eBay Affiliate Program Review 2024

Updated: January 2, 2024 by Bill Burniece

Introduction:

eBay is one of the original marketplaces on the internet.

Since eBay is considered an old-school platform, many digital marketers skip on promoting it.

Affiliate marketing eBay products pays you very well if you pick your spots right.

eBay was founded by Pierre Omidyar way back in 1995, and became a notable success story of the dot-com bubble.

Today, eBay is a multibillion-dollar online business that operates in more than 32 countries.

The eBay affiliate program, formerly known as the eBay Partner Network, allows you to promote products that cannot be found on any other platform.

Editorial review process for this post.

eBay Affiliate Commissions

The eBay affiliate commission rate varies by product category.

Commissions rates range from 1.0% – 4.0%.

eBay Partner Network Rate Card

9 Reasons To Promote The eBay Affiliate Program

You want to make smart choices when selecting an affiliate program that best fits with your objectives. It all starts with finding a good affiliate network that is reputable and you can trust.

If you’re in the research stage and looking into program options that will help you monetize your website, we hope you’ll take a look at eBay Partner Network. Here are a few reasons why publishers choose to partner with eBay:

1. Straight-Forward Application Process
ePN has streamlined its application process in recent years, now offering an expedited online application that takes less than five minutes to complete. We will process your application very quickly, and as long as you are in line with ePN’s Terms and Conditions, the likelihood of approval is very high.

2. Competitive Earnings
ePN’s earnings model is simple and transparent: When you drive traffic to eBay and it converts into a purchase, you earn a percentage of eBay’s revenue. The more revenue your traffic generates for eBay, the more you’ll earn. You can earn even more by focusing on high-value categories, as well as attracting first-time eBay buyers, which will help you earn a 200% commission bonus.

3. Quick Payments, Low Threshold
There’s no waiting around for your earnings; you can typically expect to receive your payment from ePN on the 22nd of each month. This payment includes earnings for the previous month’s activities, and is paid out via direct deposit or PayPal as long as you’ve earned at least $25 in commissions that month.

4. Bonuses and Promotions
eBay regularly runs seasonal and category-based deals and promotions, giving you more financial incentive to drive traffic, and visitors even more reasons to make a purchase. These promotions are great for attracting new eBay buyers, which can help you earn that 200% new buyer bonus.

5. Built on a Long-Standing Global Program
eBay is a trusted household name, marking its 20th anniversary in 2015. And as one of the largest online marketplaces in the world, you can easily expand globally by driving traffic to eBay sites in 13 countries and across a variety of languages. eBay’s affiliate program also has longevity, and has been providing publishers with affiliate earnings since 2001.

6. Products for Everyone
Buyers can turn to eBay for just about anything, from cars to collectibles to clothing to household items. With a broad range of auction listings, “Buy It Now” options and best-of-web deal pricing, eBay has just about anything to fuel your visitors’ passions.

7. Solutions for all Levels
Whether you run a simple blog, a more complex shopping comparison site or a social media-based business, ePN has tools to help you promote eBay listings in a way that fits with your business model and skill level. Widgets and link generators can help new publishers get up and running quickly, while more advanced programmers can build customizable solutions with the help of eBay’s API and product feeds.

8. Monetize Your Social Networks
If you have a Facebook, Twitter or Tumblr following, you can use these platforms to promote eBay and earn affiliate commissions. Generally, as long as the terms and conditions of the chosen social network allow users to add affiliate links, then ePN will compensate you for it.

9. Dedicated Communication and Support
ePN views its affiliates as true business partners, keeping them informed of the latest program news, optimization strategies, industry tips and everything else needed to run a successful business. Communication channels include a regularly updated blog, social channels, videos, a community forum, emails and a responsive support team.

 

 

How To Join The Ebay Partner Program

It’s easy to become an eBay affiliate. Just follow the simple step-by-step process below.

6 Steps To Creating An eBay Partner Network Account

Step 1: Go to partnernetwork.ebay.com and click on the blue ‘Sign Up’ button located in the upper-right corner of the page.

Step 2: You will land on the Sign In page. Scroll down until you find the blue ‘Sign In’ button and click on it.

Step 3: If you don’t have an eBay account you will need to create a free account. So sign up before you sign in on this page.

If you already have an email address you use for your eBay account, you may also use it to set up your ePN (eBay Partner Network) account.

Enter your email address in the ‘Email Or Username’ field then click the blue ‘Continue’ button and enter your password when prompted.

If your eBay account email address is linked to other platforms including Google, Facebook, or Apple, then click the corresponding button.

If you do not already have an eBay account that you want to use for your ePN account, click on the ‘Create An Account’ option.

On the ‘Create An Account’ page, choose ‘Personal Account’ unless you also plan to use this eBay account to sell things on eBay, in which case you would choose to set up a ‘Business Account.’

