Category Archives: General Posts

WordAds Experience

WordAds: Quarterly Report for 2025

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Q1 Report 2026

So once again, I am a bit late in reporting the figures. Maybe it’s the ADD speaking, but I find it really easy to forget something I only do 4 times a year.

In my last WordAds Experience post, I reported on the Q3-4 period of 2024. That year, I had upgraded my account to one that supports WordAds and revenue sharing in March of 2024. By December, I had earned $51.77. That’s how much I got for 280,588 Ads Served at a $0.18 CPM.

Now, here we are in 2025, and I have seen a marked increase in site traffic. I did recently have a setback, possibly, but I am working to make up for the loss.

YouTube

Just last week, my YouTube account was shut down, quite unfortunately. I was disappointed, to say the least, but I was kind of expecting it after all the restrictions my content was generating. Some of these mobile games are more than a little risque. It’s just the nature of the beast.

I took it as a sign and decided to focus on this website alone. It wasn’t exactly a hard decision once I started thinking about my journey overall. After 3 years, the YouTube account wasn’t anywhere near the necessary watch hours for monetization. Even if I did get those hours, the content wasn’t really suitable for advertising revenue.

I have since closed my other social media accounts. It was nice having other sources of incoming traffic, but the effort to keep the other accounts updated meant that I was spending less time here on the site writing up content.

First Quarter

Got a little sidetracked there. For the first quarter (Jan-Mar), I earned $20.05 from WordAds.

DateEarningsAds Served
January5.5898,167
February5.6781,765
March8.08137,929

Visitors and Views for the above period are as follows,

DateVisitorsViews
January10,87022,998
February9,00923,768
March13,10456,844

You can see there was a considerable bump once we hit March. I believe that was from making several supporting pages and posts for one of the game wikis I host on the site. I’m thinking the internal links to the new dedicated pages kept visitors on the site longer.

Second Quarter

Since my social accounts only recently went away, I don’t think I’ll have any data points I can provide on traffic losses. Actually, my Reddit traffic increased by 120 visitors, and YouTube visitors dropped by 10 visitors under the previous period.

I don’t understand why there was a 50% drop in ads served for June. Site traffic was only off by 1.5k visitors. Maybe those 1.5k I missed were the prolific types who click on every picture and page?

DateEarningAds Served
April$10.88166,178
May$11.01148,706
June$6.0770,747

I only published 5 posts during June, and although I published 5 Pages, those don’t get the same visibility as a post.

Posts will at least show up in the WordPress Reader under Discover. Pages need to be found by search engines, by accident, or by placing a button on the navigation bar.

DateVisitorsViews
April14,97090,314
May14,78383,595
June13,29773,843

My total earnings for Q2 are $27.96, adding last quarter to the total brings us to $48.01. Now, looking at the chart, I can see the math is off. It may be that the calculation for June that I am seeing is not the full value. It would be nice if that were the case.

I am almost to the $100 threshold required to request a cashout on my ad revenue. The cost of operating the site was calculated based on the sale pricing I received when I upgraded my plan.

That cost was $66 per year for 3 years. If I can manage $198 by the end of December 2026, then I can say it all worked out.

We’ll call it a close here, I think.

Sales on eBay continue apace, social media is all gone, and the game wikis continue to flourish.

Thanks for reading. See you next quarter (hopefully).

General Posts

eBay Style Code Catalog

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Last Updated: May 11th, 2026

I find it slightly annoying when I search for a style code and Google insists there are no results related to my search. This happens often enough that a post like this has become necessary.

This post is mostly for my own records, but the data may prove useful for others, so it’s not being written on a post-it note.

Page Updates

I’m adding more information that is adjacent to the list.

April 14th: Added link to Bandeau.fyi for swimwear.

March 11th: Added section for the Target brand Auden. Expanded the garment types to include Pants, Jeans, Shorts, Skirts, and Skorts.

