How BuildBio Earns Revenue
BuildBio participates in affiliate programs with automotive parts retailers and manufacturers. When a visitor clicks an affiliate link on a vehicle profile and makes a purchase, BuildBio may earn a commission from the retailer at no additional cost to the buyer.
Revenue Share With Vehicle Owners
Eligible APEX members earn a portion of affiliate commissions generated through their vehicle profiles. This is BuildBio's core value proposition: your build pays you back.
| Tier | Monthly Referred Sales | Commission Rate |
|---|---|---|
| Starter | $0 – $249.99 | 5% |
| Builder | $250 – $749.99 | 10% |
| Enthusiast | $750 – $1,999.99 | 15% |
| Pro | $2,000 – $3,999.99 | 20% |
| Elite | $4,000 – $7,499.99 | 25% |
| Legend | $7,500 and above | 30% |
Your rate applies to BuildBio's commission, not to the sale price. When a part sells through your profile, the affiliate partner pays BuildBio a commission calculated on the pre-tax sale price. Your tier percentage is then applied to that commission — so a 30% rate means 30% of what BuildBio earns, not 30% of what the buyer paid.
Worked example. Your profile drives the sale of a $1,200 coilover kit. The partner pays BuildBio a 10% commission, so BuildBio earns $120. Your share of that $120 depends on your tier:
- Starter (5%) earns $6.00
- Pro (20%) earns $24.00
- Legend (30%) earns $36.00
Smaller sales scale the same way: a $250 light bar at an 8% partner commission earns BuildBio $20, of which Legend receives $6.00 and Starter $1.00.
Partner commission rates move, and we don't set them. What a partner pays BuildBio is decided by that partner. It differs by brand and category, and it can rise, fall, be restructured, or disappear entirely without warning — to us as much as to you. A part paying 20% this month may pay 12% next month, or nothing.
Where more than one partner carries a part, we choose between them on commission, availability, price and delivery — and we change that choice as those things move. We won't always pick the highest-paying link: a part that's in stock and shipping today is worth more to everyone than a better commission on a backorder, including to you, since a cancelled backorder reverses the commission and the sale is removed from your monthly total. Your earnings history always shows what each individual sale actually paid, so you see the real figure rather than an assumed one. BuildBio is not responsible for rate changes made by affiliate partners. The same holds for commission terms we negotiate directly with brands, which are renegotiated periodically.
How your rate is set. Rates run from 5% at Starter to 30% at Legend. On the 1st of each month we average your best 2 of the last 3 completed months and set your rate from that average; it holds for the whole month and never changes mid-month. New members run at a promotional 10% through their third full month, after which the calculated rate applies and may be as low as the 5% floor. Rates and thresholds are governed by the BB Rewards Program Terms and Terms of Service Section 8.
The ladder above is earned. Every rung, including Legend, is reachable by any eligible APEX member whose monthly referred sales meet the threshold. There is no application, no selection, and no limit on how many members may hold a given rung.
Creator Ambassador is a separate designation, not a rung on this ladder. Creator Ambassadors and Trusted Influencers are manually selected, with a maximum of 50 active Ambassadors, and receive a permanent commission rate floor layered on top of the earned ladder. Where a designated member's earned rung pays more than their floor, the higher rate applies; where it pays less, the floor applies. The designation guarantees a minimum rate and never caps the earned rate. Full criteria are described on the Earn With BuildBio page.
Your Disclosure Obligations as an APEX Member
If you earn revenue share, you are a compensated endorser under FTC rules whenever you promote your BuildBio links or QR codes off-platform. That carries obligations that are yours, not BuildBio's:
- Disclose clearly and conspicuously that you may earn a commission — in the post itself, before the link, in plain language. Not buried in a bio, not hidden behind "more," not a bare #ad in a wall of tags.
- Disclose on every platform where you share the link — Instagram, YouTube, TikTok, forums, text messages, in person at a meet.
- Never claim experience you don't have. Do not endorse a part you have not run.
- Comply with each affiliate network's own terms, which may impose stricter requirements than the FTC minimum.
BuildBio may terminate Program participation for non-compliance. See Terms of Service 8.15.
The Review Firewall
Part ratings and reviews on BuildBio are never compensated — by anyone, in any currency, ever. No member is paid, credited, discounted, or given Points for writing a review, for the rating they give, or for reviewing at all. Revenue share pays for sales other people make through your profile; it neither requires nor rewards any review content.
APEX Member Pricing does not breach this firewall. Points-back credited on your own purchases is a purchase rebate — a discount mechanism, priced off what BuildBio earns on the transaction. It is triggered by the purchase alone. It is not review compensation, it does not change if you review the part, and it does not change based on what you say. Buying a part through BuildBio never requires adding it to your build list, and adding a part to your build list never requires buying it through us. The two are deliberately decoupled so that no reward can ever depend on what you claim to own.
Key Terms
- Attribution window: 60 days from click to purchase
- Minimum payout: $25.00
- Payment schedule: Monthly, 15th of each month
- Payment method: Stripe Connect (direct deposit)
What This Means for You
As a visitor: Affiliate links do not change the price you pay. You will always see the same price whether you click through BuildBio or go directly to the retailer's website.
