BB1: that wasn’t an affiliate program. That was a wholesaler. Huge difference. You should never have to buy anything or spend any money to join an affiliate program. If they had a legitimate affiliate program then you could have sent traffic to their website and would receive a commission on the sales.
This should be a lesson to everyone. If a merchant is advertising an affiliate program but you have to buy something or pay to join then stay away or expect to get screwed.