Several of the products I promote as an affiliate are handled by Clickbank so naturally, I check my stats on a periodic basis. I don’t have a lot of sales , but I do make a little money now and again.

However, on a recent check (in September), I discovered some things that were very upsetting to me.

I found I had earned commission in May and June, but had not received a check. My payment threshhold is set at $10 and the total amount was considerably above this, so I was puzzled why I had not heard from Clickbank.

When I contacted them, I was told about the “Customer Distribution Requirement,” which states, your account must reflect sales made with 5 or more different credit card numbers, including at least one Visa card and one MasterCard, in order to be eligible to receive a check.

In other words, I could earn commissions on 10 products, but if the customers choose to use all Visa credit cards, I won’t get a check.

THIS IS NUTS! I have no control over the credit card a customer chooses to use!

Along with the rule that an account with a positive balance but no earnings for an extended period of time is considered dormant and therefore subject to charges for inactivity (in other words, if you haven’t made any sales within a certain amount of time, Clickbank starts taking the money away from you), it appears Clickbank has it all wrapped up in their favor.

Are you a Clickbank affiliate? What are your thoughts on this?