How cli.gs works
Roles, the path from click to payout, and the terms you will meet.
cli.gs is an affiliate network. Merchants run partner programmes and pay commission for the sales, leads or sign-ups that publishers send them. cli.gs sits in between: it hands out the links, records clicks, books commissions and pays publishers. On this page you'll learn the two roles, the path a sale takes from the first click to the payout, and the terms you'll meet throughout the dashboard.
In short:
- One account can be a merchant, a publisher, or both.
- A sale is matched to a click by a ref code that travels in the shop's URL.
- The merchant has 30 days to reject a conversion. After that, a holding period of 14 to 90 days runs.
- On the 1st of each month, every payable balance of at least €20 is paid out through Stripe.
Two roles, one account
Every account starts without a role. You take one on by creating a profile. One account can hold both roles.
| Role | What you do | Where to start |
|---|---|---|
| Merchant | Create a partner programme, set commissions and terms, accept publishers, report sales from your shop | Become a merchant |
| Publisher | Find programmes, apply with your channels, share your links, get paid | Become a publisher |
cli.gs is intended for businesses and for people acting in the course of a trade or profession. It is not for consumers. The service is operated by ZIBA GLOBAL CONSULTING LTD.
From click to payout
- Click. A visitor clicks a publisher's link, for example
cli.gs/@mara/outdoor1. cli.gs records the click and creates a unique ref code. Then it redirects the visitor to the merchant's shop with that code in the URL. - Conversion. The shop keeps the ref code. When the visitor buys or signs up, the shop reports the order to cli.gs with the ref code. That report is a conversion. cli.gs calculates the commission from the programme's rules at that moment and reserves it from the merchant's prepaid credit.
- Approval window. For 30 days the merchant can reject the conversion, for example because the order was cancelled. If they do nothing, it is approved automatically.
- Holding period. From approval, the programme's holding period runs. The merchant sets it between 14 and 90 days. Returns can still be reversed during this time.
- Payable. After the holding period the commission becomes payable. It moves into the publisher's payable balance.
- Payout. On the 1st of each month, every payable balance of at least €20 is bundled into a payout. cli.gs approves it and transfers it through Stripe. The publisher receives a credit note for it.
Where the money comes from
Merchants top up credit in advance. For each reported conversion, the commission and the network fee are reserved from that credit. If the conversion is rejected or reversed, both go back. cli.gs pays publishers from those reserved amounts, so a publisher never has to chase a merchant for an invoice. See Credit and costs and Get paid.
Glossary
| Term | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Programme | A merchant's partner offer: target website, commission rules, terms, cookie window and holding period. |
| Affiliate link | A publisher's personal link to a programme: cli.gs/@handle/token, or cli.gs/@handle/token/productId for a product list. |
| Ref code | A 30-character code created for every click and passed to the shop in the ref parameter. It is how a sale is matched to the click. |
| Cookie window | How long after the click a sale still counts for the publisher (1 to 90 days, per programme). It is a rule in our database, not a cookie on cli.gs. |
| Attribution | Last click: the ref code the shop reports decides which click, and so which publisher, earns the commission. |
| Conversion | A sale, lead or sign-up the shop reports with a valid ref code. |
| Approval window | The 30 days after a conversion in which the merchant can reject it. Silence approves. |
| Holding period | The time after approval before a commission becomes payable (14 to 90 days, per programme). |
| Reversal | A commission taken back, for example after a return or cancellation. Possible until the commission is locked for a payout. |
| Payout threshold | The minimum payable balance for a monthly payout: €20. Smaller amounts carry over. |
| Credit note | The self-billed document cli.gs issues with each payout. It replaces an invoice from the publisher (Gutschrift). |
| Network fee | The fee a merchant pays cli.gs per conversion, on top of the commission. It does not reduce the publisher's commission. |
| EPC | Earnings per click: commission divided by counted clicks. |
| Counted click | A click that passed the bot and abuse checks. Uncounted clicks still redirect, but do not enter the statistics. |
Conversion statuses at a glance
| Status | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Open | Reported, inside the merchant's approval window. |
| Under review | Parked, for example until the shop confirms a pixel report or the merchant has enough credit. |
| Approved | Approved, the holding period is running. |
| Payable | The holding period is over; the amount counts towards your next payout. |
| In payout | Locked into a payout. From here the commission is final. |
| Paid | Transferred to the publisher. |
| Rejected | Refused by the merchant or a reviewer; no commission. |
| Reversed | Taken back after it was booked, for example after a return. |
Details for publishers are in Statistics and conversions.