[armandrex21]

Hello,

I am looking into the API Partner Program for either Shopping.com or Shopzilla. The general information seems pretty much the same for both companies, but I wanted to see if anyone has feedback they can provide (i.e. better api? better support? better payout structure? more reliable? etc).

I’m looking for any personal feedback or if you recommend one service over another.

Thanks in advance!

[isellstuff]

I've used the Shopping.com API extensively to back fill prices on my affiliate based price comparison website. I am not impressed with their program because:

1) No sub-id tracking. sub-id tracking is really important to figure out the value of clicks. Channel tracking isn't the same thing.

2) API isn't really designed that well

3) Usage rules require pixel tracking on every page and attribution via a powered by shopping.com logo.

4) Smart pricing will drive your price down to 1 cent or less pretty quickly if your traffic is just window shopping.

5) eBay style bureaucracy is annoying...

So I would look at Shopzilla before Shopping.com, if I were looking again. I dropped Shopping.com after awhile, it wasn't worth the headaches.

[armandrex21]

Thanks for the feedback! Very useful information. A lot of stuff I'm finding on the internet has been negative in regards to the Shopping.com API.

Curious to see if anyone has used the Shopzilla API and what their experience is like with them.

[555five]

Shopping.com API recently works well. They moved to version 3. Full documentation, support forums, the new (more friendly) staff support.

Run Report on the products in Shopping.com Partners. Like $ 11.07 per click...
But the bulk of small clicks (Smart pricing quality filter traffic), they will reduce the average.

Product Name/leads/Revenue per Lead/Revenue /Category

Splash Banzai Splash Blast Lagoon
1 $11.07 $11.07 Toys

Mustang (SC-E120D16:9)
1 $9.34 $9.34 Projection Screens

KitchenAid KFP750
1 $7.79 $7.79 Food Processors

Raymarine Raymarine Raystar 125 Gps Sensor
2 $5.84 $11.68 Marine Electronics

The Settlers of Catan - New 4th Edition!!!!!
1 $5.18 $5.18 Toys

Tag Heuer Tag Heuer Formula 1 Mens Watch CAH1012.BT0717
1 $4.42 $4.42 Watches

Clinique Clinique Colour Surge E/S Soft Shimmer Iced Mauve
1 $4.39 $4.39 Cosmetics

Mizuno Mizuno 9 Spike Classic Lo G3 Baseball Spike Mens
1 $4.11 $4.11 Shoes

Skechers Skechers Urbantrack II Sleaks Boys
2 $3.63 $7.27 Shoes

Skamper Ramp Skamper Dog Pool Ramp
1 $3.61 $3.61 Pets

P3 International SOL MATE MOLE REPELLER EA P3IP7911
1 $3.41 $3.41 Garden

Shiseido Shiseido The Makeup Shimmering Lipcolor SL11
1 $3.35 $3.35 Cosmetics

Palm Vx
1 $3.26 $3.26 PDAs

Extra Valve for Orbit Yard Watering System
1 $2.99 $2.99 Garden

JBL CS600SAT
1 $2.95 $2.95 Home Theater Speakers and Subwoofers

Canon PowerShot S90
1 $2.91 $2.91 Digital Cameras

Midwest LifeStages Extra-Large Folding Dog Crate w/Divider
1 $2.85 $2.85 Pets

Victorinox Victorinox Mobilizer Nxt® Envoy Top Zip Travel Kit
1 $2.68 $2.68 Luggage

Jura-Capresso Infinity 565
2 $2.56 $5.13 Coffee Grinders

Dana Perfumes Lutece by Dana 3.4oz Eau De Toilette Spray for Women
1 $2.51 $2.51 Perfumes and Colognes

VWR Super Sabrelite Flashlight - Super Sabrelite Submersible Flashlight Pel...
2 $2.42 $4.84 Flashlights

ACTION LIGHT FRONT CYGO TRION 600 LED LI-ION SELF CONTAIN
1 $2.42 $2.42 Flashlights

SEARCHLIGHT ELECTRIC AE Light PL24/6 PowerLight 24W HID Searchlight SEARCHL...
1 $2.42 $2.42 Flashlights

Weber-Stephen Products Weber 9814 Gas Grill Flavorizer Bars
2 $2.14 $4.28 Grill and Smoker Accessories

Klipsch Synergy III C-1
3 $2.02 $6.07 Home Theater Speakers and Subwoofers

Pyramid PB1100
1 $2.00 $2.00 Car Amplifiers

Porter Cable 7812
1 $2.00 $2.00 Vacuums

Kingston 1 GB DDR
1 $1.98 $1.98 Random Access Memory (RAM)

Niles OS3
2 $1.98 $3.95 Home Theater Speakers and Subwoofers

APC Back-UPS RS 800VA
2 $1.96 $3.92 UPS Systems Devices

SIIG (NN-EC2012-S1)
1 $1.77 $1.77 Serial Adapters

Dockers Mens Catalina by Dockers Saddle Soft Full Grain
4 $1.77 $7.08 Shoes

Intuit Quicken Deluxe 2010
1 $1.75 $1.75 Software

Weber-Stephen Products Weber 7508 Stainless-Steel Burner Tube Set
1 $1.71 $1.71 Grill and Smoker Accessories

