This page was printed on Feb 03, 2023. For the current version, visit https://help.shopify.com/en/partners/faq/partner-program.
Here are some common questions we get asked about Shopify’s Partner Program.
How does the Shopify Partner Program work?
The Shopify Partner program gives you multiple ways to generate revenue. One is to refer clients to us by using development stores, and receive a recurring commission. Another is to use your affiliate link to earn a commission for each Shopify merchant who signs up using your affiliate link. You can write and publish Shopify apps or Shopify themes. You can also sell your apps or themes on a subscription basis or for a one-time fee. Refer to Shopify Partner earnings for more details.
How do I become a Shopify Partner?
Simply sign up for a Shopify Partner account. Once you’re a Partner, you can submit apps to the Shopify App Store and also start signing clients up under your account. You’ll be earning a portion of the revenue Shopify earns from each client from the day you sign them up. Shopify will pay you via PayPal on a regular basis, provided you’ve achieved the minimum balance.
How will I get paid?
Earnings are accumulated and paid out on the following schedule:
- For all earnings accrued between the 1st to and including the 15th of the month, payment will occur 5 business days after the 15th day of the month.
- For all earnings accrued between the 16th to and including the last day of the month, payment will occur 5 business days after the last day of the month.
Payments are delivered to you via PayPal in USD. Any money owed to you is paid out twice monthly as long as your balance for the activity type is above $25 USD. If your balance is below $25, it will be held until the next payout period. If you decide to close your Partner account and your balance is below $25, then the amount will not be paid out.
Sales and referral activity earnings are calculated separately. This means that if you meet the threshold for referral earnings, but not sales earnings, then referral earnings are paid out and sales earnings continue to accrue until they meet the earnings threshold.
How do I hand over a development store to a client?
Follow this guide for handing off development stores to clients.
Why can’t I install an app on a development store?
Free apps can be installed on the development store. To install an app that has a fee, the development store needs to be on a plan with a credit card on the account.
How do I work on a live shop without affecting it?
Option 1: Work with a development store
Download the theme from the Themes page in the live shop, and then upload it to your existing development store. Now you can work on a copy of the live shop’s theme in a dev environment.
When you're ready to launch the updated theme, download the theme from your development store and then upload it to the live shop as the primary theme.
Option 2: Shopify Theme Kit
You can use the Shopify Theme Kit to modify a store's theme with a local text editor of your choice. When you're done making your changes locally, then you can push them to the store.
Shopify supports multiple themes, so you can make a copy of your theme on the Themes page in your Shopify admin, and edit that unpublished theme.
What is the best practice when you've built a store for a client using a third-party theme?
If you've built a store for a client and it includes a third-party theme, then you need to transfer the theme to the client. The best way to do this depends on whether the theme still needs code customization when you transfer the development store to your client:
If the theme still needs code customization, then buy the theme on behalf of the client, bill the client the cost of the theme, and handoff the development store so that your credit card is removed from its account.
If the theme doesn't need any code customization, then leave the theme as a free trial. Your client doesn't need to pay for the theme until they want to publish it (or if they want to customize its code). They can do this after you transfer the development store.
(Video) How To Make Money With Shopify's Affiliate Program in 2023 (For Beginners)
If you use a free trial of the theme, at what point does the client have to pay for the theme? Does it have to be when we transfer the store?
The merchant pays for the theme when they want to publish the theme or edit the code. This can be done after you handoff the dev store.
What is an affiliate link?
An affiliate link is a unique URL to provide to your clients. Every Partner receives their own unique affiliate link. When it's time to create your client’s store, log in to your Partner Dashboard and open a development store, or provide your client with your affiliate link. This will connect the client’s store with your Shopify Partner account, and let you track your affiliate income.
To be paid a recurring commission for the merchants that you refer, you must create a development store for them. If they sign up through your affiliate link, you will be paid a one-time affiliate referral commission instead. To learn more, refer to Shopify Partner earnings.
How does app billing work?
Application billing is explained in full in the Application Billing documentation.
I don't live in Canada. Can I still participate?
Yes. All we need to pay you is a valid PayPal account. We will make payments in USD.
