You are eager to be up and running and earning the big bucks from the sales of other people's products - but wait a minute! Take a little time to do some research first. You could dive straight in and pick the first program that catches your eye, but that could cost you dearly later. Questions need to be asked before you join any affiliate program.

The majority of affiliate programs are completely free of charge to join. It does not make much sense to choose one that charges you to join when there are so many that do not.

A good place to start is commissions. Generally you can expect between 5% and 40% for each sale you generate, but don't be surprised to see commissions of 50% and higher. If the product is a membership program then you can expect to receive the same amount every month for as long as the buyer remains a member.

How much you make depends on the cost of the product. 5% of $67 isn't much , but 30% is more appealing. A certain trading affiliate program generates $1000 per referral and the cost for the product is $8000. Decide on the lowest amount you are comfortable with and use that to aid you in your selection process.

Besides the commissions, does the affiliate program pay for hits and impressions? Payment for hits and impressions is important - from 0.01% - 0.05% being typical - as this will obviously increase your earnings from the sales commission. Doubly important if the program you have chosen offers low sales to hit ratio.

Who are you dealing with?

Check the retailer you are planning to do business with. Look at the products they are selling and the amount they are achieving. A solid company is less likely to mess you around with the issuing of checks.The more you know about the retailer offering the affiliate program, the easier it will be for you to decide if that program is suitable for you.

Where is my money, honey?

Commission checks. Payment times vary from checks being issued every two weeks, or once a month and even once a quarter. You may not like the idea of waiting 3 months to be paid, especially when you are just starting; but eventually you will have checks arriving from different programs at differnt times. Be sure to check if there is a minimum earned commission amount that has to be met in order for checks to be issued. You can sometimes set this amount yourself.

Is the affiliate program one tier or two tier?

A program that is single tier pays you only for the business you have generated yourself. Two tier programs pay you for the business, plus a commission on the sales produced by affiliates you sponsor in the program. There are even two-tier programs paying a small fee for every new affilaite you sponsor. It all adds up!

How and for how long are referrals tracked?

Referrals from your site need to be tracked in order for you to receive credit for a sale. Are you confident in the tracking process of visitors who purchase immediately after visiting your site? How about if these people do not buy initially but return at a later date to make a purchase? Be sure to check if you will still receive credit for a sale even if it is done weeks or months from that first visit.

Are affiliate statistics available?

In order to see what is working for you, you will need access to detailed stats online and available at any time you decide to access them. Constant checking of these stats is very important as it gives you the number of hits (each time a banner or text link is clicked); impressions (how many times your banner or link is displayed); and sales generated from your site. A low number of hits compared to banner impressions could suggest a change of banner is in order. Without the stats you would not know this.

Take time to thoroughly investigate any affiliate program you are considering. More time spent at the beginning will result in less wasted time, effort and money later. With experience, all of the above will become second nature.