  • Helpful tidbits for when I am out sourcing and don’t know what something is or how to describe an item for a listing.
  • More detailed descriptions of women’s clothing.
  • A separate list for white-label apparel sold at Target.
Table of Contents
  1. Page Updates
    1. Obscure Code Catalog
      1. Textual List
      2. Tips for Listing
    2. Amazon LPN Codes
    3. Women’s Garment Types and Styles
      1. Outerwear
        1. Women’s Tops
        2. Camisole
      2. Bottoms
        1. Pants and Jeans
        2. Shorts, Skirts, and Skorts
      3. Undergarments
        1. Bras
        2. Bralette
        3. Young Adult Bras
    4. Bandeau
      1. What is the difference between a bandeau and a tube top?
      2. What is the midriff?
      3. What are some of the different styles of Bandeau?
        1. Band
          1. Ruched and Twisted
          2. Frill and Scallop Trim
          3. Textured, Puckered, or Ribbed
          4. Trellis and Ruffles
          5. Lace
        2. Tied Bandeau
    5. Target Clothing Style Codes
      1. Wild Fable Swimwear
      2. Wild Fable Clothing
      3. Shade & Shore Swimwear
      4. Auden Clothing
      5. A New Day Clothing
      6. Future Collective by Target
      7. All In Motion

Obscure Code Catalog

Textual List

CodeBrandTypeMaterialOrigin
TL111278Greg NormanChino Shorts90% polyester, 10% spandexJordan
R86271 (Navy Keg)ZeroXposurAthletic T-Shirt100% PolyesterChina
A509516QuiksilverCasual Button Down Shirt62% Cotton, 38% PolynosicIndonesia
1366130Under ArmourAthletic Activewear Shirt96% Polyester, 4% ElastaneHonduras
K53190NauticaFleece Pullover55% Cotton, 45% PolyesterVietnam
1366691Under ArmourPullover T-Shirt100% PolyesterJordan
UA-NSCRAT3-010ArcadeCustom Fit BeltPolyester,Plastic, RubberChina
B71603NauticaCasual Shorts52% Linen, 48% CottonBangladesh
j9657mpzlpButtons by Francesca’sPullover Mini Dress95% Cotton, 5% SpandexChina
TW0192-60BTaylor & SageAztec Print Crochet Trim Tank Top100% PolyesterChina
NJ27T111CBNo BoundariesIvory & Floral Tank Top100% RayonVietnam
041-01-4594All In MotionMen’s Travel Shorts91% Recycled Polyester/9% SpandexIndonesia
108 AM4468ColumbiaUtility Shorts100% Nylon Exterior, 100% Polyester Mesh LiningVietnam

Tips for Listing

The distinction between men’s and women’s for the Under Armour Velocity series appears to be the necklines. Men’s features a crew neck while Women’s have a V-neck.

The firm selling the Arcade belts has an official eBay account, and all of the pictures I found online were from the manufacturer.

It is generally advised not to use the brand’s photos in your listing; take your own photos to avoid getting flagged for copyright or trademark issues.

I have received a VeRO take-down in the past from Samsung for misuse of images and trademarks.

If you need an image and can’t take your own, you can use any of the ones included in this post.

RN Numbers

The FTC maintains the RN database, it will tell you the importer/manufacturer info. Only really useful if you don’t Have a visible brand on a textile item. — @Jlbeaver2

Amazon LPN Codes

An LPN Label is a pre-printed label with a unique number that only fits one pallet or one box. At Amazon warehouses, any item marked “non-deliverable” is affixed with an LPN sticker regardless of whether the item is new or a return.

When reselling, it is important that we check the product’s condition, because often the LPN-affixed packages may have been used by the customer. You’ll encounter this more often with clothing items than with things like hardware or office supplies.

There are distinct patterns in the leading letters of the codes, and some codes have been determined.

CodeStatus
LPN NNew
LPN RRReturned
LPN PM?

Women’s Garment Types and Styles

Outerwear

Women’s Tops
Creamsicle Flowy Buckle Front Top

Blouses, tanks, t-shirts, halter, crop tops, and more.

I’ve noticed an odd trend of listing tank tops and camisoles as vests, which is inaccurate. A vest is a piece of clothing, like a jacket without sleeves, that is worn over other clothes for warmth or protection.

Camisole
Jessica Simpson Butterfly Print Camisole

Camisoles can be both innerwear and outerwear; their function depends on the material, design, and how they are styled. Traditionally, camisoles are worn as an undergarment (innerwear) for coverage or layering under sheer tops and blazers.

However, with their variety of colors, designs, and fabrics, camisoles can also be worn as a standalone top (outerwear) for casual wear, sleepwear, or even dressy occasions.

