Become an Affiliate for St. Paul Mercantile

The Pitch

If you have a website or Blog, and you think your visitors might be interested in my products, please contact me regarding becoming an Affiliate. You could earn some nice commissions for very little effort on your part.

What is an Affiliate?

An Affiliate is a kind of partner. As an Affiliate, you place banners, pictures or articles on your website and/or blog that link to my website. If the person following your link purchases something from my website, you earn a commission on the sale. It's really that simple. Some people will just put a banner ad with a link. Others might include a link within an article on their website. For example, a website that talks about antique slot machines might include a mention of my business, as I manufacture stands designed for antique slots. A website selling stove and lantern wicks might link to me because I sell kerosene stoves and lanterns.

As an Affiliate, Am I Involved in the Sale?

No. All you do is place the link on the site. Once on my website, the sale is made, payment is collected, product is delivered, plus I handle any after-sale issues that might arise. You do absolutely nothing, except send me the traffic and collect the commission.

How Do You Know the Customer Came From My Website?

Each Affiliate is assigned a unique referral code, and that code is included in the link you place on your website. My website includes the code with each product sold, so when I am notified of a sale, I can tell if it came from one of my Affiliates. When the sale is recorded in my order-tracking system, your code is recorded along with the sale. Then every couple of months I run reports for each Affiliate to see how much commission each has earned.

How Do I Receive Payment?

My preferred method of payment is through Paypal. I simply use the "send money" option to send you your commission. I can also send a check if that is preferred.

Is There a Way that I can Track My Sales?

Unfortunately, no. I do not use an external tracking service, as I do not use a sophisticated shopping cart. If you occasionally want to email me for an update, I can run a quick report and let you know how many sales you've brought in. But the bottom line is that you just have to trust that I am being honest with you. I enjoy an excellent reputation with my Affiliates, and I view the Affiliate strategy as the best way for me to expand my business, so if I write you a big commission check, it means I am making money because of your work, so it is in my best interest to be completely honest and transparent.

How Much Money Can I Make?

Some Affiliates make $300-$500 a month, while others make less, and one makes more. It just depends upon how much business you send me, and whether they buy anything. Note that you only make money if they buy something. I do not pay for click-throughs or banner impressions.

What are the Commission Percentages?

Commissions range from 5% to 10%, depending upon the markup. Details are available to serious applicants. But for example, if someone purchases a $500 fireplace, you would earn $25 (5%). If they bought $500 worth of individual kerosene products, you would earn $50 (10%).

How Do I Sign Up?

Just email or call me to discuss. Tell me about your website or blog and we can discuss how we can work together.