Everyone is correct here about affiliate cookies - they're certainly not foolproof by any means.   We now host our own affiliate program and the affiliate script we're using also uses 'Flash cookies' (yes, there are actually cookies stored inside of Flash - which was news to me!)   Most of the anti-virus / spyware programs don't clear Flash cookies (which also work across multiple browsers on a single machine).  Hopefully CJ, CB and others will start adding Flash cookies to their affiliate programs to create a more reliable commission program.   By the way, my own personal opinion is that 30 days is too short a period.  People will often look around for at least that long or longer before purchasing, so 60 to 90 days or more is much better.

Do you mean 'flash cookies' would remain more than 30 days? like 60 or 90 days? If it so, it would be so helpful for afiliate marketers like us. Thanks

handslikesecret wrote: So- for example, if amazon had a 30-day cookie referral period, if someone clicked on the amazon banner on my website, and then a week later went directly to amazon.com and bought something, I would receive a commission? Yes, however the same issues still arises and mentioned in my post above.

NRiddle is correct. Many users use spyware programs, which delete these referral cookies so I tell users if they like my site, to support it by using my affiliate link. I recently went to an affiliate conference and they said the life of an average referral cookie is only about 9 days. Furthermore, that life goes down for people who categorize themselves as 'tech-savvy' to about 1 day. So its' important to brand yourself and tell the user 'You like my content? Buy through me' Midwife San Diego ---This post was edited to remove a commercial link. Read our discussion policies for more Community best practices.