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Selling Physical Products

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Owen Allen
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In addition to digital products, ClickBank also lets you sell physical products. You can sell a wide variety of physical products, such as books, DVDs, fitness equipment, food products, cosmetics, or supplements. Offering physical products that complement your digital products can appeal to a wider group of customers. This article explains how you can start offering physical goods to customers.

ClickTip: CLICK HERE for a step-by-step article on how to set up a shipping profile.

ClickTip: CLICK HERE for COVID-19 related shipping updates. 

The following subjects are covered in this article:

Admin-Controlled Features

All vendors can sell physical products. However, some additional capabilities are admin-controlled. Contact ClickBank if you want access to any of these capabilities:

  • Selling physical products with a $0 initial price

Physical Product Requirements

Flat Media

This category includes books, CDs, DVDs, and other physical media products.

You must meet the following requirements to sell flat media products:

    • You must use ClickBank’s Customer Support Ticket System to respond to tech support or refund requests.
    • You must send Shipping Notifications for all orders.
    • You must fulfill flat media orders from the United States.
    • You must display shipping and refund policies on your website.

To submit a flat media product for approval, you must supply the following:

    • A version of the product (either a physical copy or a digital copy).
    • The URL of your sales or pitch page.

See the Creating a Physical Product section for more information about submitting a product for approval.

FDA-Regulated Products

To submit an FDA product for review, you must supply the following:

☐ Name and address of manufacturer.
Please provide the legal name for the manufacturer or the product, along with the complete physical address, and website URL (if available).

☐ Name and address of fulfillment company.
Please provide the legal name for the manufacturer of the product, along with the complete physical address and website URL (if available).

☐Vendor company name. 
Please provide the legal name and address of the company who owns the product(s) and/or brands under submission. 

☐Full and name and email address for signatory. 
Please provide the full name and email address for the vendor company representative authorized to sign the Product Addendum which will be delivered via DocuSign. (The Addendum extends our Terms or Service to over FDA-regulated products).

☐Label Artwork. 
Please provide all final label artwork file(s) in full color, PDF form, for every SKU submitted for review. 
Please not that any subsequent label changes must be resubmitted as new labels for review. A "label change" includes any kind of change to the label, including, but not limited to: product size, label graphics, font, claims, ingredients, new flavor(s) or formulation, etc.

☐Product sample.
If requested, please submit a full-sized, finished product sample unit, as it ships to the consumer, of each proposed SKU. Include a sample of each size and flavor. Send the items for review to: 

ClickBank Regulatory Compliance
Attn: Joie Mason
1444 S. Entertainment Ave., Ste. 410 
Boise, ID 83709 

Please note that, as part of the physical product compliance process, certain product types - all sexual enhancement and nootropic supplements, along with some weight loss and testosterone boosters - will be tested by a third-party lab or ClickBank's choice and billed to the product owner. 

☐cGMP compliance. 
Certificates may be request showing that your manufacturing process and/or contract manufacturers comply with the FDA's Current Good Manufacturing Practices. Voluntary submission of cGMP certification for your manufacturer is encouraged. 

☐Certificate of Analysis. 
Certificates of Analysis for your products may be request to verify compliance with the identity and finished product testing required pursuant to cGMP.

☐Legal/regulatory actions.
Please provide copies of all warning letters, complaints, consent decrees, orders, or other documents related to legal, administrative or regulatory proceedings, investigation, or action relating to your or your product(s) and/or company, without limitation and in perpetuity.

☐Insurance. 
Please provide a Certificate or Insurance and policy endorsements as proof that you have procured and maintain liability insurance issued to your company as the brand owner, with limits as set forth below, with "Click Sales Inc. 1444 S. Entertainment Ave., Ste. 410, Boise, ID 83709" named as an additional insured on the required policy. You agree to provide to Click Sales Inc. current Certificates of Insurance at the time of policy renewal while your product(s) is actively selling through ClickBank.com.

Each Occurrence

$1,000,000 USD

Commercial General Liability Aggregate
*Including Product Liability 

$2,000,000 USD

Products/Completed Operations Aggregate

$2,000,000 USD

Advertising Injury and Personal Injury Aggregate

$1,000,000 USD 


The Certificate of Insurance must also include the following endorsements: 

  • 30-day Cancellation Notice
  • Additional Insured Form
  • Waiver of Subrogation
  • Primary and Noncontributory -- Other Insurance Condition Endorsement
    (The cost of Product Liability Insurance varies based on many factors, but these coverages will likely cost a minimum of $2,000-$4,000 per year.)

☐ Marketing copy.
Please provide copies of all final marketing material copy, including test and images on all web pages, pitch pages, and upsell flow page, or physical inserts and/or booklets that will be presented to customers during a ClickBank transaction. Files must be received in the form of text and image files. Locked or unsearchable PDFs will not be accepted for review. Please note that any subsequent change must be resubmitted for re-review. 

Important: If you supply products for sale on ClickBank, you must comply with all federal, state, and local laws, and ClickBank policies applicable to those products and product listings. 

