Proposals are lightweight contracts you draft that specify which Brand products you want to sell along with the terms for the partnership. Brands have a chance to negotiate these terms, meaning they are not final until both sides review and approve.
Managing proposals in your inbox
Under Inbox > Proposals you can see an overview of all your proposal negotiations. Filter for proposals that are approved or pending — proposals that require your action display a Your Turn badge. When you open a proposal, you can view all current and past versions. Any differences between versions are noted on the newest proposal. You can also message your partner directly on the proposal thread. Both Brands and Partners receive email notifications about all proposal changes or messages.
Proposal overview
There are three key parts to a proposal:
- Products and commission: You can send proposals for any product Brands have listed on Catalog. We recommend using the Brand's default commission, but you have the ability to propose a different rate.
- Shipping: We recommend selecting "Brand's shipping rate," which uses the default settings of the Brand's store. If this is not an option, we recommend "Fixed rate per order" where the average rate is approximately $6.
- Promotional details: Share details of how, when, and where you plan to sell these Brand products.
Proposal workflow
- Brands receive an email notification when you send a product proposal. Brands can approve, counter, or decline.
- If Brands have feedback, they can suggest a different commission, add or remove products, or change shipping terms. If a counterproposal is sent, it's your turn to approve, counter, or decline.
- After both parties agree on the terms, you can add the approved products to your store and start selling.
A note on commissions
We recommend all Partners request a commission higher than 15% to ensure profitability with Catalog. When selecting commissions, factor in fees and payment processing costs. Payment processing fees depend on your payment method: 2.5% + $0.30 per transaction for credit card, or 0.4% per transaction for ACH. Learn more about the flow of funds.
Bulk proposals
You can send proposals to multiple Brands at once using the Discover list view:
- In the Catalog app, go to the Discover section to see a curated list of available Brands.
- Browse the list and use filters to narrow your search based on product categories, brand value, or other criteria.
- Select the checkbox next to each Brand you'd like to send a proposal to.
- Select the Send Proposal button to open a window where you can customize your proposal message and terms.
- Review your proposal details and select Send.