I've seen so many creators sharing about it in Facebook groups, on Threads, and even on TikTok. Creators talk about how much they love it, how easy it is to use, how much they’re earning, and how they’ve made more money through ShopMy than they did through other affiliate networks.
I noticed the same thing.
When I first started using ShopMy, I was intrigued by all the positive things I was hearing. The commission rates looked good, creating links was easy, and the platform seemed like it could simplify my affiliate marketing.
But after using ShopMy for a while, I came away with a very different perspective. I don't think ShopMy is necessarily a bad platform. In fact, I still use it. I just don't use it the way I originally intended to. Here's why.
What is ShopMy?
ShopMy is an affiliate marketing and creator platform that allows creators to share products, earn commissions from sales, create storefronts and collections, and connect with brands.According to ShopMy, its network includes more than 47,000 brands offering commission opportunities. Creators can create ShopMy links by adding a product URL, searching the ShopMy catalog, or browsing supported retailer websites.
When you create a link through ShopMy, ShopMy connects that product to the appropriate retailer or brand affiliate program and tracks purchases made through the link.
ShopMy says commission rates typically range from 10% to 30%, although rates vary by retailer, product, customer type, and other factors.
You can also create a storefront with curated collections where your audience can browse your recommendations.
Related read: How To Start Making Money With Your Blog
How ShopMy works
The basic process is pretty simple. You find a product you want to recommend and create a ShopMy link for it. If the product is commissionable, ShopMy displays the available commission information. When someone clicks your link and makes an eligible purchase, the sale can generate a commission for you.ShopMy then handles the affiliate tracking and payment process across the different retailers and brands. Instead of you receiving separate payments from a bunch of different affiliate programs, ShopMy consolidates those commissions and pays creators through PayPal or Stripe.
ShopMy also has other creator features, including brand partnerships, gifting, discount codes, and paid opportunities. And that's a big part of why creators like it.
Why so many creators like ShopMy
If you've been researching ShopMy, you've probably seen some version of these claims.Higher commissions
One of the biggest selling points is commission rates. ShopMy advertises access to competitive, sometimes high commission rates from its brand partners. It also says that when multiple commission options are available, it works to surface the highest available rate.And compared with some of the affiliate programs I've personally worked with, the rates I see on ShopMy can definitely look attractive.
But there's an important catch. The rate you see isn't necessarily what you'll earn on every purchase.
ShopMy explains that commission rates can vary based on things like whether the customer is new or returning, the specific product, category, sale status, and other exclusions.
So when you see a particularly high commission rate, don't automatically assume that you'll earn that percentage on every order.
Some creators say they earn more
Another thing you'll hear is that creators make more money through ShopMy than through other affiliate networks. They tend to tie that to the higher commissions that are touted for ShopMy.So more earnings are possible. But this is one area where I'd be careful about comparing someone else's results with your own. A creator with a large audience, a different niche, higher-priced products, or a different mix of retailers can have a completely different experience.
My own experience certainly didn't match some of the success stories I was seeing. I used ShopMy affiliate links for around three months and had one sale. That's not exactly the affiliate marketing breakthrough I was expecting.
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You can use ShopMy as a hub for your other affiliate links
Another feature I really like about ShopMy is that you don't necessarily have to use ShopMy as the affiliate program itself. You can add affiliate links from other programs you're already part of.So, for example, if you have an affiliate link from another network or directly from a retailer, you can add that product to ShopMy and use your existing affiliate link.
The important distinction is that the sale is still attributed to the affiliate program that provided the link. ShopMy isn't taking over that affiliate relationship. Instead, you're essentially using ShopMy as a hub for your affiliate links.
This is actually how I use ShopMy now. I have affiliate relationships with multiple networks and retailers, and I can bring those products into ShopMy, so I have one place to organize my recommendations. That makes ShopMy much more useful to me than simply looking at it as another affiliate network I need to generate sales through.
More organizational control of your storefront
Another thing I genuinely like about ShopMy is the way the storefront is set up. It's easy to organize products into different sections and collections, which makes it easier for me to organize my recommendations in a way that makes sense for my audience. It also has a really clean look.I can create different sections based on the types of products I recommend and then organize those products into collections within them. This allows me to share specific sections of my storefront versus having to share a general link and then followers having to sift through everything.
