How a commission-only deal works
- You send the creator a product. There is no fee.
- They get a personal link and a discount code for their followers.
- Each sale through the link or the code is credited to them.
- You pay them a share of those sales, usually once a month.
You pay only when a sale happens. The creator carries the risk that nothing sells, which is why the rate and the gift both matter.
What commission rate to offer
Affiliate networks publish the rates their merchants pay. These are the medians by category, across Awin, Impact, PartnerStack, ShareASale and CJ Affiliate.
| Category | Median commission |
|---|---|
| Beauty and cosmetics | 12% |
| Health and wellness supplements | 11% |
| Fashion and apparel | 10% |
| Home and garden | 9.5% |
| Pet supplies | 9% |
| E-commerce overall | 8.4% |
Source: CreatorFlow, citing Digital Applied’s network data of April 2026. They are network medians for every kind of affiliate, not what brands pay creators they approach directly.
A creator you approach yourself does more than a coupon site does, so direct deals often open higher. We open at 15% of the sales they bring in, for 12 months.
What you can afford: the calculator
The rate has to leave you a profit after the discount you give their followers. Put in your own numbers.
- You keep per sale
- $24.90
- The creator earns per sale
- $8.10
- Highest commission you can afford
- 61.1%
- The flat fee equals
- 38 sales
$498 on 20 sales, before your other costs.
$162 on 20 sales.
Above this, each sale loses money.
Below that many sales, commission costs you less than the fee.
Margin is the share of the full price left after the product and shipping. The discount comes off the price the customer pays, and commission is paid on that discounted price.
If a creator asks for a fee instead, the last box shows how many sales that fee equals. What the calculator cannot tell you is how many sales a creator will bring: that is what a forecast is for, and a forecast is an estimate, not a promise.
Will creators say yes?
The published evidence points both ways.
- In Modash’s survey of 57 creators and 70 marketers (October 2026), 68% of creators said they still accept affiliate commissions, with caveats, and 79% said a commission would make them more likely to work with a brand.
- Collabstr reports that only 7% of the campaigns it can see carry a commission, and argues it works best on top of a fee (September 2026). Collabstr sells fee-based deals.
Both samples are small or vendor-run. What we do: open with a gift and 15% of sales. If a creator asks for a fee, we weigh it against the sales forecast for them, using their real views, and the brand decides.
What to put in the offer
- The rate, and how long it runs.
- Their own link and discount code.
- What counts as a sale: orders through the link or code, after refunds.
- When you pay: for example, by the 10th of the next month.
- The gift: which product, and that posting about it is their choice.
A first message can be short: “Hi Mila, your mask routines are how our customers use Night Oil. Could we send you one? If you like it, you would earn 15% of every sale from your link for 12 months.”
Tracking and paying
In Acurrate each creator gets a link and a code, sales from a Shopify or WooCommerce store are credited to them, and their commission is counted by month. You pay it outside Acurrate today.
For what tracking tools charge, see affiliate software pricing: some take 2% or 3% of the sales themselves.
Related: how much to pay an influencer and working with micro-influencers. No time to run it? We can run the program for you.
FAQ
Common questions
What is a commission-only influencer deal?
The creator is paid a share of the sales they bring in, tracked by a personal link and discount code, and no fee up front. Most brands send a free product first. It is also called a revenue-share or affiliate deal.
What commission do influencers get?
Affiliate-network medians run from about 8% to 12% by category: 12% in beauty, 10% in fashion, 8.4% across e-commerce (CreatorFlow, citing Digital Applied’s April 2026 network data). Deals agreed directly with a creator often open higher. We open at 15% of the sales they bring in.
Will influencers work for commission only?
Some will. In Modash’s October 2026 survey of 57 creators, 68% said they still accept affiliate commissions, with caveats, and 79% said a commission would make them more likely to work with a brand. Collabstr reports that only 7% of the campaigns it can see carry a commission. Both are small or vendor-run samples, so offer the commission, and be ready to discuss a fee.
Is commission better than a flat fee?
It depends on how much the creator sells. A flat fee costs the same whatever happens; commission costs nothing until a sale. Divide the fee by the commission on one sale: below that many sales, commission costs you less. The calculator on this page does the sum.
How do I track an influencer’s sales?
Give each creator a personal link and a discount code, and credit a sale to them when either is used. In Acurrate, Shopify and WooCommerce stores connect directly, so each sale is credited to its creator and their commission is counted by month.
See what a creator could sell for your store. Paste a handle into the free ROI calculator and see the forecast, from the views their posts really get and your own order value.