I've made good money from Amazon Associates, I don't like the fact that we earn up to 10% advertising fees only however because Amazon.com is the e-commerce leader conversion is very high and earnings are okay.The best alternative for AdSense is Amazon Affiliate Program, since this is the largest online store conversion is beyond your expectations, believe me, I'm earning steady commissions from Amazon, all you need is a good... not very competitive niche, create a website with resourceful content, make use of SEO on/off page and you're on the path to success.
Meanwhile I've discovered the best alternative for Adsense, I'm talking about SwitchAds. Give it a try, you won't regret it!