phpBay Pro Review & Discount – 8 Months later
September 20th, 2009 | 84 commentsIf you were following me towards the end of last year (08) you may remember a product review I did for something called “phpBay Pro.”
I had just started my Geocaching blog at that time (I have since sold that site) and was looking for monetization ideas. Since there are alot of different Geocaching items on eBay, I figured I would give phpBay Pro a shot and 8 months later I can say I’m glad I did.
(If you don’t know, it’s a product that allows you to easily set up small “stores” on your site that sell eBay products. It’s very easy to set up. You could have a phpBay store up in less than 5 minutes. However, this post isn’t about the mechanics of it. If you want to learn exactly what it is, just refer to the initial review, which I linked to above.)
I’ll tell you right away how much I’m making from it. I’m currently only using phpBay Pro on my Geocaching blog and it averages about $40/month.
Now, $40 a month may not sound very impressive, but it IS and I’ll tell you why. There are 2 reasons:
1. I’ve done VERY little promotion of the blog and it gets very little traffic. I’ve submitted ONE article to ezinearticles and followed a bunch of Geocachers on Twitter. The blog only gets about 20 visitors a day! In the past few weeks I have started to do some more promotion, but for the past 8 months I’ve done VERY little. You could almost say no promotion. Most of the 20 or so daily visitors is coming from Google for various related terms and Twitter. In other words, there isn’t anything special going on here.
2. phpBay Pro has outperformed both Adsense and Affiliate offers that I’ve placed on the blog. Outperformed would actually be an understatement. I had Adsense on the blog for 30 days and it earned $4.67 I removed adsense and placed some very targeted affiliate offers for one month and I made 1 sale, which resulted in a $12 commission for me. SO, I went back to PHPbay Pro and right away it was back up to $40 a month!
Now my plan is to simply start promoting it, mostly through article marketing, and get that $40/m. up to $1,000/month. I’m confident I’ll get it there in the next 6 months or so. The way I see it, if one article and a little tweeting got it to a consistant $40/month, what will 20, 30 or even 50 articles do?
Why does it outperform adsense and affiliate offers?
You know what, I honest don’t have a good answer to that, but it certainly has in this case. My initial thoughts on this was that it could be an alternative to adsense in certain niches or affiliate programs in others. But I honestly didn’t think it would be possible to earn much money, just from eBay fees. I was wrong! People find something in the phpBay Pro shop, then it seems they tend to buy multiple products, so those fees add up, which means my commissions add up each time.
This data has convinced me that this is a viable money maker for niche sites and even authority sites depending on the niche and model. After seeing the results from this blog, I’m going to be adding a phpBay Pro store to almost all of my niche niches and even a few of my authority sites.
Whether you run niche sites or authority sites, if there are products related to your niche on eBay I recommend considering this! It’s working for me and I bet it will work for you too!
If you choose to give it a shot, I worked out a discount for you.
To take advantage of the discount use the link below:
http://www.ethicalim.com/recommends/phpBay
Then use this Discount code: 2E9C2A36C9
Once you get there, you’ll have a few options:
1. phpBay Pro for WordPress – This is what I use and what I recommend to you if you use WordPress.
2. phpBay Pro API – This is what you would use if you do not use WordPress. Will yield the same result.
3. phpZon Pro for WordPress – This is just like the phpBay Pro WordPress plugin, except it uses Amazon products, instead of eBay. I haven’t used this yet, but I plan on doing some tests in the near future. It looks promising!
4. phpZon Pro API – This is just like the phpBay Pro API, except it uses Amazon products, instead of eBay. I haven’t used this yet, but I plan on doing some tests in the near future. It looks promising!
Related Posts
phpBay Pro Review – Extra Monetization with a Niche Shop!
Article Post Robot Review
WordPress Affiliate Pro Review
Backlink Booster Review + 25% Discount Coupon Code
AffSphere Review – Why I Won’t be Submitting Articles to AffSphere
John Chow dot com Review – Scammer
Tweet Adder Review & 20% Coupon Code
Meet Caroline Middlebrook – A Good Example…
“The Content Chef” Review – Make Money Writing Online
Intellichat Review – Does it really “Save” Sales? 
HostGator Review – Great Plans, Horrible Service!
PayPal Review – My Account Limited for No Good Reason!
via Reader
via Email
what is RSS?
Facebook
Twitter
Linkedin
Google+
YouTube
21st September, 2009 at 6:50 am
I hate technical stuff, and I really don’t understand how this stuff is working, there are just too many unknown question yet to be answer as you are just writing a review for it, not as details as I wanted to know.
