The Insider Partnership is a program North American brands can join to fuel their growth by offering even more free shipping to Insiders, the top buyers on Faire, without covering all the costs themselves.
As a US or Canadian brand, you can choose to opt in and become an Insider Partner if you’d like to partner with Faire to expand the free shipping that Insiders see on your products. We’ll pay for free shipping on eligible marketplace Insider orders, and you’ll pay for free shipping on eligible Faire Direct Insider orders. For a quick video walkthrough, check out The Insider Partnership: A Guide for Brands.
How does the Insider Partnership work?
When you become an Insider Partner, Faire will expand your Insider eligibility, so more Insiders see free shipping on your brand. There’s no fee to opt in as an Insider Partner.
If you are an Insider Partner:
- More Insiders get free shipping on your brand in the marketplace—paid by Faire
- Your eligible 0% commission Faire Direct Insiders have free shipping—paid by you
If you are not an Insider Partner:
- Eligible Insiders in the marketplace see free shipping on your brand (paid by Faire) at a baseline level
- None of your 0% commission Faire Direct customers have Insider free shipping on your products
You can visit the Insider Partnership page in your portal to see personalized estimates* of your brand’s free shipping coverage, sales, and costs as an Insider Partner.
Note that Faire may have funded Insider free shipping on 0% commission relationships for you in the past, but no longer does. Faire still offers 1 year of free shipping on your brand to new retailers you bring to Faire as part of the sign-up offer, separate from Insider. You can read more about this change under Why is Faire no longer paying for free shipping on Faire Direct Insider orders?
*Actual performance may vary and we do not guarantee any results. Projections are based on your brand’s data from roughly the prior year and may not be representative of future performance.
What are the benefits of being an Insider Partner on Faire?
We know through research and sales data that free shipping is one of the most important considerations for retailers when they’re deciding what to buy, it’s why we offer Insider to retailers on Faire.
By offering more free shipping as an Insider Partner, you can:
- Convert new customers: Retailers are 30% more likely to buy when they see free shipping.
- Build loyalty with existing customers: Retailers reorder 30% more when they get free shipping. They order more often and place larger orders.
- Get more exposure to top buyers on Faire: Insiders drive 80% of Faire sales and order 2x more than non-Insiders. They primarily buy from brands with free shipping.
What do I pay if I become an Insider Partner?
There is no upfront cost to become an Insider Partner. If you become an Insider Partner, you’ll pay the shipping costs on the portion of your Faire Direct 0% commission orders that come from Insider retailers with estimated shipping cost under 13% of the order value — note this is not all Faire Direct orders; just Insider-eligible Faire Direct orders. Read more about how Insiders become eligible below.
How does Faire determine which Insider retailers are eligible for free shipping on my brand?
Insiders will see free shipping on your brand when the estimated cost to ship is below a certain % of the order value. We use the retailer’s location and your prior reported shipping costs to estimate the shipping cost and determine eligibility.
- As an Insider Partner, Insiders will see free shipping on your brand when the estimated cost to ship is below 10-13% of the order value, depending on which partnership option you choose. You can read more about this under What’s the difference between Insider Partner and Insider Partner Basic?
- If you do not opt into the Insider Partnership, Marketplace Insiders will only be eligible for free shipping on your brand if estimated shipping costs are below roughly 6% of the order value. None of your Faire direct retailers will be eligible for Insider free shipping.
Note that the estimated cost to ship percentage is based on the order value, which is the sum of the order items, pre-discount, pre-commission, and pre-tax.
What’s the difference between Insider Partner and Insider Partner Basic?
You can choose between two partnership options through the Insider Partnership: Insider Partner and Insider Partner Basic. Your personalized estimates on the Insider Partnership page show how your brand’s sales impact might differ depending on which option you choose.*
The main differences are:
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The Insider Partner option enables you to maximize your growth by offering the most Insider free shipping on your brand :
- Insiders with estimated shipping costs below 13% of order value, will be eligible for free shipping.
- If actual shipping costs exceed 13%, we’ll cover the difference.
- Additionally, your current Faire Direct Insider customers getting free shipping on your brand will continue to be eligible for free shipping when the Insider Partnership launches on August 22, even if shipping costs exceed 13%.
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The Insider Partner Basic option lets you offer a more limited amount of Insider free shipping, at a lower cost to you :
- Insiders with estimated shipping costs below 10% of order value, will be eligible for free shipping on your brand.
- If actual shipping costs exceed 10%, we’ll cover the difference.
- Note that if you have Faire Direct customers with estimated shipping costs above 10% they will no longer be eligible for Insider free shipping on your brand if you’re opted into Insider Partner Basic.
