Is Shopspotting legit?

Which facts can you check?

• The rules are public in Merchavio’s partner terms. You can read them before you create an account.
• Your contracting party is the operator of Merchavio. Name and address are in the legal notice.
• For every payout, Merchavio creates a self-billing credit note as a PDF that you can check.
• You can leave at any time without notice, in your Shopspotter area or by email.
• The partner terms state explicitly that Merchavio does not promise any specific income.

Where does the money for the commission come from?

From the payments sellers make for their shop system: the monthly plan and the fee on every sale. That is money for a tool they sell with. If one of these payments is refunded, charged back or fails, the commission on it is reversed too, if necessary offset against future commission. So you receive a share of money that actually reaches Merchavio and stays there.

Is Shopspotting a pyramid scheme?

No. Merchavio’s partner terms cover this in a section of its own: commission arises exclusively from actual payments by referred sellers for a real product. There is no pay for merely recruiting further Shopspotters. Taking part is free and requires no purchase, so Shopspotters don’t pay anything.

How can you check your statements?

Your Shopspotter area shows your available balance, this month’s commission and your total earnings. For each seller you referred, you see their plan, status, rate, approximate commission per month and when they joined. Every payout is listed with date, amount, status and the credit note number. The credit note itself is emailed to you as a PDF. If something in it is wrong, you can object within 30 days. You use the details about your sellers only to check your statements.

What rules apply, and what happens if they are broken?

The rules are clearly worded and also protect the people you recommend to. Among other things, you label all advertising as advertising, only make true and verifiable claims, don’t contact anyone without their consent and don’t promise income. Ads on the name “Merchavio” are not allowed.

Breaking the rules has graded consequences: a notice with a deadline, usually 7 days, no commission for the transactions concerned, a temporary suspension of up to 60 days and finally termination and a claim for repayment. Merchavio gives reasons for every measure, and you can object. The full list is summed up on the page about what is and isn’t allowed.

Where are the limits?

An honest answer includes the limits:

• How much you earn depends on you and your sellers: how many you refer, how much they sell and how long they stay. Without paying sellers, there is no commission.
• If a seller cancels, no new commission arises from them.
• During discount campaigns, the commission is lower.
• At Merchavio, commission is only available from a balance of €50 and at the earliest 30 days after the end of the month in which it arose.
• You can only take part as a business, not as a private individual.

What a seller can bring in is shown in the earnings example for Shopspotters. How much effort is involved is covered under how much work Shopspotting is.

How do you check Shopspotting yourself?

1. Read the partner terms

   They cover the rate, assignment, payouts, rules and termination. You don’t need an account to read them.

2. Look at the legal notice

   Check who is behind Merchavio and who you are entering the contract with.

3. Check the prices

   The plans and fees on merchavio.com are the basis of every commission. Use the calculator to work through an example.

4. Look at the account

   The Shopspotter account costs nothing. When you create it, you accept the partner terms and confirm that you take part as a business, and you see the area before you recommend anyone.

Become a Shopspotter