How can I buy stuff not listed on SP via Amazon and still give SP credit?

[Taluntain]

This question has come up in the chatroom today, so apparently the instructions on SP are not quite transparent enough. Therefore, I decided to write a short guide to buying stuff via Amazon through SP. This way SP gets credit for anything you buy (usually 5% for every item), and it doesn't cost you anything more than a regular, non-SP Amazon purchase would. So in this way, you can support SP completely free of charge to yourself! What could be better than this?

Well, maybe the fact that you also get an avatar/portrait + title of your choice if you decide to support SP this way. Click here for more details.

Now, on to the main part of the guide.

As you probably know already, SP features a complete D&D games store, as well as extensive fantasy books and DVDs stores. Anything you buy via the Amazon links listed next to the items in those stores automatically earns SP the highest commission possible. If you buy one book, game or DVD via a link on SP, and then keep shopping via the same window, SP also gets credit for any subsequent purchases you make (though the credit is a bit lower - clicks on direct links earn SP the highest possible credit).

But what to do if an item you want is not listed anywhere on SP, but you still want SP to get the credit for your purchase? There are 2 possible ways to go about it.

1) Simply click on the Amazon link below where you want to shop:

Amazon.com - Amazon.ca - Amazon.co.uk - Amazon.de

When you click on any of the Amazon links above, the front page of that Amazon will open in a new window, and anything you buy from that point on (starting in that window), will earn SP a commission.

OR

2) There's a little more effort needed with this approach, but not much. This route involves making direct links - the end result being the same as if an item was listed on SP and you'd click the Amazon link next to it. In some cases, going this way earns SP a higher commission.

All you need to do with this approach is to go to Amazon (you can use the links above), find the item(s) you want, copy the entire link from the url field, and paste it into one of the fields at http://www.sorcerers.net/Main/translate.php (you can paste in up to 10 different ones at once). Then all you need to do is click the Submit Query button, and voila - you'll get a list of SP-ified direct links to those items. Then just click those links and you can add the items to your cart.

Concerning Privacy

Please keep in mind that all I can see in the Amazon sales statistics is which items were bought via SP, and when. I can't see any details of the buyers whatsoever. So if you buy something via an SP link, the purchase is 100% anonymous. You can elect to tell me about some of the items you bought (in order to get an avatar/title, as noted above), but you don't have to tell me about EVERY item. All I need is enough information for me to be able to check if your order did indeed go through an SP link properly.

However, you can also remain completely anonymous with your purchases (by simply not telling me what you bought), and still support SP.

Thanks in advance to all of you who decide to support Sorcerer's Place this way! If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact me via mail or PM. If all else fails, I can make the purchase links for you myself.

[Harbourboy]

Cool - so I can buy nudie stuff on Amazon via SP, and you'll never know that that was what I bought. Nice touch.

[Splunge]

Tal, I noticed that when I go to .ca, the address is exactly the same whether I do it direct or through the SP link. Is SP supposed to be referenced somewhere in the address? Or does Amazon "know" that I got there via an SP link through some sort of magical hocus-pocus?

[Taluntain]

Actually, it doesn't start off the same, keep watching the url line once you click and you'll see it starts off with the SP identifier in the url. I believe that once you arrive at the page, the SP identifier is stored in a cookie and automatically used throughout your purchases, so it doesn't appear in the url any more.

[Chas]

This just came up for me. I used your Amazon click-through last night and starting adding some items to the cart. Then my connection was interrupted. So I am wondering, when I go back through your click-through, will the items I previously added to my cart still get you a commission?

Wondering how this works, some related questions I thought of:

1. If I always use the click-through, but add items to the cart at different times, then use the click-through to check out, will you get all the commissions?

2. If I go directly to Amazon and add items, then later, click-through from here to check out, will you get the commission?

3. If I use the click through here and add items, but later log directly on to Amazon to check out, will you get the commission?

4. If I buy used stuff from 'private' sellers through Amazon (using the click-through here) do you still get a commission?


Also: Does it help if I click on the ads? I do not see most sites still asking to 'Please Click The Ads', so maybe the ad payments have changed.

[Taluntain]

Good questions.

Yes, as long as you started shopping via an SP link, anything you put in the cart was tagged to bring SP a commission, even if you proceed to checkout later. Note, however, that you must complete the purchase in 24 hours, because after that the session cookie expires.

1. Yes.

2. No. You must start via an SP link. Getting stuff retroactively tagged as coming from SP is not possible. You'd have to remove it from the cart and re-add it, via an SP link one way or another.

3. Yes.

4. Yes.

Please PM me with details in a day or two (when I can check the stats) and I'll check how the whole thing went through in practice.

As for the ads, with some it does, and with others it doesn't make much difference (they're not on a set pay-per-click schedule). I'd say only click on them if you see something of interest there. Too many clicks are quickly investigated and if they're discared, it doesn't really help anything.

