50% of Clickbank Products Are Crap?

36 replies
Hi,

I am sick of not being able to promote products because they are crap. It really gets irritating after a certain point. I wanted to promote "Satellite TV For PC" but after looking up several discussions on forums I see that most people claim its total crap. I know I could make alot of money promoting the software but I simply cannot after reading so much negative feedback about the product.

So it really makes me wonder how much crap there really is on Clickbank. How many of the products on Clickbank do you guys think are crap? I only want to promote quality products and it does piss me off a little that they can be hard to find,lol.
#50% #clickbank #crap #products
  • Profile picture of the author SpicyRobby
    Originally Posted by coreytucker View Post

    Hi,
    How many of the products on Clickbank do you guys think are crap?
    Well, it's pretty hard to say, I guess. I think you can find bad comments etc. about nearly every product on Clickbank - there will always be people who think that even a good product is crap - I know if after my own experience.

    So I guess the very definition 'crap' varies from a person to person. One will find a product an absolute gem, while the other person will find there everything he already knew.

    As to finding good products - you should look at the gravity. There should be a correlation between a crappy product and a low number (unless the product, of course, has just been submitted).
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    • Profile picture of the author coreytucker
      I understand what your saying SpicyRobby but if a product has negative reviews all over the place thats a pretty good indication that its crap. I mean sure your always going to find the Squidoo lens and review sites (that obviously sale the product) that praise the product, but when you see long discussions with people saying the product is crap then it most likely is.

      I agree everyone is going to have different views on a product, but with a product like Satelite Tv For PC almost everything I read is negative about it. I really want to sale this product but from what ive read it does not even deleiver on what it promises.
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      • Profile picture of the author zapseo
        Half?

        Who has time to go thru them all, LOL.

        They've got what.... 20,000 products?

        Sounds like you're over-generalizing based upon probably a tiny fraction of the products on Clickbank.

        Your comments are not helpful to Clickbank, nor to the people who provide excellent products on Clickbank.

        Live JoyFully!

        Judy Kettenhofen, Profit Strategist/Copywriter
        NextDay Copy
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      • Profile picture of the author Steven Wagenheim
        Cory, what niches are you interested in? I know a few good products in several niches as I have purchased them myself or got review copies.

        Let me know and I'll PM you my suggestions. I don't want to post them in a public forum as a ton of people will go jumping all over them.
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      • Profile picture of the author SpicyRobby
        Originally Posted by coreytucker View Post

        I understand what your saying SpicyRobby but if a product has negative reviews all over the place thats a pretty good indication that its crap. I mean sure your always going to find the Squidoo lens and review sites (that obviously sale the product) that praise the product, but when you see long discussions with people saying the product is crap then it most likely is.

        I agree everyone is going to have different views on a product, but with a product like Satelite Tv For PC almost everything I read is negative about it. I really want to sale this product but from what ive read it does not even deleiver on what it promises.
        Sure - there are such products like you describe -- and to be honest, sometimes I have similar feelings to yours... Another product I've heard really bad reviews about is http://www.water4gas.com/2books.htm -- some say it's an outright scam, others say - it really works, and God only knows what's the truth unless you try it yourself...
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        • Profile picture of the author coreytucker
          Steve, im really interested in any niches.....anything thats a quality product. I can research the niche and learn all about it when I know im promoting something I see as quality for the niche. So if you know of some quality products im open to just about anything,lol.

          I know theres no real way to tell if a product is quality or not unless you try it, but you can get a idea of how a product is just by checking out forum discussions. I just got done reading a very long discussion on a ebay forum about the Satelite TV product on a Ebay forum and 90% of the people only had negative things to say about it after purchasing it.
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          • Profile picture of the author SpicyRobby
            Just a small thing about your signature - you may want to make your URLs 'clickable' - now they show up only as a text.
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            • Profile picture of the author coreytucker
              Thanks SpicyRobby, I was noticing that a few minutes ago,lol.
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            • Profile picture of the author Dan C. Rinnert
              I think SpicyRobby has the right idea about looking at a product's gravity for some indication of quality.