ClickBank reserves the right to request additional documentation or certification at any point in time. 

 

Other Products

This category includes any physical product that does not fall into the other product categories, such as flashlights, tools, or jewelry.

You must meet the following requirements to sell other physical products:

    • You must use ClickBank’s Customer Support Ticket System to respond to tech support or refund requests.
    • You must send Shipping Notifications for all orders.
    • You must fulfill all orders from the United States.
    • Your products must be finished in the United States.
    • You must display shipping and refund policies on your website.

To submit a physical product for approval, you must supply the following:

    • A sample of the product. (ClickBank may waive this requirement for specific products at our discretion.)
    • The URL of your sales or pitch page.

See the Creating a Physical Product section for more information about submitting a product for approval.

Product Types + Definitions

Dietary Supplements 

  • A vitamin;
  • A mineral;
  • An herb or other botanical;
  • An amino acid;
  • A dietary substance for use by man to supplement the diet by increasing the total dietary intake; or
  • A concentrate, metabolite, constituent, extract, or a combination of any ingredient mentioned above.

Dietary supplements are products (other than tobacco) ingested orally and intended to supplement the diet and that contain one or more of the following dietary ingredients: Dietary supplements may not claim to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent a disease or symptoms of a disease. Also contains a "Supplement Facts" panel as a defining characteristic.

Food Products

Encompasses all food products meant for consumption for nutritional values.

Cosmetics 

Defined as articles intended to be rubbed, poured, sprinkled, or sprayed on, introduced into, or otherwise applied to the human body for cleansing, beautifying, promoting attractiveness, or altering the appearance. Examples of cosmetics: skin moisturizers, perfumes, lipsticks, fingernail polishes, eye and facial makeup preparations, shampoos, permanent waves, hair colors, toothpastes, and deodorants, as well as any material intended for use as a component of a cosmetic product.

Over-The-Counter (OTC) Drugs 

OTC drugs are defined as drugs that are safe and effective for use by the general public without seeking treatment by a health professional. Because there are over 300,000 marketed OTC drug products, FDA reviews the active ingredients and the labeling of over 80 therapeutic classes of drugs instead of individual drug products. Once a final monograph is approved/implemented, companies can make and market an OTC product without need for FDA pre-approval as long as the product adheres to the desired monograph. These monographs define the safety, effectiveness, and labeling of all marketing OTC active ingredients. Examples of OTC Drugs: topical pain creams, antifungals, antibacterials, sunscreen products.

Essential Oils 

Essential oils are unique in the fact that they may be marketed as many different types of products depending on the intended use. FDA determines a product's intended use based on factors such as claims made in the labeling, on website, and in advertising, as well as what consumers expect it to do. Depending on the net impression of the marketing materials, an essential oil may be labeled/marketed as a dietary supplement, cosmetic, drug or aromatic product. That being said, essential oil product may only be marketed within one product category. Many warning letters have been sent to companies trying to market essential oils for dietary, topical and aromatic uses which is non-compliant from the FDA's perspective.

Pet Supplements 

The rules that apply to human supplements also apply to pet supplements.  Pet supplements also may not claim to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent a disease or symptoms of a disease.

Medical Devices 

A device intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent disease. Medical devices range from simple tongue depressors and toothbrushes to complex surgical devices.

Minimum Labeling Requirements

Dietary Supplements

  • Identity Statement (examples: Dietary Supplement, Fish Oil Supplement, Protein Supplement) on the Principle Display Panel (Front panel of the label)
  • Name and place of business. This may be the manufacturer, packer, or distributor. This includes the street address, city, state, and zip code.
  • Allergen Disclosure, if present in formula
  • Supplement Facts Panel that contains all ingredients; "Ingredients/Other Ingredients" section immediately following below the Facts Panel
  • FDA disclaimer & footnote (if product makes Structure/Function claims)
  • Label is void of any drug/disease claims
  • Net quantity/contents (in terms of weight, measure, numerical count or a combination of numerical count and weight or measure)
  • Directions for Use.

Cosmetics

  • Identity Statement (examples: Lotion, Cream, Foundation, etc) on the Principle Display Panel (Front panel of the label)
  • Net quantity/contents (in terms of weight, measure, numerical count or a combination of numerical count and weight or measure)
  • Name and place of business. This may be the manufacturer, packer, or distributor. This includes the street address, city, state, and zip code.
  • Distributor Statement. If the name and address are not those of the manufacturer, the label must say "Manufactured for..." or "Distributed by..." or similar wording expressing the facts.
  • Material Facts. Failure to reveal material facts is one form of misleading labeling and therefor makes a product misbranded. An example is directions for safe use, if a product could be unsafe if used incorrectly.
  • Warnings and Cautionary Statements. These must be prominent and conspicuous. The FD&C Act and related regulations specify warning and caution statements related to specific products. In addition, cosmetics that may be hazardous to consumers must bear appropriate label warnings. An example of such hazardous products is flammable cosmetics.
  • Ingredients. If the product is sold on a retail basis to consumers, even if it is labeled "For professional use only" or words to that effect, the ingredients must appear on an information panel, in descending order of predominance. If your cosmetic is also a drug, its labeling must comply with regulations for both OTC drug and cosmetic ingredient labeling requirements.