Fill out the name fields with the email address that you would like to use to for ePN account.

Then click the ‘Create Account’ button at the bottom of the page.

Step 4: On the ‘Sign Up’ page, make sure to scroll down to the application section.

From there, fill out the following fields for:

  • Your information
  • Company Information
  • Promotional Information.

Finally, click the ‘Sign Up’ button at the bottom of the page.

Step 5: Next you will see a confirmation note on the page and an email message will be waiting for you in your email account with the title ‘Application Received’.

Step 6: You are all done.

eBay Partner Network Tips

Don’t make these newbie affiliate mistakes   This post is a bittersweet one. Bitter in that new (and sometimes even experienced) affiliates often make these mistakes, but sweet that you can learn from these experiences and avoid them in the future.

Here are some of the most common mistakes we’ve seen affiliates make, and what you should do instead.

  • DON’T: Be a used-car salesman
  • DO: Be honest and informative

It’s easy to want to be overly enthusiastic when talking about products, but when was the last time you trusted someone saying, “BUY THIS AMAZING DEAL NOW BEFORE IT’S TOO LATE!!”? Instead, put yourself in your visitor’s shoes, and imagine what they’re thinking and experiencing during their buying journey. Your visitor may have some casual interest in what you’re sharing, and is likely looking to do a bit of research.

Next (just like you typically do), they probably want to know about other people’s experiences and opinions. You have the opportunity to be that person. Being authentic and giving honest feedback and background in your own voice will get you much further than empty marketing buzzwords. Plus, it will help build your website as a trusted resource.

  • DON’T: Spread yourself thin
  • DO: Commit and stay focused

There are a lot of affiliate programs out there, and there are a lot of products to promote. It’s important to select, and only select, the ones that are a good fit. Joining any and every program won’t lead to instant revenue streams, and it will become too much to manage. It takes time and commitment to figure out what works for you. Similarly, promoting too many or poor quality products will hurt you in the long run. Which leads to the next mistake…

  • DON’T: Blindly choose products to promote
  • DO: Your homework

Sure, that trendy new product on the market may seem like a no-brainer, but hundreds of other affiliates are probably thinking the same thing. Then again, maybe no one else has discovered it yet. The only way to know for sure is to do your homework.

The most successful affiliates stay ahead of trends and know what’s selling in the moment. Terapeak, a paid-tool built for eBay and Amazon sellers, uses marketplace data to help users uncover buying trends and identify top products.

EBay DataLabs is a free, eBay-specific alternative. DataLabs gives real-time insight into top selling items, along with their value and what they’re selling for. Whether you’re focusing on SEO or paid advertising (or both), conducting keyword research and knowing exactly how competitive products and terms are should also be baked into your affiliate marketing processes.

If you use Google Adwords, take advantage of the Keyword Planner tool. Keyword research can help uncover less-competitive long tail terms, for the same highly competitive products. For example, “phone charger” will be a challenge, but “6 foot iPhone 6 cable” may be much more realistic and profitable to target.

  • DON’T: Use the same product link everywhere
  • DO: Set up unique tracking codes

This is a basic, but easily overlooked one. You want to know where each of your sales comes from, and if you’re promoting products in different channels with the same link, that makes it hard to do so. Depending on your affiliate program, you should have tracking options.

For example, in eBay Partner Network, you can use different campaigns to track different initiatives. So you might have one campaign for social media, and another for a specific page on your website. Setting up unique tracking allows you to strategically optimize your affiliate marketing activities and know where your sales are coming from. Affiliate marketing is a great way to earn money, but you shouldn’t go into it thinking it’s a “get rich quick” scheme. Be genuine, stay focused, do your homework, and determine what’s working for you, and you’ll be well on your way to seeing payouts roll in.

eBay Partner Network Q&A

Where do I find my eBay affiliate link?
Log in to your eBay Partner Program account and look for the Tools drop-down menu. You’ll find your eBay affiliate links in there. eBay has a variety of tools to simplify the creation of trackable URLs for your every need.

Where can I promote my eBay affiliate links?
You can promote your eBay affiliate link on your blog or website, social media properties, forums, and emails to name just a few.

Are eBay affiliate commissions competitive?
Yes. The percentages look low, but you can still make up to $550 per sale with eBay.

Conclusion

eBay may be old school, but they still represent a good income opportunity online.

People are comfortable doing business on the eBay platform and that adds credibility to your referrals.

The eBay affiliate program portal provides a nice set of tools and reporting that allow you to promote your campaigns with efficiency.

Affiliate marketing eBay products online is smart.

eBay Partner Network screenshot
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Affiliate Disclosure
Disclosure: The operator of this website is a 3rd party marketer with a material connection to product/service providers appearing on this site in that we are compensated for sales made through our affiliate links.

If you have any questions please contact me bill@highpayingaffiliateprograms.com