              From there, why not purchase the product and try it out for yourself? Don't all Clickbank products have a money-back guarantee? If not, only investigate those that do.

              If the product is garbage, get a refund.

              If it's good, promote it.
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              • Profile picture of the author SpicyRobby
                Originally Posted by dotcro View Post

                If the product is garbage, get a refund.

                If it's good, promote it.

                The only hurdle here is -- after a number of refunds (10 or so - if I'm not mistaken) ClickBank will disallow you buy anything...

                It happened to a friend of mine and he thinks that they've saved his CR number most likely and put a ban on it.
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                • Profile picture of the author waken
                  Originally Posted by SpicyRobby View Post

                  The only hurdle here is -- after a number of refunds (10 or so - if I'm not mistaken) ClickBank will disallow you buy anything...

                  It happened to a friend of mine and he thinks that they've saved his CR number most likely and put a ban on it.
                  I heard this before but never actually know how it works. But I've never made any refunds from CB.
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                • Profile picture of the author Roy Carter
                  Well... Might I follow Big Mike's lead and suggest that you try the first product in my sig
                  Signature
                  "How To Hang Out On Various Exotic Islands Whilst Still Making Shed Loads Of Money...and stuff!" - Get your FREE ISSUE entitled...'A Quick, Easy $2,000 In Your Pocket By This Weekend!'
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                  • Profile picture of the author coreytucker
                    well I must say that I am looking for products outside of the IM niche right now. I know there are quality products from warriors here in the IM niche, so I look forward to the day I get involved heavy into the IM niche. Im waiting until I get more experience under my belt so I can better help newbies in the IM niche. So for now im mainly working outside of the IM niche but at the same time im working on building my list in the IM niche but im just keeping in contact with them right now....as not selling anything to my list yet (leaving money on the table perhaps? Maybe but for now im just helping my list learn.)
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            • Profile picture of the author seach4s
              I dont think the products are crap.... but sometimes the sale pages are very miss-leading i think that could be your problem.... before diving in to buy


              Investigate Investigate Investigate


              Best way i find
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              • Profile picture of the author coreytucker
                well the great thing about clickbank is you can try the products and get a refund I suppose. I could start testing products more before I sale them, it can just be a pain sometimes when the product solves a problem you do not have....so it can be hard to test a product in some niches.

                I also don't know really how good of a indication a products quality is when it has a high gravity. Im sure many products with a high gravity are not that great, I mean the satellite for Pc has a gravity of 367 and from what ive read almost everyone agrees its crap. I think the real problem with that product is the sales page promises all of these great channels yet the majority of the experiences of those who bought the product say its just full of foriegn channels and old broadcast from months ago.
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  • Profile picture of the author lakshaybehl
    Originally Posted by coreytucker View Post

    Hi,
    So it really makes me wonder how much crap there really is on Clickbank. How many of the products on Clickbank do you guys think are crap? I only want to promote quality products and it does piss me off a little that they can be hard to find,lol.
    I think the best way to find out how good or bad a product is to try it out yourself and see whether it works for you without depending upon your existing knowledge and experience!!!

    And in my opinion over 50% of the products are crap.
    .
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  • Profile picture of the author jasonl70
    Gravity hasn't helped me at all..

    I promote a supposedly 'good' and respected product with a gravity over 150 - and it's getting over 30% refunds! and this isn't in the IM niche where the people know how easy it is to get a refund from CB.. I'm now in the process of finding a replacement for it..

    My best seller and money maker (w/low refunds, too!) has a gravity UNDER 10.
    Signature

    -Jason

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    • Profile picture of the author Income Coach
      I think sometimes, the product looks like crap to us because we are affiliate marketers...but to the target audience, it looks great.
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      • Profile picture of the author ProfitTips.com
        Why don't you create your own high quality products (or outsource the creation) and sell them?
        Signature

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        • Profile picture of the author Roy Carter
          I'll second that! :0)

          Roy
          Signature
          "How To Hang Out On Various Exotic Islands Whilst Still Making Shed Loads Of Money...and stuff!" - Get your FREE ISSUE entitled...'A Quick, Easy $2,000 In Your Pocket By This Weekend!'
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          • Profile picture of the author Michael Lee
            Hi Corey,

            If you're looking for a quality non-IM Clickbank product to promote, please check out the first link in my sig.

