eBay PartnerNetwork Blog

We wanted to give you an update on the third party review of the eBay Partner Network tracking systems since we’ve mentioned it a few times on the blog and boards.

We commissioned the audit when some of our affiliates last summer highlighted discrepancies between their monthly earnings when our program was in Commission Junction and the earnings they saw as they transitioned onto eBay Partner Network.  We took these reports seriously and did a significant amount of analysis ourselves.  In addition to our own analysis, we had an audit performed by ImServices Group Ltd., a leading provider of independent consulting and verification services, including process reviews, activity, and privacy audits for Web sites and other interactive media companies.  You can find out more information about ImServices here.

The ImServices audit was very comprehensive and included a number of different methodologies, including: creating and checking hundreds of individual tracking events (including clicks, Bids, BINs, and ACRUs), analyzing the eBay Partner Network databases to validate that the sample transactions are representative, reconciling data feeds and database contents from different parts of the tracking systems, and validating our system access controls and software QA procedures.  In addition to the physical data analysis and transaction checking, there were numerous interviews with engineers and team members as well as many documentation reviews to ensure that ImServices had a full understanding of the systems, data, and behavior.

ImServices concluded their audit this month and presented their findings.  They concluded with the following line, contained in their letter summarizing their findings:  “ImServices validated that conversion events are properly attributed to Publishers that generated leads as outlined in eBay’s Advertiser Terms and Conditions.”  They confirmed our systems were working properly and able to track and properly attribute commissions to our publishers.

We’re pleased with the findings of the audit, but just to be clear this is not a guarantee that from time to time new issues won’t pop up.  There have been several issues that we’ve addressed and issued makegoods for this year such as the ACRU tracking issue in May as well as the most recent issue from Nov 13th – Nov 17th.  The first happened and was addressed before this audit.  The second happened due to an upgrade to the system after this study was completed and has also been fixed.  We are going to continue to work hard to make sure these don’t happen, and that when they do we communicate with you our affiliates as quickly and transparently as possible.

There has been a lot of change in the eBay Affiliates Program with the launch of eBay Partner Network, the many changes on the eBay website itself this year, and most recently the challenging economic times.  We know from speaking to some of our largest affiliates and reading the boards that all of these factors have introduced some fluctuations in affiliate earnings so we felt that it was important to share the findings of the audit with you.

Thanks,

The eBay Partner Network Team

Hello All,

The eBay Partner Network team would like to let you know that the January payment is expected to be sent out a few days later than usual.  We’re now planning to issue payments on or around January 22nd. This exceptional delay is caused by the heavy holiday schedule.    Thank you for your hard work promoting this holiday season.

Sincerely,

The eBay Partner Network

In our December 15th release, we have two updates to tell you about.

The first update is to the reporting functionality and will dramatically increase the amount of data available to you.  We have enhanced the Campaign Report and the Tool/Creative Report to allow publishers to view daily numbers by line, as previously you could only view high level summary data. You will now be able to see how tools, creatives and campaigns perform on a daily basis.

Secondly, based on publisher feedback, we are now requesting payment information within the registration flow. By collecting payment information upfront, new publishers will be able to receive earnings upon completing registration.  This will solve the problem of forgetting to enter payment information before the end of the month, and thus causing delays.

We are continuing to bring innovation and enhancements to the platform and always welcome your feedback. 

 
The eBay Partner Network Team

It’s almost upon us — the most wonderful time of year. As we’re unpacking holiday decorations, unraveling lights, rolling out the cookie dough or planning vacations, it’s hard to forget – only 22 shopping days left! The good news for eBay affiliates?  Savings and promotions rank highest among consumers’ priorities this year, according to the National Retail Federation. Also, a recent survey sponsored by ATG and conducted by the e-tailing group claims that in 2008 49 percent of holiday gift spending among US Internet users will occur online, compared with 44 percent in stores.
What better place than eBay to find bargains on the perfect gifts for wives, husbands, friends, parents, kids and more? So grab a hot cocoa and your coziest slippers and start directing your online traffic over to eBay to shop.  Following are a few things savvy shoppers will be scouting for this holiday season.
He’s making his list, he’s checking it twice … for the little ones on the “nice” list, consider posting the top 10 below:

1. Playskool Kota the Triceratops
2. High School Musical Dance Mat
3. Bratz Girls Really Rock set
4. Bakugan Battle Arena
5. Wild Planet Animal Scramble
6. Ultimate Wall-E
7. U-dance Game, Hasbro
8. Wonder Pets – This is Serious Ming Ming
9. Crayola Glow Station
10. Fur Real Friends Biscuit My Lovin Pup

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