OTC (Over-the-counter) Drugs

  • Each unique OTC drug product classification has its own respective labeling requirements specific to the approved drug monograph.

Foods

  • Identity Statement (examples: Soup, Rice, Cookies, Brownie Mix, etc) on the Principle Display Panel (Front panel of the label)
  • Name and place of business. This may be the manufacturer, packer, or distributor. This includes the street address, city, state, and zip code.
  • Allergen Disclosure, if present in formula
  • Nutrition Facts Panel that contains all ingredients; "Ingredients/Other Ingredients" section immediately following below the Facts Panel
  • Net quantity/contents (in terms of weight, measure, numerical count or a combination of numerical count and weight or measure)
  • Directions for Use.

Pet Supplements

  • Brand Name, if any.
  • Product Name.
  • Purpose Statement.
  • Guaranteed Analysis.
  • List of Ingredients.
  • Directions for Use.
  • Warning or Caution Statements.
  • Name and place of business. This may be the manufacturer, packer, or distributor. This includes the street address, city, state, and zip code.
  • Net quantity/contents (in terms of weight, measure, numerical count or a combination of numerical count and weight or measure).

Essential Oils

  • Labeling would ultimately depend on the intended use of the product.
  • an essential oil may be labeled/marketed as a dietary supplement, cosmetic, drug or aromatic product.
    • If it's a dietary supplement, then it would need to follow the minimums listed above for supplements.
    • If it's a cosmetic, then it would need to be labeled with all the minimums provided above for cosmetics.
  • Essential Oils may not be labeled for more than one intended use.
  • Many warning letters have been sent to companies trying to market essential oils for dietary, topical and aromatic uses which is non-compliant from the FDA's perspective.

Proposition 65 (Prop 65) Warning

(Applies to products sold in the state of California)

WARNING:

Consuming this product can expose you to cadmium,

a chemical known to the State of California to

cause cancer. For more information go to

www.P65Warnings.ca.gov/food

  • A link to the State of California’s AG’s site, with details on the Prop 65 Notices, including judgment amounts, filed in the state.  Most, if not all, of these suits are initiated by a company called Environmental Research Center or ERC.
  • While it is true that firms with less than 10 employees are exempt from Prop 65 requirements, we, as the retailer, are not exempt.

Marketing

When selling a product regulated by the FDA/FTC, it is important to keep in mind that everything you use to market your product is under regulatory scrutiny. This includes websites, social media, testimonials, mailers, in-box educational materials, the label of your product, as well as TV or radio commercials. Product claims made on any of these avenues needs to be compliant and substantiated to reduce risk of enforcement. Below is a high-level description of the major categories of product claims. It is important to note that, with few exceptions, the marketing of most FDA-regulated products (supplements, cosmetics, etc.) should start from a point of health and not make claims to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent disease.

