Short Description:  As affiliate programs go, this one is about as simple as it gets.  The author of this program has not only put together a majority of the information you need (if you can sit still to read through 10 web pages), she opens the door to the whole world of affiliate site promotion.  The program is a total package, but more importantly, it is a jumping off point to much greater things if you have the slightest bit of imagination.  Unfortunately, the site, its partners and their partners seem a bit over-the-top on the marketing.  Don’t believe everything you read – it’s a very cleverly designed and marketed business – but do use this opportunity for what it’s good for, which is to get you started in the online affiliate world.
How it works: Once you purchase this program, you will read through all the information about the program, which includes just about everything you need to get started.  Not only will you be given the instructions and tools to “set up shop”, you will also be offered a fully developed website for $69.95, which includes the hosting.  You will not own the site or the url domain registration, but you will receive the affiliate fee for all traffic you send to the site.  If you choose to go with one (or both) of their websites, your affiliate site can be up and serving customers within just a few days. 
What they don’t tell you: This program leaves out a few technical details.  If you choose to set up your own website (which you can do without knowing how to program – see the Resources section), you will likely incur additional costs.  In addition, you will have costs for marketing your site through search engines, although we have provided some resources and ideas that you can employ to minimize or even turn those costs into a profit making venture in and of itself.  We also suspect that all the “supporting” sites are owned by the same person, and while we find that slightly annoying, we have to give them credit for creativity, and we don’t feel it detracts from the potential of the program.

Total Startup cost: under $150

Our rating: We have given this program a 4 out of 5 stars rating because it provides a surprisingly complete package, and has a substantial return on investment potential for the cost.  We took away a star because the sales site feels a bit gimmicky, and we are put off by poor spelling. 

Short Description:  This is a very cool little program that allows you to connect up to the Ebay database, and then display all the items in the category of your choice in your own little “niche” store website.  You drive traffic to your site, people see something they like and buy it from the seller on Ebay, Ebay pays you an affiliate fee which is a percentage of their auction fees. 
How it works: This is an actual software program, that helps you create your site using pre-designed templates, connects you directly to the Ebay database, and gives you a handy administrator tool by which you can edit the way the site displays, how it’s laid out, etc.  It does NOT include site hosting or a domain name for your site.  They have a “recommended vendor” for those things with which they undoubtedly have an affiliate partnership, but in our opinion their vendor is not necessarily the best option out there for site hosting or domain registry. 
What they don’t tell you: You will never make a living from this program.  In fact, the marketing alone will probably cost you well more than you could ever make from Ebay.  Ebay’s fees are really quite low – 2-3% of each sale.  So unless you are marketing large ticket items like cars, each sale that comes through your site will only make you pocket change.  On the other hand, if you do focus on the larger items, and you are willing to spend some time and money generating traffic for it, you could certainly supplement your income.  In any case, it’s very gratifying to be able to make your own purchases through Ebay and get an affiliate fee for doing so…
Total Startup cost:  Under $200

Our rating:  Despite the “cool” factor of being able to set up your own Ebay portal, we are only willing to give this one 2 stars out of 5 due to the low return on investment potential for most people.  For retired persons, this could represent a fine supplemental income stream.

Short Description:  This site is a legitimate source for all sorts of wholesale, drop-ship and liquidation wholesale items.  Their customers’ success is their success, so they provide video tutorials, market analysis tools, and support for every part of the purchasing process.  Unlike some other wholesale sites, you sign up as a distributor right on this site.  It’s fully networked and integrated with the wholesale companies.  This site provides a lot of Ebay stores with their inventory, but would work just as well for a traditional retail website.  Drop-ship wholesalers mean that you need not store or ship any of your own inventory, should you choose not to.
How it works: You purchase a lifetime membership to access the list of wholesalers that WorldWide Brands has already created relationships with.  You search the categories and choose your products using the marketing tools they provide with the membership to tell you what’s in demand, what competitive conditions are, and what wholesalers are supplying the products, then you create an account with the wholesalers of your choice, and purchase your products directly from the wholesalers.
What they don’t tell you: It’s pretty much all here.  The one thing they stress is to “keep an open mind.”  What that actually means is, many of the common ideas for products are not actually the most marketable.  Their tool will help you determine that, but you may end up with a product category that you have little or no previous knowledge of as the best option for your online business.  They make mention of this phenomenon, but until you actually start working through the product categories, it may not sink in. 
Total Startup cost: We estimate startup cost to be around $1000, which does not include any inventory purchase.  If you start out with drop-ship vendors, your initial inventory costs should be negligible.

Our rating:  We review this site at 4 stars.  The only reason we’re not giving it 5 stars is because the tool they have for picking the best products to market would be much easier to use if you could simply search by the “easy/hard” indicator, rather than having to see the rating of each product individually.  It takes a fair bit of time to research and find your optimum product, despite the tool.

Short Description:  Another wholesaler/drop-shipper site, SaleHOO has beefed its offering recently by adding a beta “market analytics” tool. 
What they don’t tell you:  SaleHoo simply provides you with a list of many wholesale companies that you then can connect directly with.  In essence, it is simply a directory that they maintain.  However, for the price, it is an excellent resource with a large wholesale directory.

