Program Terms

1. Eligibility

You must be at least 18 years old, legally able to enter contracts, and have a valid email address. You must not have been previously banned from the Program. We reserve the right to deny any application for any reason.

2. How You Earn

When a customer makes a qualifying purchase using your affiliate link (?ref=YOURCODE) or your discount code at checkout, you earn a commission based on your current tier. Tier 1 (Bronze) starts at 10%; higher tiers up to 18% unlock as your lifetime driven sales grow.

"Qualifying revenue" is the order's pre-tax, pre-shipping subtotal after any discounts (the standard commission base in the affiliate industry). It excludes refunded items, gift cards, and orders flagged for fraud.

3. Cookie / Attribution Window

Click attribution lasts 14 days: if a customer clicks your link and then orders within that window (even without your discount code), you receive credit. If multiple affiliates sent the same customer, the most recent click wins.

Discount-code attribution: any order where your code is applied at checkout credits you, regardless of the click history.

4. Hold Period & Payment

Earned commissions enter a 45-day hold while we verify the order isn't refunded, charged-back, or fraudulent. After the hold, commissions become Approved and eligible for payout.

Payouts are issued via your selected method (PayPal or store credit). Minimum payout threshold: $25. We process payouts on a monthly basis. International affiliates are responsible for receiving fees on their end.

5. Refunds, Chargebacks, & Clawbacks

If a customer's order is refunded or charged back, the corresponding commission is reversed. If the reversal happens after we've already paid you, the amount is deducted from your next payout.

6. Prohibited Practices

The following will result in commission denial, account suspension, or permanent ban:

• Brand bidding on paid search (e.g. running Google/Bing ads on terms containing "Proteckd" or our product names).
• Cookie stuffing via toolbars, browser extensions, popups, iframes, or any other forced-click mechanism.
• Self-referral — buying through your own link/code (we cross-check by Shopify customer ID, email, and IP).
• Coupon-extension hijacking — promoting your code through extensions like Honey, Karma, RetailMeNot, or any other tool that auto-applies codes at checkout.
• Fake orders intended to inflate commission and refunded post-payout.
• Misrepresentation — claiming false discounts, fake reviews, deceptive ad copy, or impersonating us.
• Spam — unsolicited email/SMS/social DMs containing your code or link.
• Trademark or copyright infringement — using our logos, photography, or marks outside the assets we provide.

7. Refundable Sample Program

Affiliates at Silver tier or above ($500+ in lifetime driven sales) may request one Refundable Sample at a time. You pay the full retail price for the sampled item at checkout (plus standard shipping and tax). This puts real skin in the game.

If you drive attributed sales totaling at least the sampled product's full retail price within 90 days, your sample order is automatically refunded in full to the original payment method. Sample orders are tagged in our fulfillment system; they ship like any other order.

If you do not reach the threshold within the window, the sample charge stands — you simply own the product like any other customer. Sample products are not for resale — listing them on eBay, Amazon, Mercari, etc. is grounds for ban.

8. Tax Reporting

If you are a U.S. person and earn $600 or more in commissions in a calendar year, IRS rules require us to issue you a 1099-NEC. We collect a W-9 from you when you approach this threshold. You are responsible for reporting and paying applicable taxes on your earnings, in your jurisdiction.

Non-U.S. affiliates are responsible for their own tax reporting in their home country. We do not withhold international tax.

9. Account & Code Customization

You may customize your affiliate code (and therefore your share link). Old codes remain attributable to you forever via our alias system, so renaming doesn't break existing posts or links.

You may not claim a code that is already in use as a Shopify discount, by another affiliate, or that contains profanity, trademarks of others, or misleading phrases.

10. Termination

You may close your account at any time by emailing us. We may suspend or terminate your account for breach of these terms, suspected fraud, prolonged inactivity (24+ months), or any reason in our sole discretion. On termination, unpaid Approved commissions are paid out at the next normal payout cycle; Pending commissions may be denied; and your active discount code is disabled.

11. Changes to the Program

We may modify commission rates, cookie windows, payout thresholds, or any other Program parameter at any time. Material changes will be communicated via email and a notice on the affiliate dashboard at least 14 days before taking effect. Continued participation after changes constitutes acceptance.

12. Intellectual Property

You receive a non-exclusive, non-transferable, revocable license to use our brand assets (logos, product images, copy snippets we provide) solely for promoting our products via the Program. All other use requires written permission.

13. No Employment Relationship

You are an independent contractor, not an employee, agent, partner, or franchisee. You have no authority to bind us to any obligation. You are responsible for all costs of running your affiliate activity.

14. Disclaimers & Liability

The Program is provided "as is." We disclaim all warranties to the maximum extent allowed by law. Our maximum liability to you is limited to the commissions earned by you in the 12 months preceding the claim. We are not liable for indirect, consequential, or punitive damages.

15. Governing Law

These terms are governed by the laws of Illinois, without regard to conflict-of-law principles. Any disputes will be resolved exclusively in the state or federal courts located in Cook County, Illinois.

16. Contact

Questions, payout issues, or notices: affiliates@proteckd.com.