  • A nutrient content claim is a claim on a food product that directly or by implication characterizes the level of a nutrient in the food. Usually qualified with the following terms; "Free", "Low", "Reduced/Less", "High/Rich in", "Excellent Source of", "Good Source of", "High Potency", "Rich in Antioxidants", etc. These claims are made against established Daily Reference Values (DRV) for the respective nutrient and may only be made on Food labels as well as Dietary Supplement labels if certain stipulations are met.
  • A health claim is any claim made on the label or in labeling of a food, including a dietary supplement, that expressly or by implication through any related marketing material, characterizes the relationship of any substance to a disease or health-related condition. Implied health claims include related marketing materials or other forms of communication that suggest, within the context in which they are presented, that a relationship exists between the presence or level of a substance in the food and a disease or health-related condition. Further, health claims are limited to claims about disease risk reduction, and cannot be claims about the diagnosis, cure, mitigation, or treatment of disease. Health claims are required to be reviewed and evaluated by FDA prior to use. An example of an authorized health claim is: "Three grams of soluble fiber from oatmeal daily in a diet low in saturated fat and cholesterol may reduce the risk of heart disease. This cereal has 2 grams per serving.".
  • Qualified health claims characterize the relationship between a substance to a disease or health-related condition but did not meet the Significant Scientific Agreement (SSA) standard to qualify as a Health Claim. Due to not meeting the SSA requirements, QHCs must be accompanied by a disclaimer stating that the FDA does not recognize the supporting scientific evidence to be sufficient. Here is an example of a QHC for Tomatoes/Tomato Sauce and it's relation to Prostate Cancer: "Very limited and preliminary scientific research suggest that eating one-half to one cup of tomatoes and/or tomato sauce a week may reduce the risk of prostate cancer. FDA concludes that there is little scientific evidence supporting this claim."
  • A compliant structure/function claim can either:
    1. describe the role of a nutrient or dietary ingredient intended to affect normal structure or function in humans ("calcium builds strong bones");
    2. characterize the action by which a nutrient or dietary ingredient maintains such structure or function ("fiber helps maintain digestive regularity");
    3. or describe a benefit related to a nutrient deficiency disease (like vitamin C and scurvy), as long as the statement also tells how widespread the disease is in the United States.
  • The FDA uses eleven criteria to determining if a structure/function claim is permissible or not.  More information on these criteria, along with some other valuable "do's and dont's" can be found here, https://www.venable.com/files/upload/FDLI-Dietary_Supplements.pdf. Please keep in mind that this presentation is the professional opinion of Venable LLP and not direct guidance from the FDA itself.
  • When marketing a cosmetic it is important to keep in mind that this type of product may not alter the structure or function of the human body. Cosmetics are intended to be rubbed, poured, sprinkled, or sprayed on, introduced into, or otherwise applied to the human body for cleansing beautifying, promoting attractiveness, or altering the appearance. Certain claims may cause your product to qualify as a drug, even if the product is marketed as if it were a cosmetic. Such claims establish the product as a drug because the intended use is to treat or prevent disease or otherwise affect the structure or functions of the human body. Some examples are claims that products will restore hair growth, reduce cellulite, treat varicose veins, eliminate wrinkles, or revitalize cells.
  • Any claim, whether direct or implied, that states your product is going to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent a disease or symptoms of a disease would fall into this category. The only products that are typically allowed to make these types of claims are prescription drugs and over-the-counter drugs (OTCs).
    1. Nutrient Content Claims (https://www.accessdata.fda.gov/scripts/cdrh/cfdocs/cfcfr/CFRSearch.cfm?fr=101.54)
    2. Health Claims (https://www.accessdata.fda.gov/scripts/cdrh/cfdocs/cfcfr/CFRSearch.cfm?fr=101.14)
    3. Qualified Health Claims (https://www.fda.gov/Food/LabelingNutrition/ucm2006877.htm)
    4. Structure/Function Claims (https://www.fda.gov/Food/LabelingNutrition/ucm2006881.htm)
    5. Cosmetic Claims (https://www.fda.gov/Cosmetics/GuidanceRegulation/ucm2005209.htm)
    6. Drug/Disease Claims

FDA Regulation

What is the FDA?

The Food and Drug Administration is a federal agency responsible for protecting the public health by ensuring the safety, efficacy, and security of human and veterinary drugs, biological products, and medical devices; and by ensuring the safety of our nation's food supply, cosmetics, and products that emit radiation. FDA also has responsibility for regulating the manufacturing, marketing, and distribution of tobacco products to protect the public health and to reduce tobacco use by minors. FDA is responsible for advancing the public health by helping to speed innovations that make medical products more effective, safer, and more affordable and by helping the public get the accurate, science-based information they need to use medical products and foods to maintain and improve their health.

What does the FDA regulate?

  • Foods, including dietary supplements, bottled water, food additives, infant formulas and other food products (although the U.S. Department of Agriculture plays a lead role in regulating aspects of some meats, poultry, and egg products.)
  • Drugs, including prescription drugs (both brand-name and generic) & non-prescription drugs (over-the-counter) drugs.
  • Biologics, including vaccines, blood and blood products, cellular and gene therapy products, tissue and tissue products and allergenics.
  • Medical Devices, including simple items like tongue depressors and bedpans, complex technologies such as heart pacemakers, dental devices, surgical implants and prosthetics.
  • Electronic Products that give off radiation, including microwave ovens, x-ray equipment, laser products, ultrasonic therapy equipment, mercury vapor lamps and sunlamps.
  • Cosmetics, including color additives found in makeup, and other personal care products, skin moisturizers and cleansers, nail polish and perfumes.
  • Tobacco Products, including cigarettes, cigarette tobacco, roll-your-own tobacco and smokeless tobacco.

FDA Help Line.

If you have questions about FDA regulations, you may contact the Outreach and Information Center at: (888) 723-3366

Or you may email your question to the Food and Cosmetics Information Center (FCIC) Inquiry Form: https://cfsan.secure.force.com/Inquirypage

FTC Regulation

What is the FTC?

The Federal Trade Commission is an independent agency of the United States government working to protect consumers by preventing anticompetitive, deceptive, and unfair business practices, enhancing informed consumer choice and public understanding of the competitive process, and accomplishing this without unduly burdening legitimate business activity. The FTC is the only federal agency with both consumer protection and competition jurisdiction in broad sectors of the economy. The FTC pursues vigorous and effective law enforcement; advances consumers' interests by sharing its expertise with federal and state legislatures and U.S. and international government agencies; develops policy and research tools through hearings, workshops, and conferences, and creates practical and plain-language educational programs for consumers and businesses in a global marketplace with constantly changing technologies.

What does the FTC regulate?

