Why Chosing Pepperjam Over EPN Is Stupid
The eBay Partner Network is probably the highest earning network that we work with. Since eBay switched to a more centralized in house tracking system, things have not been perfect, but they are almost back on track. One thing that’s really grinding my gears is the “group think” attitude that a mass exodus over to using the PepperJam Network to track EPN revenue is a good idea.
- VS - 
I’d like to point out before I continue that I have no problem with Pepperjam. In fact, I think what they are doing is very clever indeed. But just because it’s clever, doesn’t mean it’s right. I would consider some affiliate marketers among the smartest in the world and the affiliate marketing industry as a group, a whole lot smarter in general. This is why I fail to understand their logic. My reasons being as follows:
1) An extra layer of complexity. They use the same tracking, why risk it. Traditionally, CPM network lose impressions through daisy chaining, why is this different? What makes you think that Pepperjam are not going to lose some of your clicks and earnings?
2) Shaving. All networks do it. Why would Pepperjam be any different? What’s stopping them?
3) No incentive to go with them. PJ ads? Make your own. PJ chat? What has this got to do with anything? What is the benefit of using Pepperjam to track your EPN performance?
4) The only reason people are pushing PJ is because of the $10 bonus. Seriously? A measly $10 for selling your soul? I don’t know about you, but my reputation is worth far more to me than $10.
5) With EPN, you are direct to merchant. This is the HOLY GRAIL of affiliate marketing. Most big affiliate marketers completely cut out the network and with that, the shaving, tracking issues. In return, they get higher payouts and more flexibility. Why would anyone go from an almost white label deal with a merchant back to the merchant which has given no obvious benefits?
6) Pepperjam are there to make money. End of story. Ever asked yourself why PJ is running the program? They are getting a % share AND because they are on a subaffiliate model, they are getting $10 for each ACRU you generate and 25% revenue share (assuming they are on the top payment tier, which they probably are because we are are we don’t have hundreds of affiliates in our “downline”). Do they tell you that? No, they don’t need to. If they did tell you, you’d want a piece of the pie for generating them so much revenue right?
7) PJ are an affiliate themselves. People seem to forget that. Quoted from coppings here:
“Don’t get me wrong, I have absolutely NO problem with PJN. In fact, I emailed Kris and told him how smart an idea I thought it was. Think about it, they don’t even need to take a % cut from ebay (which they probably are anyway) and they are already making a fortune on the ACRU and commission tier differences. It’s borderline genius. If PJ has just 1000 affiliates generating at least ONE ACRU a day…. fuck me. Not to mention the data they are collecting. THEY HAVE ACCESS TO ALL ACRU INFORMATION and sites referring those ACRUS. Some people forget that PJN is not just a network. They are a “super affiliate” themselves. “
Pepperjam only supports US transactions. If your targeting outside the US, your fucked. About 40% of our EPN rev comes from countries outside the US. Including those countries that have invite only eBay programs. (Did you know that?).
Now, if I was to risk tracking and all the other downsides mentioned above, and I was a single “starter” affiliate, I would go with PJ if they offered me even semi-top-tier revenue. But they are not. Why on earth do some people think that tracking will IMPROVE with pepperjam when this is impossible considering all the additional variables.
Can someone explain to me why people think using Pepperjam over EPN is a good idea?
Comments
12 Responses to “Why Chosing Pepperjam Over EPN Is Stupid”
Leave a Reply
-
-
About
This blog is my personal venting chamber. I'm a little pissed off sometimes. If you have a problem with that, tough. I don't sell ebooks. I don't run membership sites. I don't want your money.
-
Recently Written
- If I Was To Start Affiliate Marketing Again (Knowing What I Know Now)
- Off To Affiliate Summit East
- How To Minimize Risk On Your First Online Media Buy
- Why Chosing Pepperjam Over EPN Is Stupid
- Why I Think The Top Affiliate Challenge Sucks Balls
- How I Made $95000 In Two Months With Adsense Referrals
- Who Am I?
-
Categories
-
RSS Stuff
a lie repeated enough times, becomes truth.
you know this.
diggin the blog. keep on keepin’ on.
Your post is grossly inaccurate.
First, Pepperjam Network does not rely solely on EPN’s tracking. I realize that you and some folks over on WikedFire assume that, but it’s false.
We are not “shaving” commissions and we are not a sub affiliate network. Instead, eBay is a client of Pepperjam Network, just like the other 350 advertiser relationships we have. We get paid a transaction fee just like all the other merchants pay us and you (the affiliates) gets paid EXACTLY as you would if you were going through eBay. We’d like to pay you even more, but eBay won’t allow us.