[ May 21, 2005, 18:38: Message edited by: Taluntain ]

[Taluntain]

Some more information regarding bookmarks, and Amazon tracking:

Bookmarks

As far as bookmarks are concerned, any bookmarks of the Amazon links followed from SP should be valid to bring SP a commission, but only if a purchase is made through them within 24 hours. However, there really is no guarantee with bookmarked Amazon urls. The only really safe thing to bookmark is one of pages with Amazon links on SP. The links on SP will always be valid.

Amazon tracking

If someone clicks on one of the SP Amazon links, here's what happens:

When you click an Amazon link, you start a session at Amazon, and a cookie is set on your own computer. That session and cookie are active until one of three things happen:

1. 24-hours pass
2. A purchase is completed
3. You re-enter Amazon through another Associate's link.

While the session/cookie is active, anything added to your cart is tagged as SP's referral. You need to complete the purchase within 90-days of adding an item to your cart for SP to get the referral commission.

SP will get the referral even if the session that you checkout during begins by clicking another Associate's link. What matters is that it was added to your cart during SP's session.

That also means that if there was anything already in your cart when your session started, SP doesn't get a referral fee for those items. Only the items added to the cart during SP's session count.

(BTW... You can't just fool the system by taking it out of your cart, and adding it back in during SP's session. If it was in the cart when SP's session started, it doesn't matter how many times it is added or removed.)

So the key here is when an item is added to your shopping cart.

The Direct Link Bonus (2,5% above the standard 5% commission) is only applied to items purchased after following a Direct Link. A Direct Link is one going directly to a product's details page on Amazon. Direct Links on SP, for example, are links to books in the Fantasy Books section and to games in our Games Store. Direct SP links can also be made via the tool mentioned in my guide above.

Only the item that is the target of the Direct Link qualifies for the bonus. It is irrelevant whether it is offered by Amazon or a third-party seller. You can either add it straight to your cart, or click on the "New or used" links to view other offers of that product.

The key here is that the link needs to be a Direct Link, and only the target ASIN of the Direct Link gets the bonus, but it is irrelevant whether it's new or used, or third-party or Amazon.

[Klorox]

:bump:

Help SP out! Do your last minute Christmas shopping on Amazon.com (I know I did)!!!

[Taluntain]

Thanks.

[Ziad]

Alright, I may be an idiot...

I understand the first option (going to Amazon through the SP link) just fine. But, if the second one gets SP a higher commission, I'd much rather go with that. I'm not very clear on how to do that though. Have I got the sequence right?
- Go through the SP link to Amazon
- Find the item
- Paste address of item in the translation thingie
- Use the link I get to access the item again
- Add item to basket

Is this correct?

[Harbourboy]

Hmm, I thought that to get the extra commission, it was just case of clicking the link in SP for the specific item (e.g. a copy of Icewind Dale II) which takes you to that item for sale at Amazon.

[Jack Funk]

I just did what Ziad said. I used the extra link page (to order some Pittsburgh Steelers gear for my brother). I hope it worked.

[Ziad]

I thought that to get the extra commission, it was just case of clicking the link in SP for the specific item

I know about that, but the item I have in mind is not linked to directly from SP, hence my question.

[Taluntain]

Ziad, yes, that's how it works.

If you put in a link for an item at Amazon.ca, then click the Submit Query button, you'll see something like this:

Input string was [http://www.amazon.ca/exec/obidos/ASI...22607-5612049].

Sorcerer's Place Links:

Read the reviews and/or buy it at
Amazon.com or Amazon.ca or Amazon.co.uk or Amazon.de

---

The 4 links below the bolded "Sorcerer's Place Links:" title are SP-fied links for that item at all 4 Amazons listed. Then you just click one of those links and continue as usual.

I hope none of you have used the "Input string was" link again after that, because that one is actually the one you put in on the previous page. I know it's confused some people in the past and they've used that one by mistake, so I'll be removing the Input string bit in the near future so that there'll be no doubt about which links to use.

---

Harbourboy, that works too, but SP gets just the regular commission on all the items you buy that way. The commission on "direct links" to an item is slightly higher.

I know about that, but the item I have in mind is not linked to directly from SP, hence my question.

It doesn't matter; as long as you start your Amazon session with an Amazon link on SP, anything you buy will still be tagged for a SP commission, it'll just be a bit lower (as I've mentioned above).

[Ziad]

Thanks Tal, I'll be sure to use the proper link when I buy the stuff.

[Chas]

A little off-topic. I just today noticed the Affiliated Link for Newegg. No idea how long it has been there. So you now get a Newegg commission - just like Amazon? Because I do buy from newegg but I have not bought from Amazon for a long time.

[Taluntain]

Not that long - check http://www.sorcerers.net/forums/showthread.php?t=44797

And yep, it works just like Amazon. Simply click the link on SP and anything you buy in the subsequently opened window will bring SP a small commission. If you do buy anything, please let me know so I can check if it's working, since no one has bought anything so far.