Bureau of Consumer Protection

  • Mandated to protect consumers against unfair or deceptive acts or practices in commerce. It's functions include investigations, enforcement actions, and consumer and business education. Areas of principle concern for this bureau are; advertising and marketing, financial products and practices, telemarketing fraud, privacy and identity protection, etc. The bureau is also responsible for the United States National Do Not Call Registry.

Bureau of Competition

  • A division of the FTC charged with elimination and prevention of "anti-competitive" business practices. It accomplishes this through the enforcement of antitrust laws, review of proposed mergers, and investigation into other non-merger business practices that may impair competition.

Bureau of Economics

  • Established to support the Bureau of Competition and Consumer Protection by providing expert knowledge to the economic impacts of the FTC's legislation and operation.

Although the FDA and FTC both have clear-cut regulatory lanes, they do work together and enforce jointly on situations that traverse violations in multiple regulatory realms.

Prohibited Products List

The following products cannot be sold through ClickBank:

  • Any FDA-regulated consumable product that is not fulfilled from the U.S.
  • Any FDA-regulated product manufactured in a non-cGMP-compliant facility, or without cGMP certification.
  • Any product manufactured in a facility with previous, serious negative FDA enforcements (requires review).
  • Any product with express or implied disease claims based on its ingredients. See the Dietary Supplements and Food Products section of the Promotional Guidelines article for more information.
  • Any product/ingredient that is excluded from ClickBank’s insurance umbrella.
  • Ingestible CBD products.
  • Drugs that require a prescription.
  • Medical devices without an FDA registration number for device.
  • OTCs (over-the-counter drugs) that do not conform to an existing FDA-approved monograph.
  • Topical or sublingual products labeled as dietary supplements.
  • Sexual health products. (ClickBank may allow this type of product at our discretion, but rigorous review is required.)
  • Products that include an FDA-banned substance.
  • Any product found to be in violation of any FDA/FTC regulation at any time.
  • Products that are being actively reviewed by the FDA, USDA, WADA, ATF, etc., or any other federal regulatory or consumer protection agency, or receiving significant press scrutiny.
  • E-Cigarettes, nicotine gels, other Electronic Nicotine Delivery Systems (ENDS)
  • Items that are prohibited for sale to minors (alcohol, tobacco, or firearms).
  • Human body parts or fluids.
  • Any product SKU that has been recalled or is expected to be recalled.
  • Explosive items or contents under pressure.
  • Live animals or plants.
  • Lottery tickets, airplane tickets, concert tickets, stamps, precious metals, gems, currency or other items / commodities used for monetary exchange.
  • Marijuana products and any derivatives.
  • Products used for gambling including lottery machines, etc.
  • Used clothing, shoes, or other previously owned garments.
  • Recalled or defective products.
  • Stolen or counterfeit property.
  • Lock-picking, hacking devices, or spy-related equipment (devices disguised to appear as something else), etc.
  • Weapons. (ClickBank may allow this type of product at our discretion, but rigorous review is required.)
  • Dietary supplements that claim to treat hangover symptoms or to prevent the occurrence of a hangover. 

*** This list is not an all-inclusive list and may be subject to change at ClickBank's discretion.

Product Testing

As part of the physical product compliance process, certain product types – all sexual enhancement and nootropic supplements, along with some weight loss and testosterone boosters – may be tested by a 3rd party lab of ClickBank’s choice at the expense of the product owner.

Adulterant Testing Pricing - Cost to Vendor: Adulterant Testing Pricing - Cost to Vendor.docx

Banned Ingredients

List available upon request.

SAER (Serious Adverse Event) / AER (Adverse Event) Guidelines

Vendor Responsibilities per FDA: AER : SAER Guidelines for Vendors.docx

Reporting Form / Questionnaire: AER : SAER Reporting Form.pdf

Manufacturing 

ClickBank has an agreement in place with a preferred manufacturing partner, ShipOffers. They are a full-service company, offering fulfillment, labeling and contract manufacturing options (white-label and custom). More details and a catalog of on-demand products that have been vetted and are pre-approved as formulated for sale on our platform are at: https://www.clickbank.com/clickbank-partner-solutions/shipoffers/. (Many of these products have been tested by a third-party testing lab.)

If you would prefer to search for your own reputable manufacturer, we can offer a list of suggested companies. A good starting point always is to ensure your manufacturer is certified for Good Manufacturing Practices by requesting to see a current cGMP certificate and the results of their most recent site audit performed by a qualified certifying agency.