No incentive to go with Pepperjam Network? That’s a pretty silly statement considering we provide an extraordinarily high level of service - working with the eBay program on PJN allows you to have a dedicated management team that is there to answer any questions you have and work with you to make the absolute highest commissions possible through eBay. That’s in addition to the fact that we also offer you access to hundreds of other merchants! If those two benefits aren’t enough in and of themselves to give the eBay program on PJN a try, I don’t know what would?
Pepperjam are affiliates themselves? I’m not sure how this has anything to do with anything as it relates to the eBay program on PJN. If you mean that we are affiliates of eBay that’s absolutely false. eBay approached us and wanted to launch on our affiliate network. I’m not sure why we would be considered affiliates. Does that mean that we are affiliates for the other 350 programs we have on PJN? The answer is no.
Sooooooooooooooooooooooo.
This post would make sense if it was based on accurate information, but it’s not.
No offense to you since you weren’t totally aware of the relationship between EPN and PJN.
However, I would strongly encourage you to rethink your sentiments based on accurate info since doing so would eliminate almost all of your talking points above.
Best of luck!
Kris Jones
CEO,
Pepperjam Network
Hi Kris,
Many thanks for your reply. Very much appreciated. You seem to be really good at getting into all the nooks and crannies where people are talking about PJ. It’s rare and refreshing.
Anyway, in reply to your responses:
So where do you get your ACRU, CRU, bid win data, bid volume data, commission amount and EPC data from? Can you explain exactly what sort of tracking IMPROVEMENT PepperJam can realistically offer? How exactly is Your tracking different? “does not rely solely on EPN’s tracking” is a bit of a copout response to my point.
How do we knno that? EVERY other network I have personally worked with does this. Why are you any different? I actually have to apologize if this point seemed directed at you. I never actually stated that you shaved. I just posed a question.
Why not? Didn’t you offer an additional $1 per ACRU before and just after you launched?
In WHAT way? What possible questions could an affiliate have that could not be answered by ebay? Unless you have data from your other affiliates that might be advantageous…but PJ don’t have that kind of data, do they?
This is not about the hundreds of other merchants. It has absolutely NOTHING to do with them. This is about EBAY.
I couldn’t agree more. Please provide the accurate info. Can you honestly say that you do not get ANY of the higher ACRU tiers? So when an affiliate sends their first ACRU, you get the difference between the lowest and whatever you are on?
Once again, I’d like to say that I have no problem with you or Pepperjam. This is not personal.
Chris i think your point on you being an affiliate is completely relevant to pjn and epn as i think the OP means that you have all the affiliates data. what is to stop you using that data yourself? yourvideo on your website says that you are a leading publisher.
When Ebay Partner Network ditched CJ.com I was very happy and signed up with them immediately and built some BANs sites.
However, I was very surprised and somewhat concerned to get the email that they partnered with the PJN so soon after splitting with CJ. Not that I know anything much about PJN but rather why EPN didn’t take a few months to make a go of it themselves.
It really had me scratching my head as to why they did it so soon like a few weeks into going it alone. Was it panic, drugs, hookers or alcohol that drove this decision?
Andy, with all due respect, BANS is for lazy asses. All it does is enable those with little experience to pollute the web with valueless garbage. Google have picked up on this.
I don’t think EPN “gave up” and went to PJN, they simply went to them to expand reach.
If you could choose which networks who would you work with? And what tools would you use if you had all the money in the world or a very tiny budget?
Good post!
Be nice to get a response from Kris - your questions are exactly what I would have asked about Pepperjam.
Pity he’s gone silent…
No reply Kris?
Mmmm… seems to have gone silent on all fronts.
Sorry I am a bit late in catching up on the RSS world.
So BANS sucks, does it? (as does, I assume, phpbay, and mcjiffy?) What is a good alternative method for promoting ebay, then.
Hi Alexa7. I wouldn’t say BANS “Sucks” but I would say it enables people to create sites that suck. I’ve actually used PHPbay and it’s a fantastic way to create a high value site if you are used to blogging. In fact, I personally still use PHPbay for some sites I own.
The thing about BANS is that it can create hundreds or thousands of pages for you instantly. The initial “Google Grace Period” giving new sites decent rank for a few weeks/months makes people who set up these thin affiliate sites think they have struck gold. They go out and build another hundred of these “thin as fuck”, valueless and ugly websites and end up polluting the index.
The best way I have found to promote ebay is to promote individual listings or products and not broad sweeping categories.