Affiliate Marketing Blog by Shawn Collins

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I was looking at an affiliate program that I would like to promote, and I see that they will charge £5 to review my affiliate application. If I am accepted, they will return the funds, but if I am rejected, they keep the money. I have never seen anything like this before. Is it normal? Is it ethical? Should I pay the £5 or look elsewhere?

This is something I have never heard of in affiliate marketing. Quite frankly, I am sort of floored by it.

I understand that it can be onerous for affiliate managers to go through all of the applications and perform due diligence. But I think this is ridiculous to tell affiliates the have to pay for the privilege of applying.

And affiliates deemed to not be worthy are out the money. That’s a bad joke to me.

In my opinion, you should not even consider paying them. Just go and promote the competition. Then you and their competition will have the last laugh over this ridiculous policy.

After I initially wrote this response, I came to find out that this wasn’t the policy if an individual merchant, but rather part of the application process to be an affiliate of the Affiliate Window network in the UK.

Perhaps this is new from Affiliate Window? I’d never heard of it before, and I’m not sure how it played in the UK when it was instituted.

As an affiliate, I find it to be hostile to newbie affiliates and affiliates overall.

Forget the long tail, I’d think this will ensure the cropped tail that shall never grow.

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