How To Support the Site

Any topic that doesn't fit elsewhere.
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Little Red Henski
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Post by Little Red Henski »

Since Amazon is having a Sale on Asian Horror films I got the A Tale of 2 Sisters 2 disc edition & OldBoy for $8.50 each! I also got Batman Begins 2 Disc edition to help get free shipping.
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Post by Disney-Fan »

I purchased Mickey Mouse in Living Color through Amazon UK with link. :D Hey Luke, why aren't the R2 Treasures featured in the UD shop?
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Luke
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Post by Luke »

DisneyFan 2000 wrote:I purchased Mickey Mouse in Living Color through Amazon UK with link. :D Hey Luke, why aren't the R2 Treasures featured in the UD shop?
There's a great many things not featured in the UD Shop (especially R2), namely because it takes time and effort to add each item, and with everything else that goes into running the site, I have a shortage of both of those things!
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Post by Disney-Fan »

Oh.... Well then, we're lucky we have a sticky thread explaining how we can still purchase through UD! :wink:
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JiminyCrick91
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Post by JiminyCrick91 »

If I ever did buy anything throu Amazon what is the .CA code? (I vow that someday I WILL have my dad buy something there!)
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Luke
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Post by Luke »

JiminyCrick91 wrote:If I ever did buy anything throu Amazon what is the .CA code? (I vow that someday I WILL have my dad buy something there!)
theultimagu01-20
"Fifteen years from now, when people are talking about 3-D, they will talk about the business before 'Monsters vs. Aliens' and the business after 'Monsters vs. Aliens.' It's the line in the sand." - Greg Foster, IMAX chairman and president
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Post by JiminyCrick91 »

Thanks Luke.
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Kram Nebuer
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Post by Kram Nebuer »

:D oh yay I just noticed this sticky! I was always wondering how exaclty the link tells Amazon to support UD. I bought Chip n Dale Rescue Rangers Volume 1 through UD's link and I was expecting something that showed I was supporting UD...so...I'm helping because that code is in all the links? I clicked the link but then had to register at Amazon, but then went back to purchase Chip n Dale, but I was nervous that Amazon forgot I intended to support UD with my purchase so I went back to the link on UD to make sure Amazon knew what I was doing...okay now I'm wondering, did I have to bother doing that or was it okay to wander through Amazon.com before making the purchase from the UD link?
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Luke
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Post by Luke »

Kram Nebuer wrote::D oh yay I just noticed this sticky! I was always wondering how exaclty the link tells Amazon to support UD. I bought Chip n Dale Rescue Rangers Volume 1 through UD's link and I was expecting something that showed I was supporting UD...so...I'm helping because that code is in all the links? I clicked the link but then had to register at Amazon, but then went back to purchase Chip n Dale, but I was nervous that Amazon forgot I intended to support UD with my purchase so I went back to the link on UD to make sure Amazon knew what I was doing...okay now I'm wondering, did I have to bother doing that or was it okay to wander through Amazon.com before making the purchase from the UD link?
Okay, this may be confusing, but I'll try to explain the best I can. There are two types of Amazon purchases which support UD - 1) ones where people click links (or make their own) to go to an item directly and 2) ones where people click through to Amazon (homepage or an item), browse through Amazon and purchase an item or more. The former (direct links) do credit this site a greater percentage than the latter (indirect link).

It seems like there are a number of factors which could lead even direct item clicking and buying to ultimately be considered an indirect purchase. It sounds like you probably would have had an indirect purchase - clicking through a UD link to Amazon creates a 24-hour cookie in which case any purchase made through Amazon without going through a different site's links there will credit UD. But when you went back and did it, you probably made certain that we received the higher percentage for the direct buy.

That is wholeheartedly appreciated. Thank you very much! :up: While the difference in indirect/direct percentages is fairly small (2.5%), it adds up considerably, especially on boxed sets and such.