As a vehicle owner: Parts listed on your profile may include affiliate links. When a visitor purchases through your profile, you earn a percentage of the commission based on your tier.
Honest Recommendations
BuildBio does not alter modification listings based on affiliate partnerships. Owners list the parts they actually run. The platform does not recommend, rank, or promote products based on affiliate commission rates.
Affiliate Program Agreement
This Affiliate Program Agreement ("Agreement") governs participation in the BuildBio Affiliate Program ("Program") by APEX tier members ("Affiliate" or "you"). This Agreement is incorporated into and subject to the BuildBio Terms of Service.
1. Program Eligibility
Participation in the Program is available exclusively to active APEX tier members in good standing. FREE and PLUS tier members are ineligible. APEX membership must remain active and payments current for affiliate earnings to accumulate and be paid. Suspension or termination of your APEX membership for any reason results in immediate suspension of affiliate earnings accrual.
2. How the Program Works
When a visitor to your BuildBio vehicle profile clicks an affiliate Buy Now link and completes a qualifying purchase within the attribution window, BuildBio earns a commission from the third-party affiliate partner or retains a margin on BuildShop catalog sales. BuildBio then shares a portion of that commission with you as described in Section 3.
Affiliate links are automatically embedded in your vehicle profile's modification listings. You do not create or manage affiliate links directly.
Note on Program Availability. The Affiliate Program is not available at initial Platform launch. The Program will become available to eligible APEX members no earlier than six months after the Platform's initial launch date. You will be notified by email when the Program activates.
3. Commission Rates
3.1 Affiliate Purchases. For purchases made through third-party affiliate partners via your profile, BuildBio earns a commission of approximately 8–12% of the eligible sale price. You earn a percentage of BuildBio's earned commission based on your performance tier as set forth in the Revenue Share Rate Schedule maintained on the Platform, which may be updated with 30 days' notice.
3.2 BuildShop Catalog Purchases. For purchases made through the BuildShop catalog, BuildBio earns a gross margin of approximately 30–50% of the eligible sale price. You earn a percentage of the retail sale price based on your performance tier as set forth in the BuildShop Rate Schedule. While the percentage rate is lower than affiliate rates, the absolute dollar earnings per transaction are equal to or greater than equivalent affiliate purchases due to BuildBio's higher margin.
3.3 Performance Tiers. Your commission rate is determined monthly based on total referred eligible sales during that calendar month. Tier status resets on the first day of each month.
3.4 Commissions are calculated on pre-tax, pre-shipping eligible sale prices.
4. Attribution Windows and Exclusions
4.1 Attribution is tracked via BuildBio's proprietary tracking technology. BuildBio's attribution determinations are final.
4.2 60-Day Window. You earn commission only on qualifying purchases completed within 60 days of a visitor clicking your affiliate link or adding a product to their BuildShop cart from your profile. Purchases made after 60 days generate revenue retained entirely by BuildBio.
4.3 Dream Build. Purchases made by visitors who added products to their Dream Build wishlist from your profile are attributable to you if completed within 60 days of the wishlist add event using a last-touch attribution model.
4.4 Excluded Purchases. No commission is earned on: purchases made by FREE tier profile visitors; Dream Build purchases completed from any profile; AI-powered recommendation purchases; and purchases completed after the applicable 60-day attribution window.
5. Payment
5.1 Earnings are paid through Stripe Connect. You must complete Stripe Connect onboarding to receive payments. BuildBio is not responsible for delays caused by incomplete onboarding.
5.2 Payments are processed on a monthly schedule on the 15th of each month for earnings that have cleared the affiliate partner's return/refund window (typically 30 days after purchase).
5.3 Earnings below $25.00 will accumulate until the threshold is reached before a payment is processed.
5.4 BuildBio will issue 1099 tax forms as required by applicable law. You are responsible for all taxes on your affiliate earnings.
6. Prohibited Conduct
The following are strictly prohibited and will result in immediate termination of Program participation and forfeiture of all pending earnings:
- Self-purchasing through your own affiliate links
- Purchasing through the affiliate links of related parties for the purpose of earning commissions
- Artificially inflating click or conversion metrics
- Misrepresenting BuildBio, its products, or affiliated brands in any communications
- Using spam, deceptive advertising, or misleading content to drive traffic
- Creating fake reviews or ratings to manipulate product listings
7. FTC Disclosure Requirements
When promoting your BuildBio profile or its affiliated products on any external platform (social media, YouTube, website, etc.), you are required to disclose your material connection to BuildBio and any financial benefit you receive from purchases made through your profile, in compliance with FTC Endorsement Guidelines. BuildBio is not responsible for your compliance with FTC requirements.
8. Termination
BuildBio may terminate your Program participation at any time for violation of this Agreement or the Terms of Service. You may discontinue Program participation at any time by downgrading your membership. Pending earned commissions for completed, non-disputed transactions will be paid upon termination subject to the payment schedule and minimum threshold.
9. Modification
BuildBio may modify commission rates, attribution rules, or Program terms with 30 days' notice. Continued participation after the effective date constitutes acceptance of the modifications.
10. No Employment or Partnership
This Agreement does not create an employment, agency, franchise, joint venture, or partnership relationship between BuildBio and you. You are an independent participant in the Program.
Questions
Contact founder@buildbio.app for questions about the affiliate program.