomain.com that looks very similar and sells the same product but no commissions for me I was naive to set links and leave it just like that, wasn't I? Should I report him? Thanks again, Elena
He's a snake so stop promoting his product, whining here about it isn't going to accomplish anything..... Tell everybody what product it is so they don't fall in to the same trap....
I am not whining. I will try to sort it out with him before mentioning his product. I've tried other products but nothing works for my visitors like his. All I can say it is in relationships niche. Thanks!
what happens if you go through your hoplink, and then visit the OTHER site? Is your ID still at the payment page? If yes...everything is ok. If not, i would not promote this.
Simple. Don't promote it. However if you are still abke to earn with this product by setting the link there, why not just leave it there?
Weather intentional or a mistake or error, there may be some vendor products as such. Look the thread I stated here http://forums.digitalpoint.com/showthread.php?t=2222081 It is simply amazing how this happens because when you build your affiliate URL like xxx.affx1.hop.clickbank.net then it used to redirect to cbgamechanger.com but when you click on buy the checkout form says (affiliate=none) Now the vendor has changed the sales page only to an optin page.
Thanks, I've read that thread. Another issue to pay attention huh? Luckily I don't promote many products but even this way it is challenging at times to keep an eye on all of them. Good luck!
Report him. He's using you as a free brand builder. You should also name and shame him here, so other DPers don't get svckered by this person.
Clickbank usually has more than one offer in the same niche. Look for a different vendor who isn't redirecting his main page.