Thank you also to anyone else who has made an point to buy through the site's affiliate links to Amazon or anywhere else. The site is now on its own server. Financial costs are considerable as are the human costs (time, effort, distress over computer and TV problems, etc., etc.). Without people supporting the site, there's simply no way we could run this site the way it is.

And remember, doing holiday shopping through Amazon will spare you sales tax, waiting in line, and crabby crowds. Plus shipping is free on most orders over $25. Doing your Amazon shopping through UD gives back to UD at no additional cost to yourself. Might I also recommend <a href="http://www.moviegoods.com/affiliate2/ad ... ods.com</a> as another productive way to both shop for friends/family and effortlessly support this site in a major way?

:santa: :roll:
"Fifteen years from now, when people are talking about 3-D, they will talk about the business before 'Monsters vs. Aliens' and the business after 'Monsters vs. Aliens.' It's the line in the sand." - Greg Foster, IMAX chairman and president
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Kram Nebuer
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Post by Kram Nebuer »

Luke wrote:But when you went back and did it, you probably made certain that we received the higher percentage for the direct buy.

That is wholeheartedly appreciated. Thank you very much! :up: While the difference in indirect/direct percentages is fairly small (2.5%), it adds up considerably, especially on boxed sets and such.
Yay! I'm glad to know I was able to help support the site! :D You're oh-so-very welcome, Luke and I wish you a happy holiday! :turkey emoticon to go here if we had one:
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Luke
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Post by Luke »

As of today, Amazon has axed the direct link premium for associates. That means that this site and others will be earning a smaller percentage on orders placed through direct links. But, the good news is that it's now easier than ever for you to support UD at Amazon. All you need to do is visit through our Amazon link when buying:
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/redir ... eimprovemz

Doing that will earn just as much as if you were to buy directly, whether it's a Disney DVD, a DreamWorks DVD, a DVD rack, something other than a DVD, and so on and so on. (Actually, Electronics will earn a smaller percentage than everything else, but not so many people buy electronics items through UD and they tend to be higher-priced, so even a smaller fee still helps.)

You can even bookmark that URL (once again, it's http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/redir ... eimprovemz ) if it helps you remember. Or if you want a bookmark to take you directly to the DVD department (and supports UD), you can add this address to your favorites:
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/redir ... sd_str_dvd . If you do choose to do this, just remember to add the URLs exactly as they appear here. In Internet Explorer, this can be achieved, by right-clicking on the address and selecting "Add to Favorites." Clicking on them will change the address once you get to Amazon and lose our unique referral tag, thus negating the original point of bookmarking to give something back here.

I've edited Aaron's first post in this thread to reflect just how easy it is now to support UD when buying from Amazon. Our Amazon link also appears as the third from the left in the bottom line of the links at the top right of every forum page.

See here:
<img src="http://www.ultimatedisney.com/images/a- ... nforum.jpg">

Please remember to do this if you'd like to keep this site up and running. Amazon is easily the greatest source of support for UD (which as mentioned elsewhere, continues to reach its monthly bandwidth limit). Especially now with the lower referral fees and with the relatively dry patch of Disney DVDs coming in the next few months, it's important to get all the help we can. You continue to do that, and we'll happily continue to bring the consistent and comprehensive coverage that the past few years have led you to expect.

Thanks for listening (again) and thanks to all those who have stated in this thread and elsewhere that they've used our links to buy from Amazon or one of the handful of other e-tailers we're affiliated with and ever see action from. Your help is wholeheartedly appreciated!
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Post by Wonderlicious »

Has anything changed for the UK Amazon system? I've just ordered The Art and Flair of Mary Blair and the 4 disc edition of Gone With the Wind (pimpin' £5.97! :D) from the UK site, and I did a bit of scrambling and came up with this link:

http://www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos/red ... tedisne-21

Will that help the site at all?
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Luke
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Post by Luke »

That definitely will help too. It seems like Amazon UK's not changing their system, so direct links there will still contain a premium. So that semi-elaborate method detailed earlier (or going through the UD Shop for our vastly incomplete Disney DVDs) for direct linking is still a big plus.