The setup also works better for my brand than some of the storefronts I've used through other affiliate platforms. It gives me more flexibility to organize products in a way that feels like an extension of my website rather than just an affiliate product catalog.
Private and hidden collections are especially useful
One of my favorite features is the ability to create private or hidden collections. This is useful when I want to prepare content ahead of time without making it public yet. For example, if I know a retailer has an upcoming sale, I can create a collection of products ahead of the sale and keep it hidden until I'm ready to share it. Then when the sale starts, I already have the collection organized and ready to go.I also use hidden collections for another reason. I can create a collection, turn it into an embeddable component, and share it only with the people I want to have access to it. This feature is useful when I don't necessarily want a collection publicly discoverable through my storefront but still want to give specific people access to the products.
For someone who creates blog content and wants to prepare affiliate content ahead of time, I think this is a particularly useful feature.
It's easy to use
Creating links is straightforward, and the platform makes it easy to organize products into collections and share recommendations. I also find ShopMy easier to use than some other creator-focused affiliate platforms I've tried.One reason is that ShopMy doesn't require you to actually post your content on the platform in order to use it. You can create your affiliate links, organize your products, and share those links wherever you normally create content.
That makes it feel more like a tool that works alongside your content rather than another social platform you have to maintain. For me, that's a big difference.
I don't want another place where I have to consistently create content just to make the affiliate platform useful. I want to be able to create my content on my blog and social platforms and then use ShopMy's tools to support that content.
ShopMy also offers tools such as a browser extension and mobile options for creating links while you're shopping or browsing products. While this is typical of many of the other affiliate networks I’ve used for creators who are constantly linking products on social media, that convenience can be valuable.
But easy to use doesn't necessarily mean it's the best option for every creator. And that's where some of my concerns come in.
Related read: 6 Of The Best Affiliate Programs For Beauty Bloggers
The downside of ShopMy
There aren't as many everyday retailers as I expected
ShopMy says it has tens of thousands of brands in its network, which sounds impressive. But a large number of brands doesn't necessarily mean you'll find all of the retailers you actually use and recommend. For me, this is one of the biggest limitations.There are plenty of everyday retailers and products that I may want to recommend that either aren't commissionable through ShopMy or aren't available in the way I'd prefer.
ShopMy does allow creators to create links to non-commissionable products, which is useful if you simply want to give your audience a product link. But those purchases don't generate commissions or show up as orders in your ShopMy earnings.
That means having a product available on ShopMy isn't the same thing as having a useful affiliate opportunity for it.
Getting help can feel impersonal
I've also seen creators talk about difficulty getting help with account or commission issues.Some recent public reviews from creators describe problems involving account closures, pending commissions, and difficulty getting a specific explanation from support. These are individual customer reports, so I wouldn't treat them as proof that every ShopMy creator will have the same experience. But there are enough recent reports that I think it's worth being aware of.
ShopMy does have Creator Support and a Chat Center, and its current creator guide specifically directs creators there for questions about links, payouts, and missing orders.
Still, when you're talking about affiliate income, having confidence that you can reach someone when something goes wrong matters.
A click doesn't automatically mean a commission
This isn't necessarily a ShopMy-specific problem. Affiliate tracking in general can be messy.hopMy itself describes affiliate tracking as a "leaky bucket" because there are situations where a creator drives a shopper to a retailer but the eventual purchase isn't attributed to that creator. Things like another affiliate link being clicked, switching devices, cookies being declined, shopping through an app, or certain browser extensions can interfere with attribution.
That means you shouldn't look at your number of clicks and assume a certain percentage of those people will become customers.
When I was using ShopMy primarily as an affiliate network, I wasn't seeing the results I expected. I used ShopMy affiliate links for about three months and saw only one sale. That was enough to make me rethink how I was using the platform.
Instead of abandoning ShopMy completely, I changed what I was using it for. And that's when it became much more useful to me.
Commission rate exclusions aren't always straightforward
Those high commission rates aren't always as straightforward as they look. This is another thing I think creators need to pay attention to.
A retailer might show a high commission rate, but that doesn't necessarily mean every customer or every product qualifies for that rate.
ShopMy's own documentation says rates can vary for new versus returning customers, individual products, categories, and certain types of purchases. It also says some products can be excluded completely.
ShopMy currently says creators can click the information icon next to a commission rate to see known exclusions and special terms.