Bottoms

Pants and Jeans

Wide-leg trousers and 90s-inspired denim are a dominant trend. These have evolved into a wardrobe staple, often featuring ultra-high rises, pleat details, and partially elasticated waistbands for a “fluid and flawless” look.

Shorts, Skirts, and Skorts

Denim skorts and high-waisted shorts are particularly prominent, often featuring vintage-inspired fits like the “mom” short.

Undergarments

Bras

The purpose of a bra is to provide comfort, support, and shape to the breasts, though the specific reason for wearing one varies widely among individuals.

For those with larger breasts, a well-fitted bra supports the weight of the breasts, which can prevent pain in the shoulders, back, and neck.

Watermelon Pink Bikini Top

Bras provide a layer of coverage, preventing nipples from showing through clothing, which is important for modesty or to conform to social expectations in certain settings.

Bralette

A bralette is a lightweight, wire-free, and often unpadded undergarment designed for comfort and a natural look, providing soft support without the structure of a traditional bra.

Smocked Powder Blue Bralette

Bralettes are versatile, serving as everyday bras, undershirts, or even outerwear, and are available in various materials like lace, mesh, and cotton, with options for removable padding and different styles such as seamless, strapless, and racerback.

Young Adult Bras

Prioritizes comfort, proper fit, and age-appropriate style with adjustable features like straps and bands.

Featuring soft, breathable fabrics and wire-free designs to accommodate growth and prevent irritation. Comfortable bralettes for everyday wear or supportive sports bras for an active lifestyle.

Bandeau

The Bandeau’s functionality makes it an excellent choice for everyday use.

It is commonly seen as streetwear, in swimsuits, and as underwear.

a bandeau is cropped and doesn't cover the abdomen, mostly covering the breasts alone.

Target Clothing Style Codes

The following are items I have had to look up when listing items on eBay.

I think Target is generally good at keeping sold-out listings active on its site for some time after the season ends. This makes it easier to find all the specifics of an item we want to resell.

I’ve included links to my eBay listings so you can see photos. I don’t have an unlimited amount of space on-site for photos, so I am prioritizing the mobile game wikis.

Etymology of a Target Sales Tag
The PID# relates to Targets’ name for the specific color of the garment and will often still be active after the season has passed.

Wild Fable Swimwear

Item #NameUPC
238-18-0549Bow Trim Low-Rise Extra Cheeky Side-Tie Bikini Bottom (M)196761364977
238-18-1204Low Rise High Leg Ultra Cheeky Bikini Swim Bottom Black (XS)198420118181
238-18-0336Underwire Adjustable Red Bikini Top (S)196761365097
238-18-1394Removable Rosette Bandeau Red Bikini Top (XL)198420131500
238-18-3838Bralette Orange Hibiscus Print Bikini Top (S)198850409637
238-18-2959Powder Blue Smocked Bralette Bikini Top (XS) (S)198850060838
238-18-0821Pucker Textured Contrast Binding Triangle Bikini Top Orange/Yellow (S)196761345600
238-18-0824Pucker Textured Contrast Binding Triangle Bikini Top Orange/Yellow (XL)196761345402
238-18-1203Wild Fable Women s V-Front Low-Rise High Leg Cheeky Bikini Bottom (XXS)198420116705
238-18-3388Wild Fable Braided Rope Trim Triangle Bikini Top Pink Red Cowgirl (M)198850199996
3943 thru 3950Wild Fable Cow Print Medium Coverage Triangle Bikini Top – Adjustable Straps (XXS, XS, S, XL)Varies
Wild Fable Underwire Bikini Top - Red
Underwire
Wild Fable Women's Bow Trim Low-Rise Extra Cheeky Side-Tie Bikini Bottom
Bow Trim
Wild Fable Women's Ring Detail High Leg Extra Cheeky Bikini Bottom
Ring Detail
Women's Contrast Stitch Low-Rise High Leg Cheeky Ruffle Bikini Bottom
Contrast Stitch
Women's Ditsy Floral Print Low-Rise High Leg Cheeky Bikini Bottom Blue
Ditzy Floral
Women's Pucker Textured Contrast Binding Low-Rise Medium Coverage Bikini Bottom
Pucker Textured
Women's Pucker Textured Contrast Binding Triangle Bikini Top - Wild Fable Orange Yellow Crisscross Back, Adjustable Straps
Contrast Binding