            I would be biased if I say it's the best thing since sliced bread. lol. But respected Senior Warrior Doug Barger loved it so much he wrote a book review article about it on ezinearticles and even included the main non-affiliate link in the resource box, to show his appreciation:

            http://ezinearticles.com/?Persuasion...iew&id=1232289

            Note to Doug: Please change the link to a url where you can get credit. Many Thanks!

            Michael
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            • Profile picture of the author rickstooker
              Basically, just do what you're doing -- check around and do your
              due diligence.

              Also, remember that "crap" is in the eye of the beholder. Many CB
              products are not great literature or extremely important
              "breakthroughs" in their niches, although some could be.

              In some niches, you could find better books on Amazon. But that's
              not always true either.

              If someone has a problem and a CB book solves it, that's all that's
              important.

              Book markets don't overlap much. Before the Internet, book store
              buyers did not buy books through the mail, and mail order buyers
              did not shop in bookstores.

              Now ebook buyers often don't buy in book stores or by mail order,
              just online.

              So if an ebook covers the subject adequately and fulfills the
              promises of the sales letter, it's not crap even though it may not
              be the #1 book available on the subject.

              I once bought a book on mail order from Jerry Tower. It was only
              about 20 pages long and cost $10, and so was of little value
              compared to a 500 page classic tome on all aspects of mail order
              I'd recently bought in a store for just $15. Jerry called me an
              information thief and wouldn't refund my $10 until I complained
              to the authorities.

              Yet he's often lauded as a great mail order entrepreneur, so I must
              assume that many people did think that $10 for 20 page book
              on mail order (an entry level product, I now understand) was
              acceptable. Probably they didn't know they could buy a much
              better book in stores for $15.

              So, you never know.

              best, Rick
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            • Profile picture of the author launch3
              Here's how I decide whether to be an affiliate for a Clickbank product. Been doing it for 5+ years in niche's like Self Improvement, Debt/Money/Finance, and Relationship Advice. The offers I've been promoting get maybe 1% refunds/chargebacks.

              There is A LOT of crap on CB, but here's how I quickly weed them out. I start with the 'high gravity' option in CB and start clicking...

              1- I scan the entire sales page top to bottom within about 10 seconds (for professionalism, headlines, & things that catch my attention). If the sales page sucks, I say no.
              2- REAL testimonials & reviews listed. If there are none (or a few really cheesy ones) - I say no.
              3- I like sales pages with free 5 day eCourses, etc.. that track the affiliate code, so if the visitor doesn't buy right that minute, there's a chance later on they will after the eCourse. It also shows that the marketer is trying to build a relationship with the visitor and sell them later on. Good sign.
              4- Now I finally read the sales copy and say 'would I buy this product?'

              Jeff
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              • Profile picture of the author Jelasco
                Gravity has nothing to do with product quality or sales volume. It has to do with how many affiliates have sold it recently, which is totally different.

                It's like saying McDonald's has a lot of restaurants, so that means their burgers must be the best.

                For those claiming half the products are crap, how many products have you personally evaluated (sales letter doesn't count) before coming to that conclusion? 1000? 500?
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  • Profile picture of the author rapidtronics
    There is a particular Clickbank product that sells for about $97 which allows you to create Ebay Niche sites on the fly. It is a VERY good product. Not to mention that when you are participating in the ebay affiliate program you are only promoting tangible goods to people who really need them. I am not really interested in the vicious cycle of one internet marketer trying to sell an info product that just continues to get resold and rehashed to every other newbie marketer. The money just goes in circles and I can see it plain as day. So I try to watch out for these types of scammy products. I have just released a new WSO on how to create Ebay Niches sites. It only costs $9.95 and is a great video tutorial. See it here: http://warriorforum.com/showthread.php?t=682

    A quest for better products starts here.
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  • Profile picture of the author Mike Hill
    Originally Posted by coreytucker View Post

    Hi,

    I am sick of not being able to promote products because they are crap. It really gets irritating after a certain point. I wanted to promote "Satellite TV For PC" but after looking up several discussions on forums I see that most people claim its total crap. I know I could make alot of money promoting the software but I simply cannot after reading so much negative feedback about the product.