While we recommend the Insider Partner option as the most cost-effective way to maximize your growth with free shipping, we recognize every business is different and encourage you to consider your specific business’s needs in choosing your partnership option.
Note that if you’re using Ship on your own, we’ll only be able to reimburse the shipping cost on your payout up to an approved amount for those orders.
*Actual performance may vary and we do not guarantee any results. Projections are based on your brand’s data from April 2023 to March 2024 and may not be representative of future performance.
How does Faire calculate my personalized estimates?
If you’re not yet opted into the Insider Partnership, you’ll see that we use your brand’s data from roughly the prior year, paired with our data on how free shipping influences conversion and buying, to estimate the sales impact and costs you could see as an Insider Partner on your Insider Partnership page in your portal:
You can click the three boxes below your estimates to learn more about how we got to each estimate:
Note that any references to “sales” refer to your overall revenue. If you joined Faire more recently, you’ll see annualized data to understand what impact you might see over a year.
Your actual performance may vary and we do not guarantee any results. Projections are based on your prior sales data and may not be representative of future performance.
How do I opt in?
To opt into the Insider Partnership:
- Visit the Insider Partnership page in your portal and click Opt in now.
- You’ll then choose which partnership option you’d like, click Next
- Click Confirm opt in
Can I opt out or make changes after I opt in?
You can opt out or change your partnership option anytime at the top of your Insider Partnership page.
If you opt out:
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You’ll be responsible for the shipping costs on orders from eligible Faire Direct Insiders until the end of the current quarter.
- Faire will also continue to cover the shipping costs for eligible marketplace Insiders during this period.
- For example: if you opt out on November 1, you’ll be responsible for the shipping costs on orders from eligible Faire Direct Insiders through December 31, and Faire will continue to cover the shipping costs for eligible marketplace Insiders through December 31.
Note that if you opt out in the last 2 weeks of the quarter, Insider retailers won’t see a change in your free shipping status until the end of the following quarter. In this situation, Faire will cover your brand's Insider costs after 90 days elapses (across both Faire Direct and marketplace).
- For example: if you opt out on December 22, you’ll be responsible for the shipping costs on orders from eligible Faire Direct Insiders for 90 days, but Faire would cover any shipping costs on orders you receive from eligible Faire Direct Insiders between March 22 (90 days after you opted out) and March 31, when the quarter ends. Faire would cover the shipping costs for eligible marketplace Insiders from December 22-March 31.
This transition period exists to give your customers a predictable and stable shopping experience with your brand. We’ll give them sufficient advance notice of any free shipping changes with your brand so they can order from you while they still have free shipping if they’d like to.
As a reminder, when you are not an Insider Partner, Faire will still pay for eligible Insiders in the marketplace to see free shipping on your brand at a baseline level, but none of your 0% commission Faire Direct customers have Insider free shipping on your products.
How do I know which Insider retailers are eligible for free shipping on my brand?
You can see if a customer is currently eligible for Insider free shipping on your brand by viewing their specific Customer information page (accessible from the Customers page). For orders that receive Insider free shipping on your brand, you’ll also see Insider free shipping on the specific order page.
We’re planning to add Insider free shipping eligibility to your Customers page as well. Currently, there is no way to request that a specific Insider be eligible for Insider free shipping on your brand.
How can I track how the Program is performing for my brand?
If you’re an Insider Partner/Partner Basic, the Insider Partnership page will show a summary of the sales generated through Insider free shipping, the number of customers who have used Insider free shipping, and the shipping costs paid for by both you and Faire.
You will also be able to track the total sales value associated with Insider orders, split by Baseline (sales that get Insider free shipping whether or not you are a Partner) and Partner (sales that only got Insider because you are a Partner).
Can I send targeted campaigns to Insiders?
Yes, you can create a custom email segment for your customers based on their Insider status, allowing you to send targeted email campaigns. To create a custom email segment for Insider retailers, follow these steps:
1. Navigate to the Customers tab.
2. Select Filter at the top of your screen to open the filters panel.
3. From the drop-down menu, select Free Shipping.
4. In the Free Shipping Status drop-down, select Free Shipping Insider.
5. In the Insider Status drop-down, choose the relevant status.
6. Select Create Segment.
7. Enter a name for the segment that helps you identify the data represented, then click Save List.
Some Insiders have an Insider order minimum, determined by Faire based on estimated shipping costs (for example, “Insider over $300”). If you are emailing Insiders with varying minimums, you can include the note: “Insider order minimums set by Faire may apply,” or you can segment campaigns based on specific Insider minimums.
How do I see which customers are eligible for Insider free shipping with my brand?
To check which customers are eligible for Insider, navigate to the Customers tab.
