You've decided to leave that rotten job and now are working for yourself. You have jumped on board your new venture which is affiliate marketing. You�re very excited and are working all the hours of the night to make this venture a success. You checking up and monitoring your site and you see that sales are going well. Many of the things that you have put in to place have helped your affiliate company sell quite a bit. The end of the month finally arrives and you�re waiting for that first huge payment. When you check your account, you are somewhat disappointed. You did make some money, but according to your calculations you should have had more. You check your records and decide to contact the company. They tell you that some of the items sold, were returned so those had to be deducted from your commission.
It's disappointing, but it does take place. Companies do not pay out commission on returned goods. You need to be aware of this to prevent falling into further pitfalls. No one would expect to be paid a commission on a returned item however; a few less than honest affiliate marketing companies can use this to scam some of your profits. You need to make certain you understand their return policy and how it will affect the amount that you are paid.
Returns happen when a customer brings an item back. Charge backs can also take place when they dispute an amount on a credit card. Be certain you keep a close watch on which items are being chargeback or returned. See if there are any patterns that are obvious. If you notice that the orders that are charged back are always very high ticket orders then they might be giving you false information. They are doing this to keep you commission down and keep a few for themselves. Keep a close eye on returns especially if you think it is happening a little too often.
Charge backs raise question marks of another more serious problem. If you notice that many of these charge backs are happening throughout an initial trial period, or the money back guarantee period, then there could be further problems. This is a sign that the product or service that you are promoting isn�t up to customer satisfaction. It could be misleading or just poor quality. However, it will effect your commission and your future as an affiliate marketer. If this seems like it is happening a little too often, there are problems somewhere in the company. Look to get out and make alternative plans.
You also need to be focused on which items are actually commissionable. Make sure you understand which products you will be earning money from to prevent disappointment later. Every so often the company will offer a selection of products to put on your site, however only particular items may be commissionable. Before agreeing to something like this, check your terms and conditions carefully.
Now, make sure the items that are sold, don�t have any other conditions attached. A few will only pay a commission if the customer fills in the payment details right away. If they select an item and resume to shop, you may not receive any commission on that item. You can also loose commission if the customer clicks on any other links before completing the order. If they order 30 of an item you promoting but click on something else, then you have lost out on quite a significant amount of commission.
Affiliate marketing is a awesome way to earn money. Before you jump in head first, you need to read your terms and conditions carefully. It may well be worth having an attorney look them over for you. You need to be aware of the many pitfall people fall into when they go into affiliate marketing. Know and understand the terms, so this doesn't happen to you.