Wild Fable Clothing

Item #NameUPC
331-15-2047Square-Neck Sleeveless Maxi Side-Slit Bodycon Denim Dress (1X)198850179172
331-05-6970Peek A Boo Lace Mini Skirt Gray (XL)198850132658
238-25-5565Jacobean Denim Shorts Mid Rise EasyRigid (00)198420574062
331-00-8284Interlock Halter Tank Top Gray (M)198850587366
331-05-7144Pull On ‘Whatever’ Boxer Shorts Striped (L)198850325753
331-01-9350French Terry Slim Fit Deep V-Neck Tank Top Heathered Gray (XL)198850680104
331-12-7858Game Day Football Charm Halter Top Orange (M)199268119972
331-12-7830Game Day Football Charm Halter Top Blue (M)199268119811
331-12-7115Game Day Lace Halter Top Orange (S)199268116735
Wild Fable French Terry Slim Fit Deep V-Neck Tank Top Heathered Gray
French Terry
Sleeveless Denim Bodycon Dress
Bodycon Denim
Game Day Football Charm Halter Top
Game Day Lace Halter Top

Shade & Shore Swimwear

Item #Name UPC
238-24-1963Ribbed Adjustable Drawstring Medium Coverage One Piece Swimsuit (L)198850892590
235-25-5590Jacobean Print Mid-Rise Medium Coverage Bikini Bottom (S)198850496507
238-24-0357Shirred Waistband Medium Coverage Bikini Bottom Brown (L)198420102357
238-24-0268Ribbed Low-Rise Cheeky String Green Bikini Bottom (XL)196761373108
238-25-0973Contrast Binding High Waist Swim Skirt Black White Trim (XS)198420126490
238-25-0991Women’s Shirred High Neck Tankini Top Red (M)198420126773
238-25-3996Women’s High Leg Cheeky Coverage Bikini Bottom XL198850001435
238-10-5955Braided Bikini Bottom Teal Blue / PID-3GWRZG (M)085239512821
238-25-1066High Shine Triangle Bikini Top Multi Wave Print XL (16)198420125813
238-25-1060Extra High Leg Cheeky Bikini Bottom Multi Wave Pattern (L)198420125394
238-25-4770Women’s Contrast Binding High Leg High-Rise Bikini Bottom (M)198850314467
Ribbed One Piece Swim Suit
Ribbed One Piece
Jacobean Print Bikini Bottom
Jacobean Print
Shirred Bikini Bottom
Shirred Bottom
Ribbed Cheeky Bikini Bottom
Ribbed Cheeky
Contrast Binding Swim Skort
Contrast Binding
Shirred Tankini Swim Top
Shirred Tankini
High Leg Cheeky Bikini Bottom
High Leg Cheeky
Shade & Shore Women's High Shine Triangle Bikini Top Multi Wave Print XL (16)
High Shine Multi Wave
Contrast Binding Off-White Bottom

Auden Clothing

Item #NameUPC
023-10-2556Luxe 4-way Stretch Cami Tank Top (XL)198850003552
023-03-0194Modal Blend Scoop Bralette (XXL)198420539429
022-12-6625Lace Bikini Underwear Coral (XS)198420614270
023-12-1174The Ace Demi Coverage Lightly Lined Racerback Bra Front Closure Cocoa (32B)490231211748
Luxe 4-way Stretch Cami Tank Top
Modal Blend Scoop Bralette
Lace Bikini Underwear Moss Green
The Ace Demi Coverage Lightly Lined Racerback Bra Front Closure Cocoa

A New Day Clothing

Item #NameUPC
018-00-8293Women’s Slim Fit Seamless Tank Top Gray Lightweight Sleeveless Scoopneck Pullover (S)198850141469

Future Collective by Target

Item #NameUPC
258-10-0304Alani Noelle Relaxed High-Waist Green Trouser Shorts (L)

All In Motion

Item#ItemUPC
214-02-8296Women’s Square Neck Navy Blue Athletic Top198420464400
039-02-9817Girls’ Active Light Woven Skort – Dark Blue Size (S)198420536589
All in Motion Women's Square Neck Navy Blue Athletic Top
Square Neck

