Chasing the 10% rate is the most expensive rookie mistake

Chasing the 10% rate is the most expensive rookie mistake
Luxury Beauty pays 10%, Home & Kitchen pays 3%. Obvious winner? No.
— Luxury Beauty: rate 10%, AOV ~$28, conversion 1.9% → EPC ≈ $0.41, but n is tiny in most niches
— Home & Kitchen: rate 3%, AOV ~$54, conversion 4.6% → EPC ≈ $0.18
— Tools: rate 3%, AOV ~$71, conversion 5.1% → EPC ≈ $0.27
The trap: rate is one of three multipliers (rate × AOV × conversion). Two of three favor the 'boring' categories.
Fix: rank every category you cover by EPC, not headline rate. Pull it from your dashboard's last 90 days.
So what: a 3% category with volume out-earns a 10% category with none.