<b>Q: Creators brag about their GMV numbers. Should I be chasing GMV too?</b>

<b>Q: Creators brag about their GMV numbers. Should I be chasing GMV too?</b>

A: No — GMV (gross merchandise value, total sales volume before any costs) is a vanity number when it's your own money on the line. It ignores fees, returns, ad spend, and product cost.

A shop doing $50k GMV on thin-margin product with heavy affiliate rates and a 20% return rate can be losing money. A shop doing $12k GMV on tight margins and low returns can be profitable.

Track these instead:

— Contribution margin per order after all fee layers
— Return / refund rate by product
— Net profit, not gross sales

GMV is useful for one thing: unlocking platform perks and tiers that are gated by sales volume. Chase it deliberately for that, not as a scoreboard.

Also worth knowing: creators quote GMV because they're paid on it, not on your profit. Their incentive and yours aren't the same — price accordingly.

Got a question? Drop it in the comments.