Some questions to ask potential manufacturers:

  • How long has your facility been in business?
  • Do you have cGMP (Good Manufacturing Practices) certification issued by a third-party certifying agency?
  • If yes, what is the certifying agency, and can you provide current certification(s) and audit report?
  • Did the cGMP certifying agency perform a physical audit of your facility(ies)?
  • What label certifications are you set up to provide?
  • Organic? Kosher? Non-GMO? Other?
  • Do you have a raw ingredient testing program in place?
  • If yes, what does that program look like?
  • What are your capabilities?
  • Powders? Pills? Tablets? Stick packs? Chews? Liquids? Other?
  • Do you do custom formulations or white-label formulations or both?
  • What is the MOQ for white-label products? For custom formulations?
  • What is your turn-around time on a white-label product order?
  • What is your capacity for new business?
  • Do you have an in-house regulatory compliance team?
  • Do you have label printing capabilities?
  • Do you provide label claims substantiation?
  • What finished-product testing do you conduct? 
  • In-house or with a partnered lab?
  • Can you do heavy metals testing on finished products? 

Commissions on Physical Products

When you sell a physical product, the affiliate's commission is taken from the price of the product itself, and not from the shipping and handling charges. If you want to offer commissions on the shipping and handling charges, you will need to select that option in your Shipping Profile.

Shipping Profiles

The process for creating a physical product is similar to that of digital ClickBank products, but requires that you create Shipping Profiles. Shipping Profiles, which can include custom or pre-defined regions, tell ClickBank where you’re willing to ship products, and how much you charge to ship to different locations.

Shipping Regions

The first step in creating your Shipping Profile is telling ClickBank where you’re willing to ship, and what you’ll charge. To make this as simple as possible, we’ve created a number of pre-defined regions, which are made up of groups of countries around the world. You may also create custom shipping regions, which allow you to group any countries you wish. For example, if you only want to ship to the United States, the UK, Canada, and Australia, you can create a custom region with only these countries.

The pre-defined regions are shown below. This table may be updated from time to time as ClickBank updates its list of approved countries.

Region Countries
Oceania Fiji, Kiribati, New Caledonia, Nauru, Niue, Solomon Is, Tonga, Tuvalu, Vanuatu, Cook Is, Christmas Is, French Polynesia, West Samoa
East Asia China, South Korea, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Japan
South East Asia Singapore, Thailand, Brunei, Philippines, Indonesia, Malaysia, East Timor, Vietnam, Cambodia
South Asia India, Sri Lanka, Maldives, Nepal, Bhutan
Canada Canada
Australasia Australia, New Zealand
Mexico Mexico
Western Europe Austria, Belgium, Switzerland, Germany, France, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, Monaco, Netherlands
Eastern Europe Czech Republic, Estonia, Andorra, Latvia, Poland, Slovenia, Slovak Republic, Albania, Bulgaria, Georgian Republic, Croatia, Montenegro, Macedonia, Romania, Ukraine, Russian Federation, Turkey, Armenia
Northern Europe Norway, Sweden, Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Greenland, Svalbard & Jan Mayen Is
Southern Europe Italy, Spain, Portugal, Greece, Cyprus, San Marino, Vatican, Malta
UK and Ireland Britain, Ireland
United States United States
US Protectorates Palau, East Samoa, Micronesia, Guam, Marshall Is, Northern Mariana Is, Puerto Rico, Virgin Is US
Middle East & Africa Gibraltar, Botswana, Cape Verde, Comoros, Egypt, Israel, Morocco, South Africa, Saudi Arabia, UAE
Caribbean Anguilla, Antigua & Barbuda, Aruba, Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, Bermuda, Cayman Is, Cocos Is
South America Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Bouvet Is

 

Creating a Shipping Profile

A shipping profile specifies the countries to which you are willing to ship your product, and what the shipping costs are for each country. You can use existing regions or create custom regions to include only the correct countries in your shipping profile.

If you plan to sell multiple physical products with different shipping locations or shipping costs, you can create multiple shipping profiles with different countries and shipping prices. Each product can only have one shipping profile.

By default, the customer pays the shipping charge per item, so increasing the quantity purchased increases the shipping charge. Alternatively, you can configure a shipping profile to use a flat rate, so customers pay the specified amount for shipping the product, regardless of the quantity purchased.

If an order includes multiple physical products, the shipping profile for each product is applied separately. For example, if you include two physical products in an upsell flow, you can use flat rate shipping for one product and normal shipping for the other.

NOTE – All FDA-regulated products must be fulfilled from the United States, and can only be shipped to locations within the United States.

To create a shipping profile:

  1. Log in to your ClickBank account.
  2. Click the Vendor Settings tab.
  3. Click My Products.
  4. Click Shipping Profiles.
  5. If you want to create one or more custom regions:
    1. Click Shipping Regions.
    2. Click Add Region.
    3. Select one or more countries to include in the region.
    4. Click Save Changes.
    5. Repeat steps 1-4 for each region.
    6. Click Shipping Profiles.
  6. In the Add New section, click Shipping Profile.
  7. Enter a profile name (North America, for example).
  8. (Optional) If you want to provide a commission on shipping and handling charges for products that use the shipping profile, check the Pay commission on shipping price checkbox. If you are offering a $0 plus shipping and handling product, this option lets you give affiliates a commission. This option does not change which commission rate is used. If you select this option, ClickBank's portion of the sale is also taken from the shipping & handling amount.
  9. (Optional) If you want to charge a flat rate for shipping a product, regardless of quantity, check the Apply flat rate shipping per line item checkbox.
  10. Choose a profile currency. The currency you use for your shipping charge must match the currency you use when selling the product.
  11. Configure one or more shipping regions:
    1. Select a region from the list of pre-defined and custom regions.
    2. Add a shipping price for the region.
    3. To add another region to the profile, click Add and repeat steps A-B. Repeat until you have included every country to which you are willing to ship your product. If a country is not included in your shipping profile, customers in that country cannot purchase the product.
  12. Click Save Changes.
    You can now create a physical product and use your new shipping profile. See the Creating Your First Product article for more information.

