Prepare to take action in April.  All of your eBay affiliate links must be changed, but there is nothing you can do right now.  You have to wait until April 1 to get your new links.   http://affiliates.ebay.com 

 Commission Junction used to run all of eBay’s affiliate program. Then just a year ago we changed our eBay affiliate links to eBay’s “rover” servers. That put eBay in charge of the tracking clicks, purchases and redirects to the proper eBay pages. CJ.com was still responsible for reporting and payments to the affiliate.

Now the eBay Partner Network will run all of the affiliate program functions starting April 1, 2008. I hope eBay improves the consistency of the program. Some of the weaknesses of the current program are:

1. errors in reporting purchases

2. variable reporting times each day

3. having to download a spreadsheet to view the actual items purchased

4. inability to log into CJ.com

From April 1 to May 1, the CJ and eBay programs will overlap. Switch early to get a 5% bonus for April sales.

You can receive an additional 5% bonus for all traffic tracked through eBay Partner Network in April 2008 (bonus applicable to traffic sent to Half.com and US, UK, Australia, Canada, Italy, India and Spain eBay sites). The sooner you migrate, the more you’ll earn! Just:

• Register with eBay Partner Network on April 1, 2008

• Confirm your registration, and obtain your new identifiers

• Update your links with your new identifiers.

• Reminder: Please plan to complete migration by May 1, 2008.

http://affiliates.ebay.com

The affiliate payout for eBay.co.uk sales increased by 15 -20% on Friday.  Before this, the revenue share started at 25% and the ACRU started at £7. 

eBay sellers pay for the affiliate program with their fees which can run 10% to 25% of a seller’s total sales.  Affiliate programs are considered a cost of sales like advertising, radio, marketing or promotions for a traditional retail store.   

Why is eBay increasing both the UK and US payouts?  Because it’s part of their aggressive strategy to drive buyers to eBay and remain the #1 ecommerce channel in the minds of buyers.  Affiliates are rewarded when they invent new ways to entice buyers to eBay.  Sellers benefit from the increased buyer traffic.     

You can participate in the UK affiliate program if you reside in the US.  Just apply for a relationship in Commission Junction.  www.cj.com   And likewise, UK folks can participate in the ebay.com (US) program.

If you haven’t yet joined the eBay affiliate program, check it out here: http://affiliates.ebay.com