    So it really makes me wonder how much crap there really is on Clickbank. How many of the products on ClickBank do you guys think are crap? I only want to promote quality products and it does piss me off a little that they can be hard to find,lol.

    Corey, there is your BIG chance dude... If you can sell a lot of them then why don't you create a superior product and win big!!!

    I'm being absolutely serious... If I was interested in that market I'd do it but I'm already doing the same in other markets...

    Mike Hill
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  • Profile picture of the author BobbyWalker
    Originally Posted by coreytucker View Post

    Hi,

    I am sick of not being able to promote products because they are crap. It really gets irritating after a certain point. I wanted to promote "Satellite TV For PC" but after looking up several discussions on forums I see that most people claim its total crap. I know I could make alot of money promoting the software but I simply cannot after reading so much negative feedback about the product.

    So it really makes me wonder how much crap there really is on Clickbank. How many of the products on Clickbank do you guys think are crap? I only want to promote quality products and it does piss me off a little that they can be hard to find,lol.
    Hey Corey...

    Because opinions vary so much, it's hard to
    define "crap" but it's no secret that CB does
    have it's share of lame products...

    Going to higher quality affiliate sites will help
    in finding higher quality programs..like CJ.com

    But of course if you're interested in the IM niche
    then Clickbank and PayDotCom are still your best
    bet...

    I may be a little biased, but promoting good software
    applications can bring you much success...

    Since there are thousands of tools and aids that
    marketers as well as other niches need to make
    their jobs easier...

    Thx,

    Bobby
    Signature

    intelligynce.com

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  • Profile picture of the author Chris Smith
    Hey Corey,

    No matter what the quality of the product, the buyer is entitled to a refund. This should put your mind at rest. It does for me with that particular product!

    There are some very surprising products out there. For instance, Top Secret Fat Loss Secret is very popular and yet when you read the book itself, there is very little dedicated to the "fear factor parasites" that are described on the sales page.
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  • Profile picture of the author Chipt
    You may or may not find this interesting...

    When I first met JR [John Reese] originally a few years ago, one of the topics he spoke on was "Crap Sells."

    When a few of us went to dinner together, that is one of the things I talked to him about.

    The other was his 600+ HP Porsche 911.

    Chip Tarver
    Signature

    Improve your online success permanently right now. Joint Venture Masters tell you the real insider info. Save $450 right now by checking out my *limited time* FCS WSO and change your JV success in a radical way permanently at http://www.warriorforum.com/forum/to...OPIC_ID=264511... and for less than $20 you can really save up to half your gasoline costs at www.CutYourGasCostsNow.com.

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    • Profile picture of the author myob
      If you want to get a good idea of the kind of crap that REALLY sells, browse through eBay when you have a few hours. OMG!
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      • Profile picture of the author jhongren
        I always believe in the 80/20 Pareto Principle.

        In any area, 20% of the products are the quality type and the rest are not so good.

        However, crap sells in the sense it is all about marketing.

        I think it is never about the product. It is how the product is market and crap products if marketed really well are able to fly high too.

        John
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        • Profile picture of the author Big Al
          I had the same dilemma for a while, then remembered that Chris Rempel's book is on Clickbank and that's a piece of gold... so yep there are the good, the bad and the ugly.

          Another way to look at it is if there is a niche (say investing) and of the 10 clickbank products 8 are crap. Review 'em and tell the world that 8 are crap and these 2 are the ones you should buy. Or review them versus another affiliate marketplace.