May be in the near future someone should write a report on how to use PHP Bay in full details from setting it up to advertising and promoting, I’m sure there will be more people interested it that.
21st September, 2009 at 12:20 pm
Great results Josh. I’ve been thinking of trying phpBay for a while. Do you know if it leaves a footprint that might put phpBay sites at risk of being deindexed en-masse by Google at some point (as happened with BANS)?
21st September, 2009 at 1:07 pm
@ The bad blogger – You install the plugin, activate it, tell it what keyword to pull products for then paste a line of code it gives you into the post or page you want the products to appear. Done
@ Cat – The problem with BANS was that people were putting up thin, crappy sites. What I mean by that is they were creating sites with little or no content… just their BANS stores.
As long as you have some content on the site and you use phpBay Pro as a “store” instead of the base of the entire site, you shouldn’t have any problems at all.
21st September, 2009 at 2:07 pm
Great post, Josh. I have seen similar results.
21st September, 2009 at 2:15 pm
Hi Josh,
This is my first comment but I am an avid fan of your blog.
I bought the phpBay Pro and have been unable to use it because I was denied twice for the eBay Partner Network. Who knows why?
Is there a way around this so you don’t have to be accepted by eBay?
Thanks for your help.
Brenda
21st September, 2009 at 2:25 pm
Hi Josh,
That’s a great alternative to adsense. Google just disable my account a few days ago.
The problem is ebay rejected my affiliate application even when I apply through pepperjam for whatever reason that is.
21st September, 2009 at 2:25 pm
Hey Josh,
What are your feelings on the Quality Click Pricing change at EPN, that goes into affect on Oct. 1.
In my opinion, it appears that eBay’s goal is to run off affiliates and lower the amount of affiliate commissions paid out. I’ve been doing well with EPN as well, and have also found that it outperforms AdSense, so the change at EPN is discouraging to me.
Regards,
Chris
21st September, 2009 at 2:26 pm
Some pretty good earnings in the GPS niche. I use phpBay and love it.
Have you checked to see what you would be making with EPN’s new QCP (Quality Click Pricing) model that goes into effect Oct 1?
21st September, 2009 at 2:32 pm
I, too, have experience some pleasant surprises using phpBay. I have stores that do better than Adsense, while others are the exact opposite. Weird.
But given the results I’ve seen, I’m taking a renewed interest in building more niche stores using the techniques I use for article marketing, plus a few other resources.
One thing to keep in mind is that eBay is now, more than ever, relying on their partners to provide them with well-qualified customers. That means it’s not just about sending them to eBay, but sending them to eBay AND buying the products you brought them to buy. So you don’t earn as much if you brought them to buy a calculator and they buy a book, for example, and I’m not talking about the difference in price. There has to be a consistent flow of qualified traffic.
@Cat – like Josh said, it’s not BANS’ fault, it’s the site owners. I’ve used both methods and have to say that I’m favoring using phpBay with WordPress. It’s way more flexible and you have tons more options when it comes to using themes.
21st September, 2009 at 2:38 pm
Hey Josh,
I think one of the things to mention that is important about your geocaching blog is that it straight away looks great and people feel it’s created by an enthusiast… which it is. In order for affiliate and ebay stuff to work well trust is a bigger factor than say adsense niche sites when people just click out of your page….
Awesome case study. I am just starting to play with adding amazon products and ebay to a few of my niche sites.
21st September, 2009 at 2:39 pm
Hi Josh
Many thanks for sharing this information. It adds to the number of tools to use when monetizing a site. As you say, adding a store will tend to add to the credibility of a site.
I’ve been following your blog for ages (can’t remember exactly how long!) and you consistently provide good solid information. Keep up the good work!
21st September, 2009 at 2:49 pm
@Forest
That’s another good point, Forest. Trust has a lot to do with it. The way something looks heavily influences our decision to buy something or perform some action. Regardless of whether you use BANS or phpBay, they’re not going to buy anything (or at least highly unlikely to buy) if your site looks crappy.
Like with anything, providing useful information and making it look like someone actually put some thought behind it is going to gather positive results.
21st September, 2009 at 2:55 pm
I put together a phpBay Pro site a couple months back in an area that I have always enjoyed:
I haven’t had any success with it yet, but I’m slowly working on promotion. The potential interests me. And once you get the site built, there’s not much more to do to keep it running. My kind of site!
