- How the YouTube Shopping affiliate program works
- YouTube Shopping affiliate program eligibility
- Which countries the YouTube Shopping affiliate program covers
- How to join and tag products
- How YouTube Shopping affiliate commissions are paid
- Rules that can cost you the YouTube Shopping affiliate program
- Other ways to earn from YouTube Shopping
- Frequently asked questions
The YouTube Shopping affiliate program lets eligible creators tag other brands' products in their videos and earn a commission when viewers buy on the retailer's site. You need to be in the YouTube Partner Program, meet its subscriber threshold, live in one of the listed countries and run a channel that isn't music or made for kids. Commissions arrive through AdSense for YouTube.
If you review products, share hauls or show the kit you use, the YouTube Shopping affiliate program is worth understanding. It turns a product mention into a tagged link inside YouTube itself, so viewers can tap through without leaving your video. Here's how it works, who can join and how the money reaches you, all from YouTube's own help pages.
How the YouTube Shopping affiliate program works
You tag products from participating sellers in your videos, Shorts or live streams. Viewers see the tags, tap through and complete the purchase on the retailer's own site. When that sale qualifies, you may earn a commission.
Every brand and retailer sets its own commission rate and its own attribution window for each product, so there isn't one YouTube rate to quote. The percentages appear against each product offer inside YouTube Studio. YouTube also notes that commissions can move during the settlement period if a customer cancels, returns or exchanges an order.
There's one more detail worth knowing. YouTube says it's running a temporary incentive where 100% of commissions from affiliate merchants go to creators, and that this higher rate may reduce later as the program matures. It's promised at least 30 days' notice before that incentive ends.
YouTube Shopping affiliate program eligibility
You can't simply sign up. YouTube invites channels that meet all of these minimums:
- Your channel is in the YouTube Partner Program.
- Your channel meets the YPP subscriber threshold.
- You're based in an eligible country.
- Your channel isn't a music channel, an Official Artist Channel or linked to music partners such as labels, distributors, publishers or VEVO.
- Your channel audience isn't set as made for kids, and you don't have a significant number of made for kids videos.
For the Partner Program itself, the standard route is 1,000 subscribers with either 4,000 qualified watch hours in the last 12 months or 10 million qualified Shorts views in the last 90 days. In countries with the expanded program, channels can join earlier with 500 subscribers and 3 public uploads in the last 90 days, plus either 3,000 watch hours or 3 million Shorts views, and that earlier tier is where Shopping opens up.
Which countries the YouTube Shopping affiliate program covers
The list is shorter than many creators expect. YouTube names Argentina, Brazil, India, Indonesia, Japan, Korea, Malaysia, Mexico, the Philippines, Singapore, Taiwan, Thailand, the United States and Vietnam.
That means creators in the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia and much of Europe can't join the affiliate side yet, even with a large channel. YouTube says eligibility can differ for pilot programs, so check the Earn section of YouTube Studio for your own account rather than relying on a list you read elsewhere.
How to join and tag products
Once you qualify, sign-up happens inside YouTube Studio:
- Open YouTube Studio and select Earn from the left menu.
- Under Programs, click Join Now.
- Review and accept the YouTube Shopping Affiliate Program terms.
- Start tagging products, following YouTube's tagging guidelines.
The affiliate hub, found under Earn, then Shopping, then Explore affiliate offers, lists participating sellers with their commission percentages. You can sort sellers by highest commission, request product samples and see what's on sale. If a merchant has offered your channel a custom rate, it shows under Special offer promotions; if that section is missing, there's no custom rate for you right now.
YouTube also runs affiliate campaigns. Some are open offers anyone eligible can join by tagging the products involved; others are invitations with set bonuses. You're never required to take part, and you can simply skip the products if they don't fit your channel.
How YouTube Shopping affiliate commissions are paid
Commissions are paid through AdSense for YouTube, the same account that pays the rest of your YouTube earnings. YouTube says payment lands within 60 to 120 days after the purchase, to allow for returns, and a returned product reverses its commission. So the money from a big launch week won't show up in that month's payout.
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Once commissions are in your AdSense for YouTube balance, the usual YouTube timeline applies: finalised earnings appear between the 7th and 12th of the month and pay out by the 21st to 26th, as long as you've reached the payment threshold, have no holds and have submitted your U.S. tax information.
| What | How it works | Source checked |
|---|---|---|
| Who sets the rate | Each brand or retailer, per product | YouTube Shopping affiliate help page |
| Where you see rates | Affiliate hub in YouTube Studio | YouTube Shopping affiliate help page |
| When it pays | 60 to 120 days after purchase | YouTube Shopping affiliate help page |
| Paid through | AdSense for YouTube | Shopping affiliate overview, Google help |
| Returns | Commission reversed | YouTube Shopping affiliate help page |
Rules that can cost you the YouTube Shopping affiliate program
The big one: your affiliate links are for YouTube viewers only. YouTube says it's against the terms to route traffic from other sources to merchants using your YouTube affiliate links, and it names syndicating links on external websites, automated redirects, click injection and cookie stuffing. Doing it can lead to action against your account, so don't paste these links into your blog or emails.
Disclosure matters too. If a video includes paid placements or endorsements, YouTube's branded content policies apply and you need to tell viewers. Tax is the other piece. Google withholds U.S. tax on earnings from U.S. viewers, and you may owe tax where you live, so speak to an accountant about your own situation.
Other ways to earn from YouTube Shopping
The affiliate side is only half of Shopping. Eligible channels can also connect their own merchandise store and show their own products; that money comes directly from your merch retailer or platform, not through YouTube. If you're building a product of your own, my guide to selling digital products for passive income is a good place to start.
And because affiliate earnings depend on viewers who trust your recommendations, the channel strategy matters more than the tags. My breakdown of a YouTube marketing strategy that built a brand shows the kind of consistency that makes product content work. If you also share products on Pinterest, my guide to how Pinterest pays creators covers that side.
Frequently asked questions
Who can join the YouTube Shopping affiliate program?
Channels in the YouTube Partner Program that meet its subscriber threshold, are based in an eligible country, aren't music or Official Artist Channels and aren't set as made for kids. YouTube invites qualifying channels and you join from the Earn section of YouTube Studio.
Is the YouTube Shopping affiliate program available in the UK?
Not on YouTube's current list. It names Argentina, Brazil, India, Indonesia, Japan, Korea, Malaysia, Mexico, the Philippines, Singapore, Taiwan, Thailand, the United States and Vietnam.
How much commission does YouTube Shopping pay?
There's no single rate. Each brand or retailer sets its own commission per product, and you can see the percentages in the affiliate hub inside YouTube Studio.
When do YouTube Shopping affiliate commissions get paid?
YouTube says within 60 to 120 days after the purchase, through AdSense for YouTube, so returns can be accounted for. Returned products reverse the commission.
Can I share my YouTube affiliate links on my website?
No. YouTube says routing traffic from non-YouTube sources through your affiliate links, including syndicating them on external websites, is against the terms.