If a client signs up for a trial account and upgrades, will I be paid for the upgraded plan?
Yes. The plan change will be reflected in your Partner Dashboard.
What information will I be able to track about my affiliated clients?
You can track who your affiliated clients are, the total revenue in that pay period generated by all your affiliated clients, and the total revenue to date from all your affiliated clients.
Why can’t I find out the revenue from each individual client?
We do not provide this statistic as it would be a violation of the client’s privacy.
Yes. Visit our Client Resources section of the website for brochures, flyers and information you can share with prospective and current customers. We also provide some creative Shopify banners and logos for you to use and suggestions for how to brand yourself as a Shopify Partner. We send out a monthly newsletter containing Shopify news, tips on how to promote Shopify, and any other important information. If there's anything in particular you think we could provide that would be valuable to help you sell, please contact Partner Support(/questions/partners).
Is the amount I can earn capped?
No. You can collect on as many clients earning as much income as you can possibly manage. The way we figure it, if you’re earning, we’re earning.
How much will I earn?
Everything you need to know about earning money as a Shopify Partner is outlined in Shopify Partner earnings.
Does Shopify apply tax to Partner earnings?
Shopify might charge you taxes on its fees or pay out taxes on your referral commissions in certain cases. These taxes vary based on your location, the type of Partner activity, and the tax information you provide in your Partner account settings. You might be responsible for remitting these taxes to the appropriate government authority. For more information, refer to Shopify Partner earnings.
If I referred a customer to Shopify before I signed up as a Partner, can I still add them to my Referrals?
No. If you referred a customer before you signed up as a Partner, then you can't add their account to your Referrals.
Can I earn revenue on my own store?
Unfortunately, no. Collecting Partner earnings on a store run by yourself in whole or in part is fraud and grounds for dismissal from the Partner program.
Can I use a development store to advertise my services?
Yes. You can't process any payments through a personal development store, but you are welcome to use one as a public-facing website to advertise your services and display your work.
I know that merchants I referred have had sales in the last few weeks. Why doesn't my revenue seem to be increasing accordingly?
As a Shopify Partner, you earn a commission based on the merchant's subscription fee. You'll continue to earn this commission for as long as the merchant is a Shopify customer and you are an active Shopify Partner.
We calculate your commission based on invoices paid by the merchant. After the invoice has been sent from Shopify to the merchant and the merchant has paid, your earnings will start to accumulate.
What happens if I want to dispute an amount of revenue I’ve been paid? It seems like the amount I received should be more/less.
For any payment disputes, contact Partner Support with the full details of the issue. We'll review your message and do our best to resolve it.
Will there be more features coming in the Partner system?
Yes. Just as with Shopify, we’re continuously developing all kinds of useful features for the Partner program. We’ll keep you updated on these upgrades right before they go live. If there’s any feature or functionality that you want to see added to the Shopify Partner Program, then contact Partner Support.
What are the terms of service?
The terms of service are located here.
How do I cancel the program after signing up?
Please contact Partner Support.
You can contact Partner Support through Shopify Help Center. Partner Support can help you to navigate our Partner programs, resolve issues for your clients, and grow your Partner business.
Is the Partner Dashboard available in multiple languages?
Yes. To learn how to choose the language that you want to use, refer to Choose your preferred language.
FAQs
Is the Shopify Partner Program worth it? ›
Overall, yes. Shopify Partners also allows you to create apps for Shopify's App Store and themes for Shopify's theme store. Publishing themes requires qualifications: you must be certified as a Shopify “Design Expert,” that has been approved by Shopify to create and publish themes.
How do I qualify for Shopify partners? ›Ongoing qualifications
Positive feedback from existing Shopify Plus merchants. Excellent scoring on store build performance, speed, and accessibility reports. Strong adherence to Shopify Plus best practices during launch and development cycles. Active participation in Shopify community engagement and thought leadership.
Shopify Partners
A recurring commission equal to 20% of the merchant's monthly subscription fee. Recurs monthly as long as the merchant remains a paying Shopify customer and you remain an active Shopify Partner. A recurring commission equal to 10% of the merchant's monthly subscription fee.