21st September, 2009 at 2:58 pm
@ Brenda – Thanks for the support
There sure is a way around it. Sign up with Pepperjam Network and apply to the eBay Partner network through them. It seems many more people are approved that way and the payout is exactly the same I believe.
@ Zul – Please see my comment to Brenda (above.)
@ Chris – I think I like it. I’ve heard good things from beta testers and I also did the “comparison” data, which showed me what I probably would have earned compared to what I am now earning. It was more!
@ Jim – Yep, I did. It was more
@ Mark – That’s what I hear
Great to hear. Regarding it different niches performing differently, that doesn’t surprise me at all. That’s just kind of how it is no matter what your monetization model is… that’s demographics.
@ Forest – Yep, that’s’ a staple in this industry though. So I would hope people know credibility is important no matter what.
21st September, 2009 at 3:09 pm
Very nice write up and results.
1. phpBay is one of the best plugins since it cloaks the ebay links and doesn’t leave telltale fingerprints.
2. The key is having good content and with more articles it should bring in more income as projected by Josh…
21st September, 2009 at 3:41 pm
Hey Josh… those are great numbers. I have been selling products via Ebay’s affiliate programs for years of different sites and never made much money as the commissions are so low. How many products do you have to sell to make $40 a month… or are you mainly selling expensive products? Thanks!
21st September, 2009 at 4:29 pm
[...] For my results with phpBay Pro 8 months later, see http://www.ethicalim.com/product-reviews/phpbay-pro-review-discount-8-months-later/ AKPC_IDS += "496,";Popularity: 21% [...]
21st September, 2009 at 4:31 pm
Hi Josh,
I always appreciate a good follow up article. It’s nice to hear first hand from someone about their testing results. Thanks for sharing this information, and I’ll definitely take a look – I have an eBay affiliate account that doesn’t do much so it’s always good to diversify from AdSense. Thanks again for the great blog post.
Shane “Master” Dayton
21st September, 2009 at 4:35 pm
Hi Josh,
Thanks for the review. It’s a very interesting read and just in time. I’m considering EPN, because eBay is crowded by people looking to buy.
I’m currently only selling Amazon stuffs (static ads in posts, side bar, and header) with a free plugin “Amazon Niche Tags” along side my articles. But you have to lookup the codes for the products before placing the ad.
Could you tell a bit about phpBay’s product management ?
Is it smooth or clunky, fast or slow, etc ?
How easy is it to change the layouts used to show the products ?
(I am lazy.)
When does the discount code expire ?
Is it only valid for phpBay Pro or all products ?
Anyways, looking forward to your phpZon tests.
And thanks for letting us know about your progress.
P.S.
What were you looking at, over at madcacher.com ?
Was it scary ?
21st September, 2009 at 4:40 pm
@ Robertino – It’s very smooth, fast and easy. You just insert the keyword that you want the software to draw from and it displays all relevant products.
Very easy to change the layout.
I’m not sure when the discount code expires. It would be a good idea to assume it’s for this promo only. It should be good for phpZon as well.
Not sure I understand your last question about madcacher?
21st September, 2009 at 4:44 pm
Josh,
As is what always seems to be the case with information you share, you’re “dead on”.
The fact that you emphasize your success on this is driven by articles is a very key point.
About six months ago, I got something from you pertaining to the use of articles. I immediately posted a couple on ezinearticles for one of my niches.
As you had suggested, the traffic started to flow.
I swear man, I believe this is the ultimate tip for beginners as it will start pushing traffic to their site.
The fact that you shared it with me has been key in driving well qualified traffic to several of my sites and I’d like to personally thank you for bringing this to my eyes.
Listen up… if you are new, take heed to what Josh shares with you. The stuff he gives away free is better than most paid “GURU” advice and the products that he promotes (at a charge) are normally very affordable and nothing short of pure gold.
Thanks for the heads up Josh. You got a vote from me pal.
Jerry
21st September, 2009 at 4:56 pm
Great post! But what if Ebay keeps denying your application to be an affiliate? Are there other alternatives? Thanks!
21st September, 2009 at 5:00 pm
@ Tim – Please see my reply to Brenda above.
21st September, 2009 at 5:40 pm
What a great idea Josh – thanks for sharing your results!
I can’t help but wonder though if a big part of the reason you are seeing $40/month is because the price point on your related ebay items is so high at around $250.00
Perhaps if we are considering this we should aim for high priced items as well? Thoughts?
Thanks!