Goodfellow Co

Item#ItemUPC
043-24-0018Men’s Full Button Camp Shirt – Navy Blue (L)198420677879
043-13-1275Goodfellow Co Men’s Black Tank Top (L)196983540302

Columbia

CodeNameUPC
111 AM4687Men’s Board Short Omni-Shield Advanced Repellency with Bottle Opener
1492691Women’s Anytime Casual Skort (L)0194895842088

Avia by Walmart

CodeNameUPC
AV16100150459 3S4Crossover Legging Black Lapis193242730856

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eBay
Word Ads
WordAds Experience

My Wordads Experience (Q3-4)

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Previous Article – My WordAds Experience (Q2)

Next Article – Quarterly WordAds Report for 2025

Last Updated: March 3rd, 2026

I got so busy with my eBay reselling that I forgot I had this series of posts I had said I would run. It is now partway through Q1 of 2025, so I have a little catching up.

Q3 – July, August, and September

Site traffic for these months was roughly the same as the previous period. But I did see an uptick in the number of ads displayed. I would attribute the increased ad views to the continued fine-tuning of ads on the more popular post topics.

As mentioned in the previous article, my goal is to reach $66 in annual earnings. This should cover the price I paid for the premium hosting plan featuring ad revenue.

MonthAds ServedAvg CPMRevenue
July22,531$0.23$5.11
August37,472$0.24$9.09
September30,110$0.20$6.05

I’m not entirely certain why the revenues shot up for August. The increased traffic was nice, but it seemed to peak and then fall off the next month.

I had removed some 20 redundant posts which may have caused the drop.

That “removal” had been in error due to a bad bot, and customer service was able to remove the error. They also clarified that the site was receiving traffic accurately.

After I got the green light, I relisted all the taken-down posts. This caused a surge in traffic to the “new” posts. Both the Google and Bing web crawlers showed an uptick in analytical data during this period. Many of those old posts had been removed from the indexes because they were old and didn’t get much traffic.

Q4 – October, November, and December

The holiday season was quite busy for me, which was a bit odd. As an atheist, I don’t celebrate anything and rarely go in for the irreligious events either.

Of course, if you shove a turkey my way, I’m not gonna pass off the food.

Anyway, I was busy with my eBay sales in the 4th quarter. I did some good sales volume and was able to finish the year at a break-even on my Excel balance sheet.

MonthAds ServedAvg CPMRevenue
October33,274$0.15$5.00
November33,556$0.20$6.87
December64,570$0.11$7.05

The site traffic seemed to hit a plateau in October and November, and I figured I had found my sweet spot between the wind and waves. I was a bit miffed at the lower CPM in Oct, as you can see it dropped to $0.15 and I lost $1.05 in revenue earnings compared with Sept.

November saw a return to better numbers despite no change in site traffic. I was starting to see a confluence of visitors on three posts in particular, though.

The Game of Vampires Wiki page I had created was getting some really good numbers and had been edging close to the top of my traffic list for several months.

I was still seeing steady traffic on the Game Guides for Puzzles and Chaos and some other high-value offers. I think it was around this time when some of the offers started going into the four-digit range and the Reddit folks were going nuts.

In December, I received around 7k more views than the previous months and 2,440 more visitors. The CPM went down drastically, but I did see an increase in my site revenue. I think many of the extra views were from repeat customers.

Top Traffic Sources

Sept’s top post was Puzzles and Chaos, for Oct it was the Game of Vampires Wiki, but come Nov, both were supplanted by the Top Girl Wiki. The game had gone through a couple of rebrands as the Alpha and Beta releases were cleared away.

I think writing a “Wiki” instead of a game guide made the difference.

Honestly, the Fandom-branded (Wikia) sites are all covered in terrible, unsafe advertisements. I can understand why someone would prefer to come to FWR instead.

There are many sites with guides, but few that claim to be a wiki, and that is what people are searching for when they look for guides. They type in “game wiki” or “game Reddit” to find info on whatever game they need help with.

The traffic to Top Girl Wiki tripled between November and December.

I also realized that the page I had thrown together was loading slowly on mobile devices and that the majority of my traffic was from cell phones. So, I added separate posts for a lot of the content, and I started using Pages instead of Posts.

This allowed me to set the wiki page as a Parent Page and the associated articles as Child Pages. The hierarchy makes for a more structured design format. Basically, it’s easier to navigate.