Creating a Physical Product

Creating a physical product is similar to creating a digital product, but with a few unique steps:

  1. Review the Physical Product Requirements to verify that your product meets the requirements and is not prohibited.
  2. Create a Shipping Profile to indicate where you are able to ship the product.
    NOTE – All FDA-regulated products must be fulfilled from the United States, and can only be shipped to locations within the United States.
  3. If your physical product is not a flat media product, use this link to schedule a 30 minute consultation with a business development manager as well as complete the Physical Product Submission Survey.
  4. If your physical product is a recurring product, review the Selling Recurring Products article to be certain you understand the additional requirements for recurring products.
  5. Go to the Creating Your First Product article to create your product in the ClickBank system and submit it for approval. You will typically receive the results of your request within three to five business days via email.

You can create as many physical products as you want, up to a limit of 500 products per account.

Fulfilling Orders

Once you have offered a physical product for sale, you must fulfill the order. You can do so in multiple ways:

  • Fulfill the order and send a shipping notification yourself.
  • Use a third party to fulfill the order and create a shipping notification.

Your preferred method may depend on your order volume and on whether or not you have a developer who can help you work with the ClickBank APIs.

This section explains several potential workflows for order fulfillment, including shipping the product and creating a shipping notification.

Third-Party Fulfillment

ClickBank has agreements in place with the following preferred fulfillment companies. Both companies are integrated with ClickBank.

Third-Party Integration Tools

ParseY – https://parsey.com/clickbank-infusionsoft-integration/

This integration will automatically push the Customer Contact Information and Order Information from ClickBank into the Vendor’s Infusionsoft CRM account whenever a new order is created in ClickBank. It also updates Contact Records and Order Records on other transaction types: Rebill, Cancel Rebill, Un-Cancel Rebill, Refund and Chargeback.

In addition to data entry, Parsey also triggers automation by completing API Goals inside Infusionsoft’s Campaign Builder, or you can have Parsey run the appropriate legacy Action Sets in Infusionsoft as well. Fulfillment and upsell campaigns get put on full auto-pilot.

Konnektive – www.konnektive.com

A comprehensive platform with over 120 gateway integrations, over 45 fulfillment providers, and multiple chargeback, email service, fraud, and phone switch integrations.

PackageBee – www.packagebee.com/clickbank

PackageBee provides integrations to the most popular warehouse management systems and over 40 leading fulfillment providers across 3 continents, shipping systems, ERPs, and more.

Fulfillment Using CSV Reports

You can perform fulfillment using CSV reports and the ClickBank APIs. To do so, you must either have development experience or find a developer who can help you.

The general workflow is as follows:

  1. Download a Shipping Report as a CSV file from the Reporting tab's Shipping section at scheduled intervals.
  2. Email the CSV file to your fulfillment center.
  3. Have the fulfillment center send you a CSV file containing the order number, tracking number, and carrier information for the fulfilled orders.
  4. Create an interface to process a CSV file from the fulfillment center and create shipping notifications using the Ship Notice API.
  5. The fulfillment center ships the product.

Scripted Fulfillment

You can perform fulfillment using an automated process and the ClickBank APIs. To do so, you must either have development experience or find a developer who can help you.

The general workflow is as follows:

  1. Pull down shipping information from the Shipping API using a script that you create.
  2. Send the shipping information to your fulfillment center, by having your script either call their API or send a CSV file.
  3. Have the fulfillment center send you the order number, tracking number, and carrier information for the fulfilled orders, either by sending you a CSV file or by creating a tool that lets them supply the information.
  4. Use the shipping information to send a shipping notification using the Ship Notice API.
  5. The fulfillment center ships the product.

Viewing Shipping Addresses

You can view unshipped orders, including the shipping address, through your account.

  1. Log in to your ClickBank account.
  2. Click the Reporting tab.
  3. Click Shipping.
    By default, the unshipped transactions are displayed. You can edit the filter options to display shipped transactions.

