The affiliate who audited their own "best month" and found 19% fake

The affiliate who audited their own "best month" and found 19% fake

Everyone celebrates the record month. This person opened the hood.

Record $11,200 in commissions. Out of curiosity they exported the conversion log and cross-checked:

— 7% were their own test purchases and a refund they forgot to void.
— 12% came from a coupon-stacking forum where users signed up, grabbed the discount, canceled in 3 days. All clawed back by day 45.
— Genuinely retained revenue: ~$9,100, or 81% of the headline.

The "record" was 19% noise that would evaporate within the clawback window.

Most affiliates never reconcile gross-credited against net-paid. They live on the gross number and wonder why payouts feel light.

Your real number is the one that survives 60 days, not the one the dashboard flashes today.