Affiliates & Collaborators

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Overview

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Affiliate Types

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Direct Affiliates

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Adding an Affiliate

affiliate = DirectAffiliate.create!(
  seller: current_user,
  affiliate_user: other_creator,
  affiliate_basis_points: 3000, # 30%
  destination_url: "https://example.com/landing"
)

• Affiliate’s Gumroad email address
• Commission percentage (in basis points: 30% = 3000)
• Optional destination URL for redirects
• Product selection (all products or specific ones)

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Affiliate Configuration

• Enable apply_to_all_products flag
• Affiliate automatically added to new products
• Same commission rate across all products
• Simplifies management for many products

• Select specific products to promote
• Different commission rates per product
• Custom destination URLs per product
• More granular tracking

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Commission Structure

// Account-level affiliate (all products)
affiliate: {
  fee_percent: 30, // 30% commission
  apply_to_all_products: true
}

// Product-specific rates
affiliate: {
  products: [
    { id: "prod_1", fee_percent: 25, enabled: true },
    { id: "prod_2", fee_percent: 40, enabled: true },
    { id: "prod_3", fee_percent: 30, enabled: false }
  ]
}

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Affiliate Links

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Generating Referral URLs

// Affiliate's base referral URL
https://gumroad.com/a/123456

// Direct product link
https://gumroad.com/a/123456/product-permalink

// Alternative format
https://username.gumroad.com/l/product?affiliate_id=123456
// Or short version
https://username.gumroad.com/l/product?a=123456

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Link Parameters

• affiliate_id or a - Numeric affiliate ID
• Stored in cookie for 30 days
• Attribution on any purchase within window
• Last-click attribution model

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Destination URLs

affiliate.destination_url = "https://affiliate-site.com/recommended"
# When clicked, user goes here first, then to product

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Affiliate Management

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Affiliate Dashboard

• View enabled products
• Copy referral links
• See commission rates
• Track performance (if enabled)
• Manage post subscription preferences

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Managing Your Affiliates

1. View All Affiliates - List with sorting and filtering
2. Edit Commission Rates - Update percentages anytime
3. Add/Remove Products - Change which products they can promote
4. View Statistics - See sales volume and commissions earned
5. Delete Affiliates - Remove relationship entirely

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Affiliate Sorting

• Name - Alphabetically by affiliate user
• Products - Number of products they promote
• Fee Percent - Commission rate
• Volume - Total sales generated

// Sort by sales volume descending
GET /affiliates?column=volume_cents&sort=desc

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Commission Tracking

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How Commissions Work

1. Customer Clicks - Affiliate link clicked, cookie set
2. Purchase Made - Customer buys within 30 days
3. Commission Calculated - Percentage of sale computed
4. Affiliate Credited - Credit recorded in system
5. Payout Processed - Included in affiliate’s balance

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Commission Calculation

# Example calculation
product_price = $100.00
affiliate_percentage = 30%
commission = $100.00 * 0.30 = $30.00

# Seller receives
seller_revenue = $100.00 - $30.00 - gumroad_fee - processor_fee

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Affiliate Credits

AffiliateCredit.create!(
  affiliate: affiliate,
  purchase: purchase,
  credit_cents: 3000, # $30.00
  affiliate_basis_points: 3000 # 30%
)

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Affiliate Eligibility

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Requirements for Affiliates

• Have an active Gumroad account
• Not be suspended
• Not use Brazilian Stripe Connect (incompatible)
• Be marked as alive (not deleted)

# Check eligibility
affiliate.eligible_for_credit?
  → alive? && !affiliate_user.suspended? && !uses_brazilian_stripe?

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Discover Eligibility

• Must be “recommendable” (not adult, not services)
• Published and alive
• Positive reviews/ratings
• Not blocked by seller

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Global Affiliates (Discover)

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How Discover Works

1. Creators find products on discover.gumroad.com
2. Share products with their audience
3. Earn commissions on referred sales
4. Additional 10% Discover fee charged to seller

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Discover Fees

// Standard sale: 10% Gumroad fee
Sale: $100
Gumroad Fee: $10 (10%)

// Discover sale: 10% + 10% = 20% total
Sale: $100
Gumroad Fee: $10 (10%)
Discover Fee: $10 (10%)
Total Fees: $20

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Boosting Products

• Default: 30% total fee (10% base + 20% Discover)
• Adjustable: 30-100% of transaction
• Higher fees = better placement

product.update!(
  discover_fee_per_thousand: 500 # 50% total
)