Sending Shipping Notifications Manually

To manually create a shipping notification for a product you’ve sold and are preparing to ship, take the following steps:

  1. Log in to your ClickBank account.
  2. Click the Reporting tab.
  3. Click Shipping.
    By default, the unshipped transactions are displayed. You can edit the filter options to display shipped transactions.
  4. To change a transaction’s status so you can let customers know the order has shipped, click Generate Ship Info.
  5. Enter the relevant shipping information:
    • Ship Date – The date on which the product was shipped. This date must be between the date of purchase and the current date. You can create a shipping notification prior to shipping the product, but you must then ship the product on the same day.
    • Carrier – The carrier used to ship the product.
    • (Optional) Tracking Number – The tracking number of the order.
    • Shipped To – This field displays the shipping address provided by the customer.
    • (Optional) Comments – Any comments relating to the order or the shipping.
  6. Click Submit.
    A notice is delivered to both you and the customer, indicating that a shipment is planned for delivery. Additionally, ClickBank customer service representatives are able to see the shipping information in case they need to provide this information to customers on your behalf.

Processing Address Changes

Customers can change their shipping addresses, either through clkbank.com or by contacting you.

If a customer changes their address through clkbank.com, ClickBank sends you an email notification of the change. If the customer contacts you, you can use the ClickBank APIs to update their information.

If an order has already shipped when a customer changes their address, as indicated by a shipping notification, ClickBank advises the customer to contact you directly.

Refund Requests

Customer refund requests for physical products are processed differently based on whether you have sent a shipping notification. If you have not sent a shipping notification, our refund process presumes that you have not yet shipped the product. Refund requests from you and refund requests that involve ClickBank customer support are processed in the same way as refund requests for digital products.

Refunds for physical products include the shipping and handling initially paid by the customer.

Customer-Initiated Requests

Refunds initiated by the customer are processed in the following timeframes:

  • If you have sent a shipping notification and have provided return information, the customer is provided with the return information so that they can return the product, and a tech support ticket is created. Once you receive the product, you open the ticket and acknowledge the receipt to complete the refund process.
  • If you have sent a shipping notification and have not provided return information, a refund ticket is created. You have the opportunity to contact the customer and solve any issues. After 19 days, if no other action has been taken, the order is refunded and the ticket is closed.
  • If a customer requests a refund after the day of purchase and you have not sent a shipping notification, the refund is issued within one business day.
  • If a customer requests a refund on the day of purchase and you have not sent a shipping notification, the refund is issued immediately.

Vendor or ClickBank-Initiated Requests

Refunds requested by you or requested through a ClickBank customer service representative are processed in the following timeframes:

  • If you request a refund on an order, it is issued immediately.
  • If a customer contacts a ClickBank customer service representative as part of a refund request, the representative can issue a refund immediately, regardless of shipping notification status.

Providing Return Information

If you want customers to return physical products to you when they request a refund, you can provide return information. This information is provided to the customer when they request a refund.

If you leave this field blank, we send a standard refund email to the customer. If you update the field, the new text is used for future refund requests, but the new information is not sent for any refunds that are in progress.

NOTE – This feature is admin-controlled. Contact ClickBank if you want access to this feature.

  1. Log in to your ClickBank account.
  2. Click the Vendor Settings tab.
  3. Click My Site.
  4. Find the Physical Product Management section and click Edit.
    The Return Information field is displayed. For example:
    This screenshot show the Physical Product Management section. The Return Information field is displayed, with a listed character limit of 3500 characters. The buttons at the bottom are Save Changes and Cancel.
  5. In the Return Information field, enter the information required for the customer to return a product, including the return address and any special instructions.
  6. Click Save Changes.

Acknowledging Return of a Physical Product

When a customer requests a refund and receives your return information, the ticket type is changed to technical support. Once you receive the product, you change the ticket type to refund, and the refund is processed.

  1. Log in to your ClickBank account.
  2. Click the Reporting tab.
  3. Click Transactions.
  4. Locate the transaction and click the ticket icon to open the ticket. For example:
    This image shows the Transactions table. The ticket icon is highlighted in the Actions column. The other columns shown are date, time, refund expiration, receipt, item, amount, quantity, and transaction type.
  5. Select Refund Request.
  6. Click Send.

Shipping Reports

You can view shipping reports, showing which physical product orders have been shipped and which have not been shipped. You can also view physical product orders within a specific time frame, or generate shipping notifications.

  1. Log in to your ClickBank account.
  2. Click the Reporting tab.
  3. Click Shipping.
    By default, the unshipped orders are displayed.
  4. (Optional) Edit the filter options and click Filter to display a different set of transactions:
    • Receipt – Enter a specific receipt number to display that order.
    • Ship Status – Select shipped orders, unshipped orders, or all orders.
    • Start Date – Enter a date to view orders after this date.
    • End Date – Enter a date to view orders before this date.
  5. (Optional) To change a transaction’s status so you can let customers know the order has shipped, click Generate Ship Info.

 

Compatibility

Physical products are compatible with other ClickBank features, including Order Bump and Upsell Flows.

If a physical product is included in an Upsell Flow, or offered as a bump product, the first product's order form asks for shipping information even if it is not a physical product. This enables the physical product purchase to be made with minimal additional information, but it can be confusing for some users.

More Helpful Services

https://www.clickbank.com/clickbank-partner-solutions/

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