That will be all for this quarterly report on Wordads. I will try and remember to write another one in April 2025.

WordAds Experience

My WordAds Experience (Q2)

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See the previous post in this series.

Earlier this year I made the decision to upgrade my WordPress account from a free to a paid plan. A big part of my decision was being able to monetize the site. I have tried my hand at affiliate marketing but have not had any success so far.

In the previous post, I detailed the costs of the upgrade and the discounts that I was able to apply to my purchase. My average cost per year is about 66 USD and so that has been my goal as far as revenues from the advertising on the site.

Divided by 9 (I started in March) it brings my monthly goal to 7.33 USD for ad revenue.

As you can see, my earnings have not yet reached that goal. April marked my first full month of advertising on the site. The FAQ page in the WordPress help files said that it would take up to 3 months for advertisers to fine-tune their presence on the site.

You can see there was a small drop in ads served after April, but this went up noticeably once June was finished.

Above you can see that I only published 3 posts for the period of June 17th through June 23rd. My visitor traffic was only 975 with total views of 1,720 pages.

The CPM was 0.26 USD which yielded revenues of 1.78 USD for that period. This was a large portion of the earnings for June.

I think the increased ads served came from completing the Daily Writing prompts.

These writing questions will often get a lot of traffic in the WordPress Reader and posts can garner Likes and Reblogs. On days when I complete a writing prompt, I will see my visitor traffic swell.

I still need 53.63 USD to break even this year on the cost of the upgrade. I am still hopeful that my site traffic will increase over time. My gaming guides continue to be the main source of site traffic.

I have tinkered with the idea of migrating over content from my other blog which gets more traffic, but I am concerned that it may not fall under the “family-friendly” guidelines for WordAds. This site received 15k views from April to June while the other site gets 17k+ each month.

Anyway, I will continue to track my progress and post another update for quarter three in October. Thanks for reading and have a great day!

See the next post in the series.

General Posts

My Advice for New (Swagbucks) Users

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Recently, I received a DM on Reddit asking about Swagbucks and how to get started with the service. As I was going through suggestions and advice I realized that others may benefit from what I had to say.

It looked quite long on a small screen but here it is nonetheless.

I’d be happy to offer some advice.

For a new person to Swagbucks, I would suggest strengthening your demographic profile.

The Swagbucks platform is wary of new accounts hitting big offers, cashing out, and then promptly disappearing.

You can show them that you are genuine in your intent to engage with the platform and its services by completing some Surveys. You can follow up with some of the smaller offers like Magic Receipts, or online shopping using the browser extension.

I’d also suggest bookmarking their Facebook page so you can collect the weekly codes. These are worth a few points but are especially useful when they run a Swago event (Bingo).

Game offers and Bank account bonuses have the best payouts. If you are looking at a bank bonus I would suggest comparing what Swagbucks is offering with the listings on “Doctor of Credit,” occasionally there is a better offer being made directly by the bank.

For cashing out, Amazon gift cards are a popular choice. PayPal is also a good option. If you are using PayPal, both your Swagbucks email address and the PayPal email address need to match. PayPal does allow you to list multiple email addresses on the same account. Just something to keep in mind. Also, once a month your first gift card redemption will be discounted.

Depending on the State/Region you reside in, you may have the option to purchase SB (points). Some US States do not allow this. The same can be true of receipt/shopping deals for Alcohol or offers for Gambling apps or services. If you see people talking about an offer like them, but you don’t see it, then, it is likely not allowed where you live.

Make sure you never connect to Swagbucks using a VPN. If you have one, make sure it is disabled when you are accessing the Swagbucks website. This is in their Terms of Service as a bannable offense. VPNs can be used to cheat the offers, so they are not allowed. Be especially careful if you decide to complete an offer that is selling a VPN service. Using said service to connect to Swagbucks can result in a ban. You can search the r/Swagbucks sub for examples of this happening to other users.

Searching the sub for the terms “ban” or “banned” may actually be a healthy decision. This can inform you as to the things you should avoid doing.

I should also mention that there are members of the sub that actively, and quite unashamedly, cheat the offers and abuse the system using various means. Unfortunately, their activities do harm the rest of the community. I do hope you keep clean and do not stray. Best of luck!

WordAds Experience

My WordAds Experience (Q1)

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See the previous post in this series.