          I've come around a little to the marketplace and felt disillusioned at first.

          A different (mental) approach is - we are marketers. Do you think every advertising company promotes a good product? Think tobacco - I don't smoke but is it the marketers or the producers doing the wrong?

          This depends on your own 'ethics' as is White, grey and backhat SEO, copying your competitors and downloading illegal software for your IM. If you build a list, should you have a relationship or just market to them - two schools of thought and the former revolves around getting as many sales as possible. Do you do the right or the most profitable..

          Follow you dharma... : )
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          • Profile picture of the author fm1234
            The majority of all CB products are indeed total crap. What is the big deal? Don't promote crap.

            I see this mentioned a lot, but again -- what is the big deal?

            The vast majority of all popular music is -- crap.

            Movies -- mostly crap, predictable and time-consuming crap at that.

            Cars -- nearly all the same, nearly all crap.

            Marriages -- 50% end in divorce. No refunds available, unfortunately.

            These unfortunate facts of life do not detract one iota from the fact that there are great marriages, cool cars, fascinating movies and groovy music out there -- and the same goes for ClickBank products as well. Like everything else in the world, it's mostly crap and you have to dig a little to find the stuff worth having/promoting.


            Frank
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            • Profile picture of the author JayXtreme
              Hi Corey...

              Maybe I could give you a different perspective here...

              You say that 50% of CB products are crap, right?... or at least a whole load of them are...

              BUT..

              Let me ask you... why on earth are you looking for products to promote?...

              You don't even have a niche to dig into yet... personally I think you are doing the process in reverse...

              I know this may seem a little strange to you.. but why not start with the niche first?.. and then look for products to solve a problem in that niche...

              It has always been my preferred method to look for a niche first, and then when you find a recurring problem for the people in that niche.. you can either:

              a) Source a product to solve that problem

              or

              b) Create A product to solve that problem


              It doesn't make any sense to me to look for a product and then see if there is a need for it...

              I carry out my business on this phrase:...

              My aim is:

              To find a hungry market(niche) of buyers interested in a product (which comes from them having a need/want or desire for something), and then give them what they want in the form of said product, for which we receive a commission, whilst providing REAL value to them at all times...a win / win situation.

              Now... if you have a group of people who are hungry for something, there is a good chance that you can fill that void with a)source or b)create.. from above, right?...

              You need to find niche.. figure out their wants, needs and desires... and then put yourself right in there with the solution for them...

              Just my .02

              Jay
              Signature

              Bare Murkage.........

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              • Profile picture of the author Simon_Sezs
                The biggest problem with ClickBank products is that most are really geared toward IM newbs. The more you know and understand, the less you really find in most clickbank books (I only mention internet marketing is b/c that niche is probably the most sold niche in ClickBank).

                So, one of the previous posters is right....the real litmus to what makes a CB product good or not is really variant on what you know...or more importantly, what you DON'T know.
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                • Profile picture of the author Roy Carter
                  Jelasco - You said: "Gravity has nothing to do with product quality or sales volume. It has to do with how many affiliates have sold it recently, which is totally different.

                  It's like saying McDonald's has a lot of restaurants, so that means their burgers must be the best."


                  If more people understood this single fact alone then they would find a lot more good quality products to promote from Clickbank. Jason clearly understands this, as he says "My best seller and money maker (w/low refunds, too!) has a gravity UNDER 10."

                  An individual product owner can be selling tons of his own product through his own marketing efforts and that will not be reflected in the Gravity figure.

                  Also, for example, if a product owner is allowing a lower price for JV partners that can make the reported figures look awry and those that don't know this could interpret the figures to mean there have been a lot of refunds, when in fact there haven't.

                  Roy
                  Signature
                  "How To Hang Out On Various Exotic Islands Whilst Still Making Shed Loads Of Money...and stuff!" - Get your FREE ISSUE entitled...'A Quick, Easy $2,000 In Your Pocket By This Weekend!'
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