As a Shopify Partner, you have access to free training courses, in-depth documentation, and other resources that will help you learn about Shopify and grow your own business.
How likely are you to succeed on Shopify? ›The Shopify Success Rate of eCommerce stores is around 5% to 10%. This means that out of every 100 businesses that use Shopify, only about 5 to 10 businesses of them are successful. Top 10 common Shopify mistakes that can be easily avoided if you want to have a successful Shopify store and great sales.
What percentage of Shopify stores succeed? ›Shopify data shows that 81% of merchants are profitable after two years, and the average annual revenue for a Shopify store is $155,000.
Does Shopify check your credit? ›Shopify doesn't judge you. They don't look at your credit score. It's totally up to your sales. Through Shopify Capital, they give you what they think you need and can pay back in a reasonable timeframe.
How long does it take to get approved by Shopify? ›You might need to submit the app several times until the reviewers finally approve it. The feedback after submission usually arrives in 10 – 15 days.
Does Shopify count as income? ›Yes, Shopify reports most account owners' business transactions to the IRS every year, in a form called the 1099-K.
Can you make a living off Shopify? ›In short, yes! Of course, how profitable your Shopify store will depend on the type of business you're creating, the value of your products or services, your profit margins, expenses, how saturated your particular market is, and how you go about promoting your store, along with other factors.
What is the most profitable product to sell on Shopify? ›
- Furniture.
- Laptop Skins.
- Smartphone Accessories.
- Face Mask.
- Car and Bike Accessories.
- Glocalized Products.
- Reusable Water Bottles.
- E-sports Accessories.
A good profit margin for a Shopify eCommerce store is about 40%. It depends on several factors like the nature and type of the business, and the amount of competition. For small eCommerce stores, the average gross margin is 30%, and for larger businesses, it's 37%.
Can I run a Shopify store without the registration of the company? ›Important Facts To Set Up A Legal Business On Shopify
Registering a business and applying for an EIN is not required if you're a small or medium-sized business. You can run your Shopify store as a sole proprietor and use your SSN (social security number) or SIN (social insurance number) for tax purposes.
Yes. However, collaborators must log in to your store at least once through the Stores page in their Partner Dashboard before they can log in using the Shopify app.
How do I get full permissions on Shopify? ›...
Steps:
- Select the permissions that you want to give to the staff member.
- Clear the permissions that you want to remove.
- To give the staff member all available permissions, select Select all.
- Disadvantages of Shopify. While Shopify certainly has its advantages, there are some disadvantages to consider. ...
- 2.1 Limited design customization. ...
- 2.2 It can be expensive. ...
- 2.3 Payment processing and transaction fees. ...
- 2.4 No access to email storage. ...
- 2.5 No access to Marketing Automation.
Most of the Shopify stores fail due to a lack of conversion tactics and not gaining more sales. From my personal experience, I would suggest you Shopify Booster Theme as it will help you to improve conversions. This theme is very simple and elegant which is designed to be highly optimized for improving sales.
What should you not do on Shopify? ›- Assuming Online Presence Is All It Takes to Grow. ...
- Failing to Know Your Ideal Customer. ...
- Not Branding Your Store the Right Way. ...
- Launching Without a Solid Marketing Plan.
Numerous stores have been built in Shopify, but you know what percent of Shopify stores fail? 5% of them reach the destination of success, while the remaining 95% of them fail. Below are the reasons for this failure.
What are the highest grossing Shopify stores? ›What are the most successful Shopify stores? Kylie Cosmetics, ColourPop, Steve Madden, Pura Vida, Allbirds, Fashion Nova, Gymshark, and Bombas are the most successful Shopify stores on this list. Each company generates at least $5 million in annual sales, with some reaching as high as $200 million.
What is the average returning customer rate Shopify? ›
What's the average ecommerce customer retention rate? Data shows that online retailers have an average repeat customer rate of 28.2%.
Does Shopify pay out everyday? ›By default, you get paid every business day as soon as your funds are available to be paid out. If you want to get paid at regular intervals, then you can set up a weekly or monthly payout schedule.