New Balance New Balance Mw977 Mens
5 $1.68 $8.39 Shoes

Night and Horses and the Desert: An Anthology of Classical Arabic Literatur...
1 $1.59 $1.59 Books

Theodore J. Lowi, Kenneth A. Shepsle, Benjamin Ginsberg - American Governme...
1 $1.59 $1.59 Books

Black & Decker Black & Decker PS130 12V Black & Decker Battery (Stem Type)
3 $1.52 $4.55 Tools and Accessories

Timex Mens Timex Expedition Watch T49698
1 $1.48 $1.48 Watches

Anne Klein AK Anne Klein Women's Synthetic watch #8378MPBK
1 $1.48 $1.48 Watches

Sennheiser SET-100
2 $1.45 $2.91 Headphones

BIC America DV-32
1 $1.39 $1.39 Home Theater Speakers and Subwoofers

Privo Privo Womens Comice Slip On
2 $1.34 $2.68 Shoes

Puma Puma Mens Complete Trail 100 Shoe Shadow
1 $1.34 $1.34 Shoes

Montrail Molokini by Montrail for Women
1 $1.34 $1.34 Shoes

Ray-Ban Ray Ban RX5121 eyeglasses 2291 : Yellow tortoise frame
1 $1.30 $1.30 Personal Care

Spa Girl Spa Girl Powerderm Microdermabrasion System (Kit)
1 $1.30 $1.30 Personal Care

Moda Spana Moda Spana Women's Kamala Pump Black (Moda Spana; Women's)
2 $1.28 $2.57 Shoes

Scholastic Scholastic Little Red Tool Box: Sentence Building Tiles Super Se...
2 $1.28 $2.56 Toys

Nescafe Nescafe Taster's Choice Instant Coffee, Naturally Decaffeinated, 7 ...
1 $1.25 $1.25 Food and Drink

Levys Levy'S Jimi Hendrix Electric Guitar Gig Bag Haight Street
2 $1.23 $2.46 Musical Instruments

Monster Cable Products IS-10CM
1 $1.18 $1.18 Home Theater Speakers and Subwoofers

Panasonic RF-SW50
1 $1.16 $1.16 Personal Radios

Kwik Tek Kwik Tek Pwc Grapnel Anchor System
1 $1.14 $1.14 Boating and Sailing Accessories

Sanus MF215
2 $1.12 $2.24 Monitor Accessories

Skechers Skechers Cali Women's Cult Canvas Wedge Sling
2 $1.11 $2.22 Shoes

Mattel Mattel Hot Wheels Flip N Go Robot Attack Playset
2 $1.10 $2.19 Toys

Wham-O Spiderman Slip 'n Slide 16ft Water Slide
1 $1.08 $1.08 Toys

Philips T765
1 $1.02 $1.02 Shavers

[Snib]

I've been using Shopzilla for some time and I've been fairly happy with their offering. It can be quite cumbersome to deal with their data, but that's because I take their FTP flat files rather than use the API. You just need to be picky with which merchants to show. Many are using underhanded selling practices and require a close look. You have have to hand pick each merchant to make customer-conscience use of the data.

I don't look at Shopzilla as a primary source of income. I mostly use them to fill in the gaps the affiliate programs leave.

- Scott

[555five]

On the official Amazon Affiliates forum one user posted about his price comparison site Deallooker.com (site based on the Shopzilla API ) earned $800 per day

[affninja]

Regarding the Shopzilla program, what is a typical payout per click? Is there an advantage to using Shopzilla over just joining the merchant program and sending traffic straight there? Or does Shopzilla have relationships with certain stores without affiliate programs?

Also, can you traffic direct from your site to the merchant, without passing through Shopzilla?

I think they might be a good fit for one of my sites but I'm trying to understand a little more how it works. Their FAQ's are kind of lacking.

[vjboc]

I can't speak for shopping.com, I have been part of Shopzilla for a month or so and I like the results. Let me know how it goes.





-Vinny

[phpJoel]

I haven't used Shopping.com's API, is it CPA or CPC?

I have been using Shopzilla for quite some time now. I think "officially," they are a mix of CPC/CPA.. but it might as well be CPC from what I've seen. What happens is: the links goto the merchant's product page, however the visitor pretty much must click around the merchant's site in order for you to make any money. The payout seems kinda low anyway..

It probably is best to use as filler for CPA/CPS content, in my opinion.

[sellingstuffsince1800s]

Originally Posted by armandrex21

Thanks for the feedback! Very useful information. A lot of stuff I'm finding on the internet has been negative in regards to the Shopping.com API.

Curious to see if anyone has used the Shopzilla API and what their experience is like with them.

I integrated Shopzilla APIs to my site. The CPC average was 1 cent once i started driving more traffic. It somehow started falling with the increase of clicks. Then one fine morning after operating for 6 months with loses, Shopzilla API data vanished from our site without notice. We contacted them. After a week Shopzilla stated that we have started to compete with their own subsidiary site.
Did not do this CPC business since then.