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Collaborators

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Collaborator Features

• Revenue split defined at product level
• Both parties see product in their dashboard
• Joint ownership and permissions
• Listed as co-creator on product page (optional)
• Invitation and acceptance workflow

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Creating Collaborations

collaborator = Collaborator.create!(
  seller: primary_creator,
  affiliate_user: co_creator,
  affiliate_basis_points: 5000, # 50/50 split
  show_as_co_creator: true
)

# Associate with product
product.is_collab = true
product.affiliates << collaborator

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Collaboration Workflow

1. Invitation - Primary creator sends invite
2. Pending - Waiting for acceptance
3. Accepted - Collaborator confirmed
4. Revenue Split - Automatic on each sale

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Collaboration Permissions

• View product analytics
• See customer list
• Access sales data
• Cannot edit product (only primary creator)

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Affiliate Communication

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Automatic Notifications

• New Affiliate Relationship - Welcome and setup
• New Product Added - When seller adds product to their portfolio
• Product Updated - When commission rates or products change
• Sale Notification - When they generate a sale (optional)
• Removal - When relationship ends

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Post Subscription

affiliate.update!(send_posts: true)

• Enabled by default for new affiliates
• Affiliates can opt out anytime
• Keeps affiliates informed of new products
• Separate from customer email list

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Affiliate Analytics

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Performance Metrics

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Per-Product Statistics

affiliate.product_sales_info
# Returns:
{
  product_id_1: {
    volume_cents: 50000,
    sales_count: 25,
    commission_cents: 15000
  },
  product_id_2: {
    volume_cents: 30000,
    sales_count: 15,
    commission_cents: 9000
  }
}

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Volume Tracking

scope :counts_towards_volume, -> {
  successful
    .not_fully_refunded
    .not_chargedback_or_chargedback_reversed
}

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Affiliate Payouts

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Payout Flow

1. Commission Earned - Recorded on successful sale
2. Added to Balance - Included in affiliate’s account balance
3. Payout Threshold - Must meet minimum ($10)
4. Scheduled Payout - Sent on payout schedule (weekly/monthly)
5. Payment Method - Via connected bank or PayPal

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Commission Clawback

# On refund, create negative credit
AffiliatePartialRefund.create!(
  affiliate: affiliate,
  purchase: purchase,
  refund_amount_cents: original_commission
)

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Affiliate Requests

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Self-Service Affiliate Products

SelfServiceAffiliateProduct.create!(
  product: product,
  requester: potential_affiliate,
  requested_percentage: 25
)

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Request Workflow

1. Request Submitted - Potential affiliate applies
2. Seller Review - Approve or decline
3. Approval - Creates affiliate relationship
4. Notification - Affiliate gets access to links

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Managing Requests

• View pending requests
• Approve with custom commission rate
• Decline with optional message
• Block user from future requests

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Affiliate Best Practices

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Affiliate Export

GET /affiliates/export

• Affiliate name and email
• Commission rates
• Products they promote
• Total volume generated
• Commissions earned
• Contact preferences

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API Access

// List affiliates (not in public API yet)
// Future: GET /v2/affiliates

// Track affiliate sales via purchases
GET /v2/sales?affiliate_id=123

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Fraud Prevention

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Affiliate Abuse Protection

• Cookie-based attribution prevents manipulation
• Self-purchase detection and blocking
• Suspicious pattern analysis
• Refund rate monitoring

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Blocked Scenarios

• Affiliate cannot promote to themselves
• Multiple accounts with same payment method flagged
• Unusually high refund rates investigated
• Click fraud detection algorithms

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Affiliate Restrictions

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Account Requirements

• Be their own affiliate (self-promotion only)
• Use suspended accounts
• Have Brazilian Stripe Connect accounts
• Promote after being marked deleted

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Seller Controls

• Disable affiliate requests globally
• Block specific users from becoming affiliates
• Remove affiliates at any time
• Adjust commission rates anytime

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Troubleshooting

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Common Issues

• Check cookie is set properly
• Verify purchase within 30-day window
• Confirm affiliate is still active
• Check if affiliate is eligible

• Verify affiliate_basis_points on purchase
• Check for partial refunds
• Confirm product price used in calculation

• Confirm they have Gumroad account
• Check they haven’t disabled requests
• Verify not Brazilian Stripe account
• Ensure not already an affiliate

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Next Steps