Thursday, June 20, 2002
What's the deal with DealTime?
Posted by Jason Dunn in "UPDATE" @ 08:29 AM
Some of you probably noticed the "search for the lowest price" links I used a few days ago, and yesterday Chris helped me add a new form onto the site - the DealTime low price search box. What does it all mean?
Well, here's the story. When I first launched the site in October 2000, I didn't have banner ads. I linked to affiliate products on Amazon.com in the hope that you guys would buy them. Many of you have supported me through those links, and I thank you for it - but the numbers were never very high. The most I ever made from Amazon was about $110 in a month, and that was when there was a Pocket PC 2002 ordering frenzy. Not that I'm ungrateful mind you, but it's not something I can pay the heating bill with.
I also noticed that when I posted an affiliate product, someone would always come along with a better price and undermine my efforts. At first I was upset about this, because it seemed like a huge lack of respect for what I was doing, but ultimately I realized that I'm no different than all of you: you want to find the best price you can because you work hard for your money. I can respect that.
So now we come to DealTime, a tool you can use to find the lowest price on whatever you're looking for. They're a major shopping portal, similar to Pricegrabber, and have everything from Pocket PCs to flowers, from DVD players to fax machines, from laptops to plane tickets. I've partnered with DealTime for one simple reason: if you go searching for the lowest price using the DealTime links I give you, DealTime pays us. It's not a lot, less than a quarter, but the theory goes that if you use this a lot, it will add up. With banner advertising being down quite a bit (everyone wants us to post on their product, but only a small handful of companies are willing to support this site), I'm looking for other ways to keep the lights on around here.
Let me explain how it works: type whatever you're looking for into the box and you'll be taken to a page that will ask to refine your search based on the category. The next page will usually be offering you the selection of products - ie: multiple models of the iPAQ for instance. Once you click on the model you're interested in seeing prices on, it will take you to a list of vendors that offer the product and what prices they have it at. When you click on the vendor link, that's when DealTime pays us. Don't like what that vendor has to offer? Click the back button in your browser to return to that list of vendors and select another - cling cling, another donation to Thoughts. I'd ask that you not abuse this by clicking on every link you can find - use it when you're looking for a product.
I'd really like your support in this - use it!
No matter what product you're looking for, come here and use this tool - and you'll be helping the site. Looking for a DVD? Looking for earrings for your wife? Come back to Thoughts to search for it. The more you use it, the more you'll be helping this site.
A side note: I have this wacky dream of paying my contributors some "fun money" every month for the great work they do, but so far it's just that - a dream. At one point I was excited about the Handango affiliate sales being able to fulfill this dream, until I saw the sales figures. Guess how much money seven months of direct affiliate linking made for us? $375 US or so. $53 a month does not fun money make.
I'm hoping that when we launch our "real" storefront, we'll see more sales.
As always, I'm open to questions, comments, and concerns. I want to be honest with you about where this site is going. I really like spending my days working on this site, and I'm looking for ways to keep doing it. If you can support me in doing this, we all benefit. Thank you!
Well, here's the story. When I first launched the site in October 2000, I didn't have banner ads. I linked to affiliate products on Amazon.com in the hope that you guys would buy them. Many of you have supported me through those links, and I thank you for it - but the numbers were never very high. The most I ever made from Amazon was about $110 in a month, and that was when there was a Pocket PC 2002 ordering frenzy. Not that I'm ungrateful mind you, but it's not something I can pay the heating bill with.
I also noticed that when I posted an affiliate product, someone would always come along with a better price and undermine my efforts. At first I was upset about this, because it seemed like a huge lack of respect for what I was doing, but ultimately I realized that I'm no different than all of you: you want to find the best price you can because you work hard for your money. I can respect that.So now we come to DealTime, a tool you can use to find the lowest price on whatever you're looking for. They're a major shopping portal, similar to Pricegrabber, and have everything from Pocket PCs to flowers, from DVD players to fax machines, from laptops to plane tickets. I've partnered with DealTime for one simple reason: if you go searching for the lowest price using the DealTime links I give you, DealTime pays us. It's not a lot, less than a quarter, but the theory goes that if you use this a lot, it will add up. With banner advertising being down quite a bit (everyone wants us to post on their product, but only a small handful of companies are willing to support this site), I'm looking for other ways to keep the lights on around here.
Let me explain how it works: type whatever you're looking for into the box and you'll be taken to a page that will ask to refine your search based on the category. The next page will usually be offering you the selection of products - ie: multiple models of the iPAQ for instance. Once you click on the model you're interested in seeing prices on, it will take you to a list of vendors that offer the product and what prices they have it at. When you click on the vendor link, that's when DealTime pays us. Don't like what that vendor has to offer? Click the back button in your browser to return to that list of vendors and select another - cling cling, another donation to Thoughts. I'd ask that you not abuse this by clicking on every link you can find - use it when you're looking for a product.
I'd really like your support in this - use it!
No matter what product you're looking for, come here and use this tool - and you'll be helping the site. Looking for a DVD? Looking for earrings for your wife? Come back to Thoughts to search for it. The more you use it, the more you'll be helping this site.A side note: I have this wacky dream of paying my contributors some "fun money" every month for the great work they do, but so far it's just that - a dream. At one point I was excited about the Handango affiliate sales being able to fulfill this dream, until I saw the sales figures. Guess how much money seven months of direct affiliate linking made for us? $375 US or so. $53 a month does not fun money make.
I'm hoping that when we launch our "real" storefront, we'll see more sales.As always, I'm open to questions, comments, and concerns. I want to be honest with you about where this site is going. I really like spending my days working on this site, and I'm looking for ways to keep doing it. If you can support me in doing this, we all benefit. Thank you!