21st September, 2009 at 5:53 pm
Hi Josh,
You are right. phpBay Pro is a great script for E-Bay Affiliates. Unfortunately there are many people (including me) that E-Bay is not accepting us to be their affiliate.
So people BE CAREFUL!!
Before buying the script be sure that you are accepted as an E-Bay affiliate.
So John which script do you recommend for Amazon? On the post you mentioned “phpZon Pro API”. Is it better to build a blog website by using “phpZon Pro for WordPress”?
Anyway please make a post about it when you use it for Amazon products.
Thanks for the great posts.
Andreas
21st September, 2009 at 6:12 pm
Hi Josh,
I’ve used BANS and phpBay for over a year now. Definitely some of the easiest money to be made out there.
I do have to disagree with one of Mark’s statements though:
“Regardless of whether you use BANS or phpBay, they’re not going to buy anything (or at least highly unlikely to buy) if your site looks crappy.”
I’ve found just the opposite to be true … especially last year with BANS. Those bare-bones stores made way more sales than anything “fancy” … lol, until they got deindexed and the traffic stopped.
My big concern right now is the whole trademark deal from the update policies from August. I’ve got a couple of sites that are probably in violation, and I should take them down … but they make still sales every day.
It should be interesting to see what happens next week when the new pricing model comes into effect.
Todd
21st September, 2009 at 6:29 pm
@Todd
There certainly are exceptions to how a site’s appearance influences buyers, and there are just as many factors to weigh in on the matter.
I’m interested in knowing more about your comment about trademark violations. Could you expand on that please?
21st September, 2009 at 6:41 pm
@Mark
Apparently if the domain has a trademark name in it, it may violate ebay’s terms, and could be used as grounds for suspending an EPN account.
In other words, let’s say you wanted to sell GPS device; a domain name like cheapgps.com would be ok, but something like TomTomStore.com or GarminSupply.com not so much.
I’ve got one site that made a couple hundred $ a month last fall leading up to Christmas, with very little promotion. Unfortunately, the name of a well video game system is part of the domain … so I think I’m probably already risking my EPN account by leaving ebay auctions on that site.
And as far as the ugly sites vs. pretty sites thing. I just looked at my EPN, the BANS sites that I still have (which survive on yahoo/bing traffic), generally have an EPC anywhere from 3 to 5 times higher than my “pretty” sites that contain actual content. That being said, I still wouldn’t advice anybody to make thin ebay sites … they will still get deindexed by Google. … then that domain is pretty useless for other purposes.
Todd
21st September, 2009 at 7:13 pm
Me:
What were you looking at, over at madcacher.com ?
Was it scary ?
Josh:
Not sure I understand your last question about madcacher?
The picture (top right) at madcacher.com.
21st September, 2009 at 7:22 pm
* sorry Josh i can’t see a way to edit my post above… I didn’t mean to say ALL of the ebay items in your store are at a high price point – several are very inexpensive – but i’m wondering if it’s the higher priced ones that are making you the $40/month.
Thanks!
21st September, 2009 at 7:25 pm
Oh forgot.
I’ll probably go for both the eBay and Amazon WP plugins. But I will first try to sweet talk the developer into making a bundle for phpBay and phpZon. Can’t see that bundle on the purchase page.
21st September, 2009 at 7:57 pm
Hi Josh
I have tried using your discount code, but it doesn’t seem to have any effect on the price.
?
21st September, 2009 at 9:47 pm
eBay converts well that is the main reason, eBay is well known, has great deals and will always convert well in any form that it is presented on a site.
That is a tried and true fact!
21st September, 2009 at 10:49 pm
Josh – this is one of the best posts I’ve ever read…. When so many people are worried about sharing their niches – you’ve not only show us first hand but told us how to repeat it… Think I’m going to try this in the Geocaching niche… hell no! Another niche… hell yeah!
Truely awesome! Thanks again!
22nd September, 2009 at 12:07 am
PhpBayPro have a great article on their site on how to get approved by Ebay Partner Network.
Josh,
Thanks once again for such valuable information.
I have made a pact to myself to really focus on my internet marketing business and not be distracted by every email I have coming into my inbox. So I have been madly unsubscribing to all. Then I come across yours, I just couldn’t bring myself to unsubscribe, way too much value. Ah what the heck, it’s only a little distraction, but well worth it
Keep up the great work Josh.
Best Regards,
Coral.
22nd September, 2009 at 1:02 am
When I got your email I instantly knew you were talking about the ebay partner network.