Is Shopify linked to your bank account? ›Only merchants in the United States who are on the Shopify Plus plan can use a verified bank account to pay their Shopify bills. Adding or replacing a bank account is a two-step process. First, you add your bank account information. Then you verify your bank account.
Does Shopify check your SSN? ›When you set up Shopify Payments, you need to enter your tax details. All businesses need to submit a tax ID. If you are a sole proprietor and don't have a tax ID, then you can submit your Social Insurance Number (SIN) or the last four digits of your Social Security Number (SSN) instead.
How do I prepare for a Shopify interview? ›- Step 1 - Learn about Shopify and their values to see if they match what you believe.
- Step 2 - Read reviews and testimonials.
- Step 3 - Write down the highlights of how you arrived at this point in your career.
Document review process
Reviews can take up to 3 business days to complete. During the review process, your payouts might be placed on hold until your information is verified, but usually your store remains open and customers can still buy your products.
If a payout does not deposit successfully, the best thing to do is check if your banking information is correct within the Shopify admin. You can do this by going to Settings > Payments > Manage, where you should be able to see the last 2 digits of your bank account and the banking institution.
Can you write off Shopify fees? ›Online service fees
Online services used for business purposes, such as Shopify, accounting tools, inventory management software, and any other apps you use to run your business, are deductible as business expenses.
IRS Form 1099-k: A form that Shopify is required to fill out for its sellers who make over $20,000/year or process over 200 transactions.
Can I sell on Shopify without collecting taxes? ›Shopify is not required to collect and remit sales tax in behalf of its sellers. Unlike Amazon or eBay, Shopify is not a “marketplace facilitator”. Therefore, Shopify doesn't fall under marketplace facilitator laws that require stores like Amazon or eBay to collect and remit sales tax for its sellers.
What is the average Shopify monthly income? ›
The average Shopify store makes about $2,000 per month. This may vary depending on the products sold, the niche, and a number of other factors. However, with a bit of effort, it is possible to make much more than this.
How much can a beginner earn from dropshipping? ›All businesses and entrepreneurs are unique, but it's possible to generate a $1,000 to $2,000 monthly income stream within 12 months working approximately 10 to 15 hours per week building your business.
Can you connect Shopify to Amazon? ›Many Shopify store owners will use a free Shopify app to sync inventory and sell products from their own stores to Amazon. That way you don't have to create separate selling plans and can control inventory management in one place.
What niches are most profitable for Shopify? ›- Pet Accessories.
- Sports and Fitness Products.
- Home and Garden Products.
- Home Office Equipment.
- Digital Products.
- Smartphone Accessories.
- Jewelry.
- Car and Bike Accessories.
- Investment and credit services:
- Money and legal services:
- Virtual currency or stored value:
- Sexually oriented items:
- Counterfeit or unauthorized goods:
- Gambling:
- Intellectual property or proprietary rights infringement:
- Regulated or illegal products or services:
Many people make money from Shopify through the drop shipping method. Countless online businesses have made millions of sales by dropping shipping trendy and seasonal products.
What online store makes the most money? ›Amazon – $34,204,000,000 $1,084 per second. Founded in 1994 and currently employing 33,700 people, Amazon.com remains the world's largest online retailer, with the highest revenue of any company on this list.
Can I run multiple Shopify stores under one LLC? ›Re: Multiple shopify accounts under one business
You can't have multiple Shopify stores under one account, but Shopify permits and supports owning multiple accounts as needed to operate multiple stores. You need to set up accounts for each new store, managing inventory for each through their own Shopify accounts.
The short answer is no. You don't need a bank account to use Shopify. However, there are some advantages to having a bank account when you're using Shopify to sell online. PRO TIP: If you are thinking about using Shopify to sell products online, you may be wondering if you need a bank account for Shopify.
Do I need an LLC to start dropshipping? ›Do you need an LLC for dropshipping? The answer is simply yes. If you want to do business while protecting your dropshipping company and personal assets, you'll need an LLC. It's such a system to lawfully build your online store.
How much do Shopify partners get paid? ›
Shopify Partners
A recurring commission equal to 20% of the merchant's monthly subscription fee. Recurs monthly as long as the merchant remains a paying Shopify customer and you remain an active Shopify Partner. A recurring commission equal to 10% of the merchant's monthly subscription fee.