Thanks a lot for using the link, Wondy! Had it only been twelve hours earlier, we'd have been bumped to the next tier and qualified to receive commission for the first quarter. But alas, a day late and a pound short, the help will still eventually be felt (sans conversion fees, etc. :roll: )!

While we're on the subject, one of the most attractive things Amazon.co.uk offers for affiliates is a "sign up bounty of £10.00" when someone who hasn't previously been a member of Amazon's "DVD Rental programme" signs up using our link, <i>voilà</i>. Sounds pretty good (not just because of funny British words like "bounty" and "programme") and there's a free month of rentals in it for those who sign up. Unfortunately, it appears that, unlike Netflix and Blockbuster, an affiliate only gets credit if a Amazon.co.uk DVD Rental subscriber becomes a paying member. I don't know how good the "programme" is for that, but for anyone who likes UD, is in the UK, and is open to renting, it might be worth trying it out and letting us know if the service is any good.
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Post by DaveWadding »

Luke, I hope you got a kickback today cause I bought something from toysrus.com (via Amazon) and totally totally remembered the link! :D
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Post by Luke »

DaveWadding wrote:Luke, I hope you got a kickback today cause I bought something from toysrus.com (via Amazon) and totally totally remembered the link! :D
Nothing from Toys 'R Us in today's reports, but if you only ordered it today, then it should show up tomorrow and the kickback comes when it ships. Thanks very much for remembering to use the link :up: ; Amazon's full list prices have reduced our commissions to their lowest point in over a year despite our readership and bandwidth expenses being at all-time highs.

The gesture is much appreciated and hopefully it shows up!
"Fifteen years from now, when people are talking about 3-D, they will talk about the business before 'Monsters vs. Aliens' and the business after 'Monsters vs. Aliens.' It's the line in the sand." - Greg Foster, IMAX chairman and president
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Post by DaveWadding »

Well, I got my shipping email today so :D
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Luke
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Post by Luke »

If it was a Barbie, then it showed up. Thanks for the three quarters! If everyone made such a gesture, I'd have no fear about this site working out indefinitely! :D But, they don't. :cry:

Still, that makes your gesture all the more appreciated!
"Fifteen years from now, when people are talking about 3-D, they will talk about the business before 'Monsters vs. Aliens' and the business after 'Monsters vs. Aliens.' It's the line in the sand." - Greg Foster, IMAX chairman and president
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Post by 2099net »

Well, hopefully you've seen your non-Disney Amazon DVD stats go up recently - I'm back on Amazon now that (fingers crossed) HMCE Mount Pleasant has other worries on their minds.
Most of my Blu-ray collection some of my UK discs aren't on their database
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Luke
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Post by Luke »

2099net wrote:Well, hopefully you've seen your non-Disney Amazon DVD stats go up recently - I'm back on Amazon now that (fingers crossed) HMCE Mount Pleasant has other worries on their minds.
They'd have to, in order to counter the way the Disney Amazon DVD stats have dropped due to the now 5-week list price phase. :roll:

Thanks very much, Netty, and HMCE Mount Pleasant!
"Fifteen years from now, when people are talking about 3-D, they will talk about the business before 'Monsters vs. Aliens' and the business after 'Monsters vs. Aliens.' It's the line in the sand." - Greg Foster, IMAX chairman and president
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Post by Disney-Fan »

Hey Luke, I've just ordered a book (Good To Great by Jim Collins). Just checkin' to see if UD has gotten a return for my order.
EDIT: Also ordered Desperate Housewives from Amazon UK using a direct link. Again, I just need to know that UD is receiving its share for the link. :)
"See, I'm not a monster. I'm just ahead of the curve." - The Joker
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