Rodan + Fields
Sept. 2024Flat 30% on customer sales; no recruiting income. $9.99 a year for a website and tools.
Company announcement, July 2024; program terms · Our story
Pay plans explained
Affiliate vs direct sales. One commission, or a team?
An affiliate earns a commission on what they personally sell. A multilevel consultant also earns on the sales of people they recruit, sometimes several levels deep. Several big direct sales names have switched to the first. Here's how the two compare.
Updated Oct. 2, 2026 · 8 minute read
The basics
Both pay you to sell. Only one pays you to build a team.
Affiliate marketing means a company gives you a unique link or code. When someone buys through it, you earn a percentage of the sale. The company handles the product, checkout, shipping and customer service. You recommend; they fulfill.
Being an affiliate for a direct sales company works the same way, usually at a much higher rate than retail affiliate networks. Where Amazon Associates pays up to 10% in most US categories, former direct sellers now running affiliate programs pay 20% to 45%.
Multilevel direct sales pays a commission on your own sales too, then adds overrides: a percentage of what your recruits sell, and what their recruits sell, down several levels. That’s where the “multi” comes from. Read how direct sales pay works for the full picture.
The short version
- Affiliates earn on their own sales, usually with 0 levels below them.
- Two-tier programs add a small override on one level of referred affiliates.
- Multilevel plans pay 3–7+ levels deep, tied to rank and volume targets.
- Affiliate programs rarely need a kit, inventory or monthly minimum.
- The trade-off: no long-term team income.
Tiers compared
Zero, one or many levels under you.
The number of levels you're paid on changes everything else: how you spend your time, what you're asked to buy, and how easy the plan is to explain.
| Feature | Affiliate | Multilevel direct sales |
|---|---|---|
| Levels paid under you | 0 (sometimes 1 in a two-tier program) | Usually 3–7 or more |
| You earn on | Sales through your link, code or event | Your sales plus overrides on your team's sales |
| Typical commission | A flat %, often 20–40% at former direct sellers; 1–10% at retail networks like Amazon | Personal rate plus a few % per level, unlocked by rank |
| Cost to start | Often free or a small yearly fee | A starter kit, sometimes with monthly minimums |
| Inventory | Rarely; the company ships to the customer | Sometimes expected, depending on the company |
| Monthly targets | Few or none | Personal and team volume to keep a rank |
| Recruiting | Not required; may earn a one-off referral bonus | The main route to higher income |
| Easy to explain? | One sentence | Usually needs a chart |
Single-level direct sales, where you earn only on your own sales but still hold parties as a consultant, sits between the two.
Who switched
Big direct sales names that moved to affiliate pay.
Since 2024 several well-known companies have replaced or added to multilevel plans with affiliate programs. Terms below are as each company announced them or as reported at the time.
BODi (Beachbody)
Nov. 2024Single-level affiliate program, up to 40% commission, free to join.
The Beachbody Company release, Sept. 30, 2024; bodi.com/affiliate
Seint
Oct. 202425–45% commission plus a bonus pool, only on customers you refer. $50 to enroll, $35 a year.
Retail Dive, July 22, 2024
Counter
June 2025Free to join. 40% on a new customer's first order, 20% on reorders, plus sales-volume bonuses.
Beauty Independent, 2025
We recognize that in light of today’s current market dynamics, as well as consumer preferences, the multi-level marketing distribution model is outdated and unsustainable.
Neora will never leave the multi-level marketing model.
Not everyone agrees. Plenty of companies have publicly recommitted to multilevel plans, and some, like Tastefully Simple, now run both: affiliate-style ambassadors alongside leaders who still build teams. For the bigger picture, read our news story on why more companies are moving to affiliate programs.
Pros & cons
What you gain and give up with each.
Affiliate
Pros
- Simple: one rate, easy to explain to anyone
- Little or nothing to buy to start
- No monthly minimums or ranks to protect
- No pressure to recruit friends and family
- Fewer of the MLM questions people ask before buying
Cons
- No income from building a team
- Earnings stop when you stop sharing
- Some programs want an existing social following
- Retail affiliate rates (1–10%) are far lower
- Fewer in-person parties, perks and recognition trips
Multilevel direct sales
Pros
- Team overrides can grow beyond your own hours
- Training, mentoring and community from your upline
- Party plan and host rewards built in
- Recognition, incentives and trips
- Leadership can become a real business for a few
Cons
- Most participants earn little; see the data
- Kits, minimums and website fees add up
- Rank rules can push buying to qualify
- Harder to explain, and easier to misrepresent
- Recruiting friends can strain relationships
On earnings, see what participants really earn and how to spot a pyramid scheme.
Which suits you
A quick way to decide.
Lean affiliate if you…
- want to recommend products you love, with no targets
- already share products online or have a following
- don’t want to recruit or manage a team
- want to spend little or nothing to start
Lean multilevel if you…
- love hosting parties and teaching others
- want to lead and train a team over years
- have read the income disclosure and accept the odds
- can meet the monthly minimums without stockpiling
Rules for both
Disclose, and keep records.
Place it so it’s hard to miss.
Affiliates and consultants alike must disclose that they earn from a recommendation, in the post or video itself. “#ad” or “I earn a commission on this” works; a disclosure buried in a bio doesn’t. In livestreams the FTC says to repeat it periodically.
Free bookkeeping and mileage apps are in our consultant toolkit.
Sources: company announcements from The Beachbody Company (Sept. 30, 2024), Rodan + Fields (July 2024) and BODi’s affiliate page; Retail Dive (Seint, July 22, 2024); Beauty Independent (Counter, 2025); Direct Selling News (July 26, 2024); Amazon Associates commission rates; FTC Disclosures 101; IRS guidance on self-employment tax and Form 1099-NEC. Program terms change; check the company’s current terms before joining. General information, not legal or tax advice.
See how companies pay, side by side.
Every company profile lists its startup cost and commission range. Compare any two before you decide.
Keep reading
More from the Direct Sales Aid resource library
What is Direct Sales?The model, the three ways people sell, and how consultants get paid.Direct Sales 101Your first 90 days: choosing a company, the kit, the first party, the numbers.Direct Sales vs Pyramid SchemesWhere the money comes from, the FTC's test and the red flags to check.Industry StatisticsSales, sellers, categories and what participants really earn.Consultant ToolkitUncompensated picks for bookkeeping, mileage, payments, design and shipping.Launching a Company?Put a new direct sales company in front of shoppers from day one.
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