So before getting excited about a 20%, 25% or 30% commission rate, it's worth checking the details. A high advertised rate isn't necessarily the same thing as a high rate on the particular purchase your reader makes.
There are recent public reviews from creators who say their accounts were closed or suspended and that they had significant pending commissions when it happened. Some say they were given only general explanations about violating terms and had difficulty getting specific answers through the appeal process.
Again, these are creator reports, not something I can independently verify as a general ShopMy policy.
ShopMy's terms do give the company the ability to suspend or terminate accounts and, under certain circumstances, withhold or cancel commissions.
That's something I'd personally want to understand before making any affiliate platform the sole home for my links. Which brings me to what I actually do.
I have affiliate relationships with other networks and retailers, and I add those links to ShopMy.
I have sections and collections on my storefront which I share out on my social channels.
I place the ShopMy embeddable components on my blog which is the part of ShopMy that I find genuinely useful.
I also like that I can bring affiliate links from other programs into ShopMy. That lets me use ShopMy as a central hub for my affiliate links without giving up the affiliate relationships I've already established.
But I don't think creators should automatically assume that ShopMy is going to produce more affiliate income simply because other creators are having success with it.
My experience was different. I used ShopMy affiliate links for around three months and saw only one sale. Once I stopped treating ShopMy as the affiliate program that was supposed to drive my income and started using it as a tool to organize and display my affiliate links, it became much more useful for my business.
If you're considering ShopMy, I'd look beyond the commission percentages and creator success stories. Look at the retailers you actually use. Look at the products you actually recommend. Pay attention to the commission details and exclusions. And think about how you'll use the platform beyond simply generating ShopMy sales.
For me, ShopMy has found a place in my affiliate strategy. It's just not the place I originally thought it would have.
A retailer might show a high commission rate, but that doesn't necessarily mean every customer or every product qualifies for that rate.
ShopMy's own documentation says rates can vary for new versus returning customers, individual products, categories, and certain types of purchases. It also says some products can be excluded completely.
ShopMy currently says creators can click the information icon next to a commission rate to see known exclusions and special terms.
So before getting excited about a 20%, 25% or 30% commission rate, it's worth checking the details. A high advertised rate isn't necessarily the same thing as a high rate on the particular purchase your reader makes.
There have been creator reports about account closures and unpaid commissions
This is probably the most serious concern I've come across while researching ShopMy.There are recent public reviews from creators who say their accounts were closed or suspended and that they had significant pending commissions when it happened. Some say they were given only general explanations about violating terms and had difficulty getting specific answers through the appeal process.
Again, these are creator reports, not something I can independently verify as a general ShopMy policy.
ShopMy's terms do give the company the ability to suspend or terminate accounts and, under certain circumstances, withhold or cancel commissions.
That's something I'd personally want to understand before making any affiliate platform the sole home for my links. Which brings me to what I actually do.
How I use ShopMy now
I don't use ShopMy as my primary affiliate program. I use it more as a place to compile and house my affiliate links. This has actually worked much better for me.I have affiliate relationships with other networks and retailers, and I add those links to ShopMy.
I have sections and collections on my storefront which I share out on my social channels.
I place the ShopMy embeddable components on my blog which is the part of ShopMy that I find genuinely useful.
ShopMy isn't useless because of how I’m using it
After using ShopMy, I understand why creators like it. There are some things about the platform that I genuinely like. It's easy to create links, the storefront is flexible and easy to organize, and the ability to create private and hidden collections makes it useful for planning content ahead of time.I also like that I can bring affiliate links from other programs into ShopMy. That lets me use ShopMy as a central hub for my affiliate links without giving up the affiliate relationships I've already established.
But I don't think creators should automatically assume that ShopMy is going to produce more affiliate income simply because other creators are having success with it.
My experience was different. I used ShopMy affiliate links for around three months and saw only one sale. Once I stopped treating ShopMy as the affiliate program that was supposed to drive my income and started using it as a tool to organize and display my affiliate links, it became much more useful for my business.
If you're considering ShopMy, I'd look beyond the commission percentages and creator success stories. Look at the retailers you actually use. Look at the products you actually recommend. Pay attention to the commission details and exclusions. And think about how you'll use the platform beyond simply generating ShopMy sales.
For me, ShopMy has found a place in my affiliate strategy. It's just not the place I originally thought it would have.
If you'd like to sign up and give it a try for yourself, you can use my ShopMy referral link,
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