Do you need help understanding Tiers? On this page, we help you understand why we have Tiers, and what they’re intended to achieve.

While Water