Total Startup cost:  We estimate startup cost to be under $1000, not including the first inventory purchase.

*website creation cost based on average bids for a small website from service providers at elance.com.  For more information about elance.com, see our Resources section.

Our rating:  We also rated this site at 4 out of 5 stars because the quality of the wholesalers seems good.  We are a bit concerned, however, that SaleHOO might not be totally on top of maintaining their wholesaler database, as we ran into at least one wholesaler site that was no longer registered, and another that seemed perhaps to no longer have a partnership with SaleHOO.

Short Description: Ebay has set up a very easy to use, complete system to get you up and running with a web-presence with the backing of their considerable marketing clout. You don’t have to build a website, you don’t have to be technically-minded.  All you need to do is follow instructions, think of a good name for your store, and implement their program.  Obviously, you will need to have products to market, which our wholesale reviews above can help you with.  This is a great opportunity for anyone who would like to start a web business but don’t have the first clue where to start.  You may not make millions with an Ebay store, but it has quite good potential.
What they don’t tell you: Ebay is quite thorough with tutorials, information, support and marketing tools.  We have not found any gaps in their program.
Total Startup cost: There are three levels of store with Ebay: Basic, Premium and Anchor.  Basic and Premium stores currently have a free first month promotion, so the total startup cost for an Ebay store at those levels is essentially the cost of your inventory.

Our rating:  For this first-time internet store owner, this option strikes us as a brilliant start.  Having the power of Ebay marketing behind any store is an enormous bonus, and the program is well put together, so we have rated Ebay stores 5 stars.

This site is a subscription type site.  Rather than earning a commission on your projects, they ask you to pay a small subscription fee.  The fees are relatively low – from $4.69 to $9 per month depending on the level of service you prefer, and how much you would like to promote your services (the $9/mo. price level gets you top listings on the provider lists).  There is a promotional discount for signing up for a year of service. This site offers the following work categories:

• Accounting / Finance
• Administrative Support
• Business Consulting
• Engineering / Architecture
• Graphic Design / Multimedia
• Legal
• Marketing / Advertising / Sales
• Networking / Hardware / Telephony
• Photography / Videography
• Programming / Database Development
• Traditional Art (Illustration / Painting)
• Training / Education
• Writing / Editing / Translation

Our rating:We have rated this site 5 stars out of 5 based on the number of projects we found and the value for the money.  If you sign up with this site, we strongly recommend that you study and take advantage of all their marketing strategies to give yourself as much exposure as possible! 

Elance is a well-established freelance site.  They provide a full escrow service so that your payment is always secure – clients cannot “accidentally forget” to pay you for your work.  This site works on a “commission” basis.  It is free to sign up for, but you pay a percentage of your compensation for using their services.  This provides the following job categories:

• Web & Programming
• Design & Multimedia
• Writing & Translation
• Admin. Support
• Sales & Marketing
• Finance & Mgt.
• Legal
• Engineering & Mfg.

Our rating: Because of the escrow service and the mature process, we rate this service 4 stars out of 5.  We took one star away because a lot of international competition keeps bidding fairly low, and the commission fees can come close to 10%, which might further lower your potential income.

This company provides a very large database of survey companies you can sign up with.  However, they really shine in the information, resources and other services they provide – including a free form robot tool that automates the often repetitive and time-consuming task of filling your personal information into survey forms.  In addition to survey companies, they provide links to companies that offer other sorts of working at home opportunities.

Our rating:

We rate SurveyScout 5 stars out of 5 because we consider their $34.95 price to be an exceptional value, find their site to be extremely easy to navigate, and their tools easy to use.

While not as sophisticated as some of the other sites we’ve reviewed, this site does provide a significant database of survey companies, along with some tools, such as the form robot, that will make your survey-taking easier.  Update: This site has changed significantly since CashBuddha initially reviewed it.  When our CashBuddha staff was reviewing this opportunity, we found that it was a marketing front for another company, and the cost for access to the survey database was only $2.95.  It appears that since then, the cost for the survey information has increased to $29.95, and they are still fronting for the affiliate company.

Our rating:

Originally we rated this site a 4 out of 5 simply because $2.95 was such a low price for the information the program was offering, no matter how simplistic the site or obnoxious the marketing front was.  Now, however, we are dropping our rating to 2 out of 5.  Even though you can get the information you are paying for, we are offended by the “bait and switch” feel of the site.

This site also provides a database of survey companies, as well as “get paid for” driving, shopping and eating, and reading links.  However, it is also a front for another affiliate program, and much of its site content is advertising for other affiliate programs.  At $69.95, this site simply does not provide the value that SurveyScout does, so we have rated this one 1 out of 5 stars.  Advertising your affiliate partners on a site that provides real information and usefulness to your customers is one thing, but building 2/3 of your site around that advertising is just excessive in our opinion.  We do not recommend that you waste your money on this site

The Global Forex Trading company offers some excellent resources for beginner and seasoned traders alike.  From online brokerage accounts with “Practice” money in them, to live accounts for you to experience the real thing, this company provides everything you need to get started.  Use the Education page to start learning, and then start practicing with a free practice account.  This company has done a huge amount of work so that you don’t have to.  We rate this site 5 out of 5 stars.