I have 2 sites I created no promotion, well 3 articles and 1 squidoo lense and they make me $200.00 a month!
I just added 3 sites to my easy cash group and they have already started to make a few bucks.
phpBay is the best ebay affiliate tool and I love it!
Great post Josh.
22nd September, 2009 at 10:24 am
Thanks Josh, and Mark. I wasn’t sure if Google was only going after the thin BANS sites or just automatically targeting any/all sites that used it, but if quality sites are safe, that’s good to know. I’ll definitely give phpbay a try now!
22nd September, 2009 at 12:15 pm
Josh,
I totally agree. I’ve been using phpBay for a while and even with little promotion sites will tend to make money. You have to not create a cite full of ebay ads though. Treat this like any good site, add content and create value for your users.
Also dont forget to choose a good market. Some niches are too tough to see any real traffic. I went blindly into scuba diving because I love the sport, my site makes money (enough to cover expenses) but the search volume is low compared to the competition.
Thanks for the great review.
22nd September, 2009 at 12:45 pm
Many thanks for sharing your results, Josh.
I haven’t used phpBay personally (yet), but I know it can work very well to leverage the selling platforms of big players like eBay and Amazon and will certainly look into it. Please keep us posted with any further results/niches!
22nd September, 2009 at 1:10 pm
Nice case study Josh, thanks for sharing so much detail.
22nd September, 2009 at 2:12 pm
OK Everyone – the coupon code in the post has been changed. The new code is good for both phpBay Pro and phpZon. Before it was only good for phpBay Pro
Also, customers weren’t able to order multiple products at once. Now you can if you use that coupon code.
The discount on phpZon is exclusive to this blog, so please thank Wade (the developer) for that.
22nd September, 2009 at 2:31 pm
Hi Josh,
I’ll add to the thank you’s in this thread. As I said above, I already have, and use, phpBay. But I’d been thinking about picking up the Amazon version for while now … your coupon code saved me $10. Much appreciated.
Todd
22nd September, 2009 at 2:33 pm
@ Doug Dillard – I don’t know how many products they purchase. The geocaching niche is certainly not a a high paying niche though.
@ Crystal – I’m sure I’m selling some GPS’s, but that’s definitely not the majority of it. Geocaching is not a high-paying niche by any means, but there are lots of small items that can be purchased.
@ Andreas – If they decline you, you can still go through the Pepperjam Network (google their name if you don’t know of them.) You can sign up and get approved for EPN through them instead of going straight through eBay. Also, check out the tutorial Wade put together on the phpBay Pro site on getting approved for the eBay Partner Network under “tutorials.”
@ Todd – I’ve had the exact opposite experience in the 5 years I’ve been marketing online. I know Griz is someone you follow and he preaches what you’re recommending, but I’d say it depends on the model, demographics etc. In other words, I’m sure that’s the case on rare occasion, but not on all occasions.
@ Robertino – oh lol I was looking for a Geocache. That’s what the site is about, Geocaching. In reply to your second comment, if you use the new coupon code above you should be able to get them both at once with a discount.
@ Crystal – No problem. There is no way for me to tell, but I certainly don’t believe that’s the case, no.
@ SEO – It should work now, sorry for the trouble.
@ Alex – Glad you like it
@ Coral – Well it’s great to have you. Thanks for letting me be one of the few who you take information from. That was a wise decision.
22nd September, 2009 at 3:31 pm
J
Love your stuff and have added your blog to my reader.
Few things have you looked at wprobot? No affiliation here- but it does a mix of ebay amazon articles vids etc……
Also have you seen or heard from Tim Gorman? Yourself and Tim are the two peope I read all the time…tim seems to have gone awol…..
rgds
Rob
22nd September, 2009 at 3:51 pm
@Josh:
I already purchased both plugins through your link, right after posting.
Haven’t downloaded them yet though, it would only distract at the moment, because one of my blogs is giving me a headache. I must fix that first.
22nd September, 2009 at 4:26 pm
Thank you Josh,
E-Bay might be not accepting me because of the country. Anyhow I would like to give a change on PepperJam Network.
What should I enter in these fields?
1. “Company Name”: Just my name?
2. “VAT Number”: ( Required for EU Affiliates)
3. “Tax Classification”: Individual/Sole Proprietor?
I dont have a VAT number and I do not pay taxes because of the “low income”
Thanks again Josh!
Andreas
22nd September, 2009 at 8:02 pm
Josh,
Love the tip on pepperjam network, thanks!
JANE BOSS
23rd September, 2009 at 4:52 pm
@ Andreas – Those would be questions for PepperJam.
And to everyone who is worried about the new Quality Click Pricing – I saw a few people on Twitter who were beta testers saying they like the new Quality Click Pricing better = they made more money.
Also, I did the test thingy they offered, which supposedly compares my current earnings with what I would have earned with QCP and it was a little more.
So judging by those two things I’m not too worried about it.
We’ll see though.
23rd September, 2009 at 4:56 pm
Yes I know Josh but I thought to ask you too and see if there is a “backdoor trick” that PepperJam will not tell me..
Anyway thanks again Josh for your GREAT advices you are giving us.
Andreas
23rd September, 2009 at 4:59 pm
@ Andreas – Well if you do not have a documented “business” ie. LLC, Inc. etc. then you would use your name as the company name and Individual/sole proprietor for the tax classification, but I’m not sure about #2.
23rd September, 2009 at 9:26 pm
@Andreas,
There is a user Kris Jones (President & CEO of Pepperjam) hangs around digitalpoint forums.
His penn name is pepperjam.
Very approachable and he listens and answers questions.
He has a sticky thread over there, mainly for Pepperjam program announcements :
http://forums.digitalpoint.com/showthread.php?t=691231
25th September, 2009 at 12:58 am
Niche sites are the way to go. I run an affiliate marketing website where i teach people mainly aimed at beginners the steps needed to take to start up their own affiliate business. Sounds like a great offer you are promoting I am gonna check into it. I agree with you on adsense it is good to have but there are better alternatives out there than adsense. Adsense only pays off if your website gets thousands and thousands of visitors a day. That is the only way you are gonna make the big money from them. If your website is low traffic you will only make peanuts. Your right that there are better alternatives out there. And what your offering seems to be that better alternative. Great blog… Thanks!
26th September, 2009 at 7:00 pm
I got the code from Wade in the end, but I picked up scripts. I am not a huge fan of Ebay, but I like Amazon, so I have dived straight into those. They are easy to use and look nice on the blogs. I will try your method, but using the Amazon WP plugin. I will report back if I get any success.
26th September, 2009 at 10:38 pm
I’ve been using phpBay pro myself for like 4 months now and I love it! Before that, I was using BANS, and it didn’t perform that well. But with phpBay, I can get my WordPress websites up and running in few hours. So much easier than BANS
28th September, 2009 at 7:23 am
Josh I’m just dropping by to say thanks again for this post and all the other fantastic content you share here.
I’ve included your blog in my Kreativ Blogger Award list, you can read about it on my blog.
29th September, 2009 at 2:23 am
Josh, are you having any problems with page loading times? The latest version of phpbay pro slowed one of my blogs down big time. Once I disable it, I’m back up to full speed. It’s a great script, I just hit that one snag I can’t seem to fix.
29th September, 2009 at 2:24 am
No load-time problems at madcacher.com
29th September, 2009 at 6:22 am
Really impressive post when it comes to being motivational. I’m going to go checkout phpBay now – but was just wondering if you have a newsletter? I can’t find anywhere to sign up.
29th September, 2009 at 9:28 am
Hey…. Thought this was important for readers here. Pepperjam is closing it’s Ebay program on 1st Oct due to quality click pricing not working for them so you have to join Ebay Partner Network direct from now on.
29th September, 2009 at 10:22 am
@Forest:
You know what happens to the bringer of bad news don’t you ?
That’s why I posted the link to DP earlier with the hint : “Very approachable and he listens and answers questions.”
Maybe I should have posted : “Don’t waste your time. But you can always get your answer from the source.”
29th September, 2009 at 10:25 am
The plugin should still work fine with EPN though so nothing has changed really…. Just don’t sign up with Pepperjam hoping to get ebay access!
Quality click will probably adversely affect most earnings. EPN has an estimate to see what Quality Click would have brought you. I earned $10 this month from Ebay and Quality Click Estimate said I would have earned $7 if the program was live already.
29th September, 2009 at 10:45 am
LOL! I confused you. Sorry.
With “Don’t waste your time.” I was referring to Andreas who was pointing out earlier that he would attempt to become a Pepperjam affiliate (as an alternative to applying for EPN partnership).
I just couldn’t drop the bomb like you did. I wish that I could help Andreas.
Yeah, eBay is looking for quality affiliates nowadays, and your site should already have some substantial traffic, so even if you’ve just setup a new site which conforms to all their rules, but it is a startup, they’ll probably give you a harder time than an establised site.
Although a couple of expiring domains (not expired/dropped yet) in your niche and with traffic, and a 301 redirect of each one, could solve that problem for a startup.
Or just buy some junk traffic, helps your Alexa and Compete rankings as well.
29th September, 2009 at 12:41 pm
@ Forrest – I got the opposite. I forget what the exact numbers were, but it showed a few dollars more if it were QCP now. Definitely can’t say if it’s good or bad until it happens!
29th September, 2009 at 12:47 pm
@Robertino,
Thank you Robertino for giving me the info. I really appreciate it.
@Forest
What? Pepperjam is closing it’s Ebay program on 1st Oct? That means I have no change of becoming an Ebay affiliate.
Where did you find this info? I cant find anything on Pepperjam’s blog..
29th September, 2009 at 1:28 pm
@Andreas:
I realise that you were not asking me, but there were rumours for quite some time.
Yesterday the official email was sent out by Pepperjam to their affiliates involved in the eGay affiliate program.
So it’s not at their website yet. It will eventually in one of the blogs.
There is one post at the eBay forums though with a reply from one of the eBay affiliate managers :
http://forums.ebay.com/db2/topic/Ebay-Partner-Network/Ebay-Terminating-Pepperjam/520156165
They are migrating affiliates from PJN to EPN.
29th September, 2009 at 1:36 pm
@ Amy – You can sign up to my list by opting in for the 3 Free Reports at the top of the blog. Thanks for your support.
29th September, 2009 at 2:36 pm
For those with an optimistic mind, who are interested. I just ran the Quality Click Pricing preview for last months earnings.
My normal earnings were $25.79 with Quality Click Pricing they would have been $70.68
Adverse affect?
You tell me.
Here are the screen shots:
Now: http://ez-onlinemoney.com/images/now.jpg
With QCP: http://ez-onlinemoney.com/images/QCP.jpg
29th September, 2009 at 2:53 pm
I’m waiting for the fat lady to sing.
But if what I see now is any indication of what is to come, then I’ve got some work to do. My QPC preview report told me I would have made $20 less this month. I’m not a heavy affiliate (yet) so that’s a noticeable difference with what I took in for the month.
In any case, I think ebay is shooting itself in the foot by making this change so close to the biggest shopping season of the year.
29th September, 2009 at 2:55 pm
@ Mark – I’m waiting for her to sing too
I’m optimistic about it though. I think it’s going to vary. Some sites are going to make much more and some less. I believe it’s going to depend on relevancy etc. Is the EPN store on the site you’re referring to extremely targeted?
29th September, 2009 at 2:58 pm
I didn’t mean my comment to be negative…. I should have elaborated a bit.
My site that I was running ebay on was just some old site that I don’t update and just had some ebay listing slapped up on one post. So to earn $10, $7,or anything from it was a complete superise and bonus.
Quality Click Pricing is only going to improve things for us all.
If you run a good quality site and send good quality targeted visitors then it’s probably going to earn you more ebay cash than ever.
Thanks Josh, didn’t mean to cause a negative vibe here.
I am seriously considering buying PHPBay and have a few sites that need a makeover and re-targeting. With a little work I am sure it will be worth my while.
I have yet to have tried ebay properly yet as I am concentrating on adsense but it’s definitely on my future to do list.
29th September, 2009 at 3:01 pm
No problem Forest. I think you’re right. It’s going to keep spammers from putting up thin, crappy sites and earning much money and it’s going to reward people like us who put up quality sites.
It comes down to this. Make a one-time, small investment in phpBay Pro and earn a lifetime of commissions from those sales.
Will it make you rich. Probably not, but I bet it will make most people money and I guarantee it will pay for itself with just a little promotion in no time.
29th September, 2009 at 3:05 pm
@Josh
If by “extremely targeted” you mean that I have chosen a relevant group of products and placed them under one roof, then yes. All my stores narrow in on a particular type of product, much like your MadCacher store does. One product, many brands.
The silver lining to all this is that the money I have made so far is basically without any promotion. So it stands to reason I can get that fat lady to rock if I just send her some love every once in a while. LOL
29th September, 2009 at 3:06 pm
lol yep. We’ll see how it pans out. I have a strong feeling EPN and phpBay Pro are both going to be valuable, if not more, one QCP kicks in. We’ll see.
30th September, 2009 at 6:50 pm
@Josh:
QUOTE
For those with an optimistic mind, who are interested
UNQUOTE
I hope that you didn’t have me in mind as well with that. I just reread what I’ve posted, but I cannot see anything -ve.
In fact I gave 2 of the many solutions to solve the traffic problem for a startup site.
I should have stayed with my first approach to just point to the form thread.
Anyway if I said anything wrong I want to apologise.
This is your site after all.
30th September, 2009 at 9:36 pm
@ Robertino – nope, it wasn’t directed toward you in particular… war directed toward anyone and everyone who cares to read it.
1st October, 2009 at 5:57 am
@Josh: Glad about that. Thanks.
9th October, 2009 at 3:32 am
@Robertino – Thanks for the idea for a great new domain and business. eGay! I’m off to GoDaddy now!
Crap! Someone else already has it.
9th October, 2009 at 8:22 am
Hello eBoys and eGirls,
The responses to this article need to come alive again. Or maybe everyone is just busy building their blogs and stores.
Build your email list, and pull traffic from eBay to your phpBay Store in one go :
Video: resellrightsfortune.com/inside/?p=64
Video: youtube.com/watch?v=BtiSumDP-PY&annotation_id=annotation_93004&feature=iv
Video: youtube.com/watch?v=1W6VOZFmFVw&feature=related
Clickbank product explaining the above videos in detail :
auctionclassifiedcash.com/
I use this ebook and method myself and it works. Not in the thousands or hundreds a day, but 16 to 28 new subscribers per day.
I’m not going to tell which classified ads and products. This is just too easy and still wide open.
Clickbank product on how to get traffic to your auctions :
auctiontrafficformula.com/
Never tried this myself.
Traffic broker claiming to send targeted eBay traffic to your site :
coachtraffic.com/
(In fact it are visitors from their own BAN-Stores. It was mentioned at DP.)
eBay Classified Ad fees :
pages.ebay.com/help/sell/adformatfees.html
Classified Ads are not displayed separate from regular auctions.
They appear in the same browse and search results, together/mixed with regular auctions.
Also you are allowed to have a contact form (list building) and link to your website (traffic).
Tips about QCP :
thenichestorebuilder.com/3-tips-to-understand-and-succeed-with-epn-quality-click-pricing.htm
The fastest way to get banned from EPN :
(Pay close attention to post #7 though #9. It’s not what the title suggests.)
forums.ebay.com/db2/topic/Ebay-Partner-Network/Help-Account-In/520129651
Useful forum if you’re actually selling on eBay (so not EPN related) :
aspkin.com/forums/
About eBay’s auction feedback system :
leavingfeedback.com/
Off Topic:
I haven’t even downloaded my phpBay and phpZon yet because Future Hosting is scr.wing me over. Stupidity rules amongst their support staff. You’re better off with their unmanged VPS plans, than with their managed VPS plans.
I cancelled yesterday.
And Akismet please don’t censor me for too many links in this comment. (Praying.)
@Brent:
Yeah you found that one. Hehheh!
Their daughter has two : GayPal and PayGal.
But too bad for you, they are also already taken.
9th October, 2009 at 8:24 am
@Josh:
Could you please turn the live links into plain text?
9th October, 2009 at 3:32 pm
@Josh:
Thanks, and I’m sorry about that mistake.
11th October, 2009 at 2:16 am
Well, people, I’ll be the first to admit, since QCP has been in effect on my account my earnings have dropped CONSIDERABLY!
I wouldn’t judge the new system by one site, but it’s something to keep in mind.
What a shame.
11th October, 2009 at 12:42 pm
That’s a bummer Josh.
Because in an earlier comment “29th September, 2009 at 2:36 pm” you reported almost tripling your earnings when evaluating the previous month’s earnings in the QCP Preview.
Maybe they are still tweaking and tuning. A system like this can never be 100% fair value from the start I guess. And eBay is known for frequently changing their mind.
Received my EPN approval last Friday.
I only noticed it this morning, because it was delivered to my Outlook Junk E-mail folder.
I’ll keep using my regular eBay account for building my list and getting traffic from eBay classifieds.
3rd December, 2009 at 4:26 pm
Cheers for sharing this Josh, I’ll have to give it a try. I only use AdSense on my blog which seems to be doing fairly well.
Have you done any more marketing on your Geocaching blog to increase the money made from phpBay Pro?
All the best
Simon
19th November, 2010 at 8:00 pm
Hi Josh,
you make a great argument. I have only used adsense up until now, but it’s certainly made me consider looking around.
Thanks for sharing!