You can add up to 20 domains or subdomains to your Shopify store, in addition to your . myshopify.com URL. If your store is on the Shopify Plus plan, then you can add up to 1,000 domains or subdomains.
Can you have multiple businesses under one Shopify account? ›Sadly, you can't have Shopify multiple stores on one account. However, you can have multiple Shopify stores across different accounts.
What are the six types of permissions? ›...
Write
- create folders.
- add new files.
- delete files.
From your Partner Dashboard, click Stores. Click Add store > Request access to store. Enter the URL of the Shopify store that you want to access. If the Shopify store requires a collaborator request code, then enter the code.
What is the difference between Shopify and Shopify Partners? ›Shopify Partners mostly deal with small to medium-sized ecommerce businesses. Shopify Plus Partners, on the other hand, help facilitate high-volume merchants. However, standard partners can still refer Shopify Plus to their customers and offer their services to Shopify Plus merchants.
How do I get paid as a partner on Shopify? ›...
Steps:
- From your Partner Dashboard, click Payouts.
- In the Payouts table, click a date range.
- Click Download referral commission invoice.
- Disadvantages of Shopify. While Shopify certainly has its advantages, there are some disadvantages to consider. ...
- 2.1 Limited design customization. ...
- 2.2 It can be expensive. ...
- 2.3 Payment processing and transaction fees. ...
- 2.4 No access to email storage. ...
- 2.5 No access to Marketing Automation.
- Alcohol. The US alone is home to 8,386 breweries, 8,275 of which (that's 98.67%) are craft breweries. ...
- Tobacco and E-Cigarettes. ...
- CBD. ...
- Fireworks. ...
- Firearms and Weapons. ...
- Solvents. ...
- Pharmaceuticals. ...
- Gaming Restrictions.
Best Shopify Partner are DSers, Growave, Able Sense, Accessible360, and Acidgreen. You can easily use different features and resources of Shopify for your online shop and promote the brand to get more traffic and revenues.
Can 2 people use the same Shopify account? ›
Customers can add members to access their accounts on your store. Customers can create groups & add members to the group. Admin can manage all the members directly from the app.
How much does the average Shopify user make? ›Research has shown that an average Shopify merchant in the United States makes about $72 of profit from each customer–high-earning merchants on Shopify earn about $149 on a per-client basis, while low-earning merchants make a profit of about $44 per-client.
How do partnership owners get paid? ›Partners do not receive a salary from the partnership. Rather, the partners are compensated by withdrawing funds from partnership earnings. Partnerships are flow-through tax entities. As such, any profits or losses produced by the partnership pass through to the partners.
Why did Shopify fail? ›Most of the Shopify stores fail due to a lack of conversion tactics and not gaining more sales. From my personal experience, I would suggest you Shopify Booster Theme as it will help you to improve conversions. This theme is very simple and elegant which is designed to be highly optimized for improving sales.
Does Shopify affect your taxes? ›Shopify doesn't file or remit your sales taxes for you.
You might need to register your business with your local or federal tax authority to handle your sales tax. The calculations and reports that Shopify provides should help make things easier when it's time to file and pay your taxes.
- Great backend functionality requires an army of apps. Managing the backend of your e-commerce system is a cumbersome task with the Shopify platform. ...
- Lack of product options and categories. ...
- Unable to customize the checkout process.
- Open Communication. Open communication is the backbone of any effective partnership. ...
- Accessibility. Signing a deal is only the beginning, implementation is when the heavy lifting starts. ...
- Flexibility. ...
- Mutual Benefit. ...
- Measurable Results.
As a Shopify Partner, you earn a commission based on the merchant's subscription fee. You'll continue to earn this commission for as long as the merchant is a Shopify customer and you are an active Shopify Partner. We calculate your commission based on invoices paid by the merchant.
How do you build a successful partner program? ›- Step 1: Determine a channel partnership strategy. ...
- Step 2: Identify relevant partners and grade them. ...
- Step 3: Develop a coherent plan for reaching these companies. ...
- Step 4: Drive growth through your partners.