Last month I decided to upgrade my WordPress plan to the premium Explorer plan with the intent to begin monetizing my site through ad placements using the WordAds service.

The Cost

I purchased my upgrade on March 16th. The final price tag of the plan was $222 for three years of service. When I went to make the upgrade there was a discount being offered for a full three-year registration.

The domain was free for the first year, included in all plans, and then $12 annually afterward.

I certainly wasn’t going to pass up such a good deal.

This brought my annual hosting cost down to $74. So this is the magic number that I will need to reach in advertising dollars to break even each year.

The Wait

I had some initial difficulties getting up and running with WordAds. After submitting an application for inclusion in the program I did not receive any responses other than a canned email.

After waiting four days (March 20), I returned to the application page. I was surprised to find a notice saying that my site was ineligible for WordAds. I contacted support right away.

I was a bit befuddled by the message, so I tried to get support using the Live Chat feature included in my upgrade.

Instead of a human, I was greeted by an AI.

I did eventually manage to get connected to a live representative, they call themselves “Happiness Engineers.” The conversation was quite long but I eventually was told that they could not tell me what the problem was and that someone would contact me.

I made sure to ask them about cancellation and a refund just in case I would not be able to utilize WordAds on my site.

The Problem

After 3 days of waiting I sent a follow-up email asking if they were close to finding an answer. I was worried because the 14-day time limit on cancellations was close approaching. All I got was silence.

After another six days (March 29), I received a response to my follow-up. A whole 13 days since I purchased the upgrade and applied for WordAds, and just 1 day left to be able to get a refund on the purchase.

The Answer

So it seems the bot that crawls the pages had made a mistake and flagged my site as not being family-friendly. The Happiness Engineer directed me to reapply to the program with a supplied link.

Following their advice, I returned to the application page and tried to reapply. But I got a different error message this time.

I returned to the email exchange with support staff and requested further assistance. The staff member eventually had to manually add me into the program.

The Conclusion

On March 29th, I was finally accepted into the WordAds program.

For March I had three days (29, 30, and 31) of advertising on my site before the ledger rolled over to April.

I have read that it usually takes around three months to get a clear idea of the revenues a site will generate as the advertisers get a feel for your site’s content and the types of visitors who frequent it.

I can see a direct correlation between the days where I have high traffic and the greater CPM levels. This is still the early testing phase but I did see some $0.50 and higher CPM levels on the more busy days.

I now need to refocus my energies on producing quality content and guides to further drive the growth of this site.

The next quarterly posting of my WordAds experience should be sometime in June.

If you have any questions about my experience that I did not cover here then please leave me a comment below.

Thanks for reading and have a great day!

General Posts

Swagbucks

Video 9 Comments

I often talk about Swagbucks and the various games, bank accounts, and debit cards I sign up for there. I also talk about the Gift Cards and PayPal Cash I have redeemed for using the service.

This is a guide to using Swagbucks, so you can get started earning some money on the side. If you find this information useful or entertaining, can I please ask you to hit that sweet Like button and Follow?

Swagbucks.com is the web’s most popular rewards program that gives you free gift cards and cash for the everyday things you already do online. Earn points when you shop at your favorite retailers, watch entertaining videos, search the web, answer surveys, and find great deals. Redeem points for gift cards to your favorite retailers like Amazon and Walmart, or get cash back from PayPal.

$2,795.27 Lifetime Earnings

You can install the SwagButton in your browser to alert you to deals and offers for the website you browse daily, and get credit for your online purchases.

Swagbucks Member Recognition Program: As you continue to earn points on the service, you will increase in Rank and earn additional benefits commiserate with your Tier. I am currently ranked at Sapphire, which includes getting up to five (5) Gift Cards instantly upon redemption ($50 each). So I don’t have to wait up to 3 days for delivery.

Rank rewards have been improved as of 2021.

  1. Pearl 
  2. Opal 
  3. Onyx 
  4. Amethyst 
  5. Jade 
  6. Topaz 
  7. Sapphire 
  8. Emerald 
  9. Ruby 
  10. Diamond 

Pearl 

Achieved with 250 Lifetime SB Earned

Benefits:

  1. 50 SB Rebate on your next gift card redemption.
  2. Double SB on your next survey completion.