1. Click on the gear icon.
2. Select Edit Columns.
3. Check the box next to Insider Status to add it to your visible columns.
You will then be able to see each customer's eligibility for free shipping and any minimum order size required for your brand.
How often does Faire change who is eligible for Insider free shipping?
We refresh Insider coverage on a quarterly basis to ensure the cost-effectiveness of Insider free shipping and, when shipping costs between a brand and retailer are consistently higher than 13% of the order value, or 10% for Insider Partner Basic, an Insider that previously had free shipping on your brand may lose Insider free shipping eligibility. Similarly, some Insiders who previously did not have Insider free shipping on your brand may gain it. In the event that happens, we notify your retailer 2 weeks ahead of the quarterly refresh.
Note that the order value is the sum of the order items, pre-discount, pre-commission, and pre-tax.
What happens if my shipping costs go over 13% or 10% of the order value?
Shipping costs can sometimes go over estimates.
As an Insider Partner, you’ll pay shipping costs on eligible Faire Direct Insider orders where the shipping cost is estimated below:
- 13% of order size for the Insider Partner option
- 10% of order size for the Insider Partner Basic option
If actual shipping costs exceed 13% through Insider Partner (or 10% through Insider Partner Basic) we’ll cover the difference.* You can see this refected on your payout summary for your order.
Examples below for an Insider Partner (13%), with with shipping costs exceeding Faire estimate, using Ship on your own, and Ship with Faire:
*Note that if you’re using Ship on your own, we’ll only be able to reimburse the shipping cost on your payout up to an approved amount for those orders.
Does being an Insider Partner affect how I ship my orders?
Being Insider Partner does not affect shipping options available to you on Faire. You can fulfill orders as usual.
When fulfilling the order, you will be prompted to select your shipping method (Ship with Faire or Ship on your own) depending on:
- Your location
- Shipping method(s) available
- The shipping carrier that works best for your order
Note that if you’re using Ship on your own, as applicable on regular orders, we’ll only be able to reimburse the shipping cost on your payout up to an approved amount. That said, because eligibility for Insider free shipping is based on estimated shipping costs under 13% of order value (or 10% for Insider Partner Basic), you should be able to be fully reimbursed on most marketplace eligible Insider orders.
The order value is the sum of the order items, pre-discount, pre-commission, and pre-tax.
What happens if I request a commission adjustment on an Insider order?
If you request a commission update on an order where your retailer benefits from Insider free shipping, responsibility for the shipping costs (up to 13% or 10% depending on your partnership participation) will fall back on you, as the order and all future orders this retailer places will be considered Faire Direct.
If you request a commission update on an order where your retailer benefits from Insider free shipping, then shipping cost depends on a few things:
- If you are not an Insider Partner, then this retailer will lose Insider free shipping on future orders with you
- If you are an Insider Partner and the order has not been paid out yet, then your commission will be updated to 0%, and you will be responsible for the shipping costs (up to 13% or 10% depending on your partnership participation)
- If you are an Insider Partner and the order has been paid out, then your commission for that order remains 15% and Faire will pay for shipping on that order. On future orders, your commission will be 0%, and you will be responsible for the shipping costs (up to 13% or 10% depending on your partnership participation)
If you’re an Insider Partner/Partner Basic we give you a heads-up in the commission adjustment flow if the retailer you’re requesting 0% commission with is also an eligible Insider:
Does this program apply to international orders?
Yes! It does apply to international orders, though eligibility tends to be lower given higher shipping costs:
If you are a North American brand, in addition to orders from North American Insiders (US and Canada), you may also receive eligible orders from European Insiders and Australian Insiders.
Please note that if you receive orders from European Insiders, the Insider free shipping benefits also include import duties. These are subject to the same guardrails you’ll experience throughout the Insider Partnership (total benefits do not exceed 13% of order value through the Insider Partner option, or 10% for the Insider Partner Basic option) and are paid by whoever is responsible for shipping (Faire for eligible marketplace Insider orders, and brands for eligible Faire Direct Insider orders). If you receive an order with import duties, you will see the relevant information in your payout summary.
To learn more about what makes an order eligible for Insider free shipping, visit How does Faire determine which Insider retailers are eligible for free shipping on my brand?
Watch our webinar recording for more insight into the Program !
If you want more information about the Insider partnership, we recommend watching a recording of our Insider Partnership webinar (originally hosted on June 4, 2024) to get deeper insight from our team into how this program can help brands fuel their growth on Faire.
We walk through:
- Why we’re launching the Insider Partnership
- How it works and how it could benefit your business
- Timeline and next steps
- Top FAQs
You can see personalized estimates for how your business could benefit as an Insider Partner in your Insider Partnership page.
Visit Insider Partnership Terms & Conditions for more details.