Any reputable internet seller is always seeking new ways to increase their profits. This involves including passive money streams, with affiliate marketing being one of the most prominent. Affiliate marketing is the technique of selling things on behalf of others without doing all of the labor. In many circumstances, you can be compensated for directing customers to someone else’s website.

For prospective affiliate marketers, the eBay Affiliate Program has long been one of the most popular options. At first sight, it appears to make a lot of sense. You can get paid twice if you sell on eBay nevertheless and sell to people who came from your own website.

It appears to be a win-win situation. So, why has the eBay affiliate program been the subject of so much contempt, criticism, and all-around scoffing mockery? Is it genuinely worthwhile of your time? As we go over the facts together, today is the day you find out.

Let’s Talk About eBay First…

Pierre Omidyar, the pioneer of eBay, most likely had no clue where his concept for AuctionWeb.com would lead him. Is there a web auction? Oh, and eBay was formerly known as Auction Web for the initial two years of its existence until changing its name in 1997. Vast amounts of money worth of goods were already being traded on his platform each year at that point. After that, eBay grew exponentially, purchasing many of its contemporaries.

What began as a digital garage sale has grown into one of the world’s most popular online shopping venues. This is due to the fact that eBay sellers no longer use the site solely to sell items they no longer need.

It currently has a huge assortment of new and used goods and thousands of vendors using the drop-shipping business model to offer Chinese goods. In fact, brand new things account for almost 80% of all items sold on eBay today.

It’s also a terrific spot to find those hard-to-find products that you won’t find elsewhere. Do you need a Nikon camera grip to make your own lightsaber duplicate? You’re covered on eBay.

More About eBay 

Vintage Asian antiques that no one understands but you and twelve other people on the planet? That is not an issue. Overall, eBay offers over 300 different categories to choose from, ranging from automotive hand tools to wigs. It doesn’t matter what you’re looking for; it’s there.

However, there must be a technique to determine which market segments are the most valuable. After all, what prospective eBay affiliate has time to sift through 300 categories in search of a specialist site to promote? Exactly. So, without a doubt, the most popular eBay category is…drum roll…“Electronics & Accessories.”

So there are no genuine shocks here — these are popular choices among consumers. That’s not to suggest you can’t generate money by marketing items from other categories through the eBay Partner Network.

In a particular niche, such as vintage clothing, you’re just as likely to generate money. This type of content does exceptionally well on their platform. It’s just that when it comes to affiliate marketing, the above gives the route of least resistance for the typical affiliate marketer.

eBay’s Efficiency

To begin with, eBay appears to be a company-owned affiliate program. To begin, you must need an existing eBay account to sign up for their program, so make absolutely sure you get one. The registration for their affiliate program takes less than two minutes, and they only ask for the most basic information.

This is a refreshing change in the affiliate marketing sector since some program managers refuse to complete your application until you provide a DNA sample.

The approval process for the eBay Partner Network is also lightning fast. Despite the fact that this was a test application for an existing website, it was accepted in less than 24 hours. Despite the fact that this was a test application for an existing website, it was accepted in less than 24 hours. So, all things considered, they aren’t wasting any time.

eBay’s affiliate program now has a 24-hour cookie — previously, it was several days. That brings us neatly to the topic of ‘Buy it Now’ vs. auction products. The referral must purchase the item within 24 hours of clicking on your affiliate link for ‘Buy it Now’ products. Many affiliate programs with limited attribution periods operate in this manner.

However, auctions are a little unique in that the item’s final price must be placed within 24 hours after your affiliate recommendation click.

So, if your affiliate click arrives within that 24-hour timeframe, you could get compensated for an auction that finishes ten days later. This implies you’ll have to concentrate on auctions with a minimum term or are about to conclude in the next 24 hours. This is entirely doable, but it is quite unexpected.

As an eBay associate, focusing on ‘Buy it Now’ items will likely result in fewer headaches… You’re also more likely to receive the incentive for which you worked.

eBay’s Affiliate Tools

The eBay Partner Network excels in this area, offering a comprehensive set of affiliate marketing options.

The bookmarklet allows you to make links directly from your browser to any eBay page.

The default tool for building deep connections for any page, item, or store on any eBay website is Link Generator.

Smart Links is a feature that allows you to add a code snippet to your website that ensures that any current or future links to eBay are monetized. For maximum conversions, this tool also generates mobile-specific ads.

Smart Placements creates banners in real-time that fit your visitor’s search intent. Simply put, make your banners.

Smart Share is a Chrome extension that does the same thing as the Bookmarklet tool, except that the affiliate links are fully prepared to post on social media.

Affiliates can find a list of all existing creatives accessible on the eBay Partner Network in the Creative Gallery.

Payment to Affiliates

So, let’s look at how you get paid once you’ve made some money. The eBay Partner Network is a plus 30 company. This essentially means that if you sell anything on August 10th, you will be compensated on September 10th.

eBay keeps it simple regarding payment methods: you can use EFT (Electronic Funds Transfer) or PayPal. The minimum payment amount is $10, and PayPal fees are capped at $20.

Given that eBay owns PayPal, it’s unlikely to promote check payment as a viable choice. However, it will be fascinating to see if and when they give in and accept crypto rewards.

Commissions at eBay

The eBay affiliate network also limits the amount of money you can make from certain sorts of sales. A $100 cap on any real estate deal is a fantastic example of this.

Always look at the eBay fee schedule to see what you may expect in your category. The simplest way to lose money here is to promote the wrong type.

Our Wrap Up

That takes us to the end of our eBay affiliate program evaluation. eBay has done an admirable job with its “partner network.” Their product comes with a robust set of capabilities, a user-friendly interface, and simple reporting.

Visit Ebay Partner program website