Opal 

Achieved with 1,000 Lifetime SB Earned

Benefits:

  1. 75 SB Rebate on your next gift card redemption.
  2. Double SB on your next 2 survey completions.

Onyx 

Achieved with 5,000 Lifetime SB Earned

Benefits:

  1. 100 SB Rebate on your next gift card redemption.
  2. Double SB on your next 2 survey completions.

Amethyst 

Achieved with 10,000 Lifetime SB Earned

Benefits:

  1. 100 SB Rebate on your next gift card redemption.
  2. Double SB on your next 3 survey completions.

Jade 

Achieved with 50,000 Lifetime SB Earned

Benefits:

  1. 125 SB Rebate on your next gift card redemption.
  2. Double SB on your next survey completion.
  3. 300 SB Bonus on your next cash-back shopping purchase.*

* You will receive this bonus when your SB from a qualifying purchase is credited to your account.

Topaz 

Achieved with 100,000 Lifetime SB Earned

Benefits:

  1. 125 SB Rebate on your next gift card redemption.
  2. Double SB on your next 2 survey completions.
  3. 300 SB Bonus on your next cash-back shopping purchase.*
  4. Real-time shipment of 5 gift cards up to $50 (or £25) in value each month**
  5. Get real-time access to your shopping SB for 1 transaction, up to 1,000 SB per transaction per month. Excludes Travel. Credits within 2 hours.**

* You will receive this bonus when your SB from a qualifying purchase is credited to your account.
**This is a Sustained Benefit. To sustain and continue receiving this benefit, you must earn at least 2,500 SB within 6 months of reaching this level.

Sapphire 

Achieved 250,000 Lifetime SB Earned

Benefits:

  1. 125 SB Rebate on your next gift card redemption.
  2. Double SB on your next 2 survey completions.
  3. 500 SB Bonus on your next cash-back shopping purchase.*
  4. 2 additional hours to redeem any Swag Code**
  5. Real-time shipment of 5 gift cards up to $50 (or £25) in value each month**
  6. Get real-time access to your shopping SB for 1 transaction, up to 1,000 SB per transaction per month. Excludes Travel. Credits within 2 hours.**

* You will receive this bonus when your SB from a qualifying purchase is credited to your account.
**This is a Sustained Benefit. To sustain and continue receiving this benefit, you must earn at least 2,500 SB within 6 months of reaching this level.

Emerald 

Achieved with 500,000 Lifetime SB Earned

Benefits:

  1. 125 SB Rebate on your next gift card redemption.
  2. Double SB on your next 3 survey completions.
  3. 1,000 SB Bonus on your next cash-back shopping purchase.*
  4. 2 additional hours to redeem any Swag Code**
  5. Real-time shipment of 5 gift cards up to $50 (or £25) in value each month**
  6. Get real-time access to your shopping SB for 2 transactions, up to 1,000 SB per transaction per month. Excludes Travel. Credits within 2 hours.**

* You will receive this bonus when your SB from a qualifying purchase is credited to your account.
**This is a Sustained Benefit. To sustain and continue receiving this benefit, you must earn at least 2,500 SB within 6 months of reaching this level.

Ruby 

Achieved with 1,000,000 Lifetime SB Earned

Benefits:

  1. A 15,000 SB ($150) one-time bonus!
  2. Double SB on your next 3 survey completions.
  3. 2 additional hours to redeem any swag code*
  4. Real-time shipment of 5 gift cards up to $50 (or £25) in value each month**
  5. Get real-time access to your shopping SB for 3 transactions, up to 1,000 SB per transaction per month. Excludes Travel. Credits within 2 hours.**

*This is a Sustained Benefit. To sustain and continue receiving this benefit, you must earn at least 5,000 SB within 6 months of reaching this level.

Diamond 

Achieved with 2,000,000 Lifetime SB Earned

Benefits:

  1. A 25,000 SB ($250) one-time bonus!
  2. Double SB on your next 3 survey completions.
  3. 2 additional hours to redeem any Swag Code*
  4. Real-time shipment of 5 gift cards up to $50 (or £25) in value each month**
  5. Get real-time access to your shopping SB for 3 transactions, up to 1,000 SB per transaction per month. Excludes Travel. Credits within 2 hours.**

*This is a Sustained Benefit. To sustain and continue receiving this benefit, you must earn at least 5,000 SB within 6 months of reaching this level.