Is it safe to these affiliate programs?

[Gozd3]

- Mind Games Fashion Affiliate
- Bad GirlZ
- Je taime Franchise Partner Program
- Gifts&Co Affiliate
- RedStar Franchise
- Pulse Affiliate Program

And do you suggest other affiliate programs?

[beethros Karas]

Hello Gozd3.

Yes! Of course they are safe.

Its the work of someone who wanted to have their creations sold in many places,

so more possible sales.

And what a bless for me and a lot other people who can't create,

but still be able to have a legal shop into the world!

That's what I have started with many years ago..

I was selling affiliates..

Today, I can say im good.. I have "grown" up a lot I can say.

I own not just a little shop.. But a 16,000 meter square Shopping Mall Where other people come

and rent shops from me and setting their merchandise..

Second life is so nice when it comes to the part of..

Creation/earning

So...

Welcome my friend!
Welcome to Second life, to a world where you can have your hair done in a second and also cost you just a few pennies

As for suggestions about other brands... Well there are thousands of them for sale and name brands here isn't the best to do...

What you need to care of is:

If you like it.  Item/price.

If yes then buy it, find a place in world that you like and set your shop.

I wish you the best!

If you like to visit me in world, please feel free anytime, I can help you with many things. I was always helping the new members to set up with their shops.

Here is my Land mark:

The Mall Street http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Olber/90/186/44

[Sassy Romano]

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beethros Karas wrote:

Yes! Of course they are safe.

Its the work of someone who wanted to have their creations sold in many places,

 

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The original question raised was valid and less about why people use affiliates but as to the safety and as such were seeking input about specific brands.

The issue with affiliates is that the affiliate vendor will nearly always require debit permissions and as such once granted, if maliciously scripted, drain L$ from the vendor owner.

No reputable merchant would want this and of course neither does the affiliate.  

My advice would be to contact each merchant directly and get a feel for their way of working, if you can't contact them or they don't reply, how would they support you if there were any issues that needed tending to?  If they have an inworld store, check it out, is it credible etc.?

For me though the biggest confidence factor would be around the relationship, are you an affiliate and treated as an advertising board or is the merchant behind affiliates in general?  Are the affiliate vendors free or is there a cost to have them?  Also pointers as to the type of relationship you can expect.  

[April Looming]

Affiliate programs have 3 risks:

1. Fraud: They require you to give your debit permissions; and with that there is a risk of your L$ account being drained.
2. Image: They dilute your "brand image" if you have items you made yourself and you mix affiliate vendors in the same space.
3. Financial: They take prims in a place where you have fixed expense for rent, and they may never generate revenue.  Also, if there was an upfront cost to "buy in" to the affiliate program, you may never recoup that cost.

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I used to speak about this in my "Operating a profitable business in SL" class at Builders' Brewery, but I decided to remove my thoughts on the topic to shorten the class.

My thoughts:

• Fraud risk: The risk of L$ account being drained can be mitigated by using an ALT account, and having it pay you frequently.  Also, only use affiliate vending systems like Hippo or Caspervend, which have a long standing reputation that would be trashed if they drained everyone, pulled up stakes and left for a country with no extradition treaty.  Maybe there's only a 0.001% chance of that; but use an alt anyway.
• Image: Make sure that affiliate vendors are segregated from anything you make, so that they don't impact your brand's unique image.
• Financial: Avoid affiliate programs where you have to "buy in", because you only get a % from each sale (20%-50% usually), and that doesn't go as far towards paying the rent for those prims inworld as things you make yourself where you get 100% of the sale price.  You have to realize that you may have ZERO sales or maybe 1 sale a month from affiliate vendors, even if you're in a crazy high traffic area (because the traffic is all dancing and flirting and not shopping).  Yes, your experience may vary; but the risk is that the vendors might not produce income enough to pay your expenses.

 

When you invest in an affiliate program's vendors, you're in direct competition with all other affiliates, and the main store itself.  You won't be able to benefit from group notices, and in fact, group notices from the designer that direct people to the main store direct them away from your affiliate store.

 

So is it "safe" to enter into any affiliate program?  That depends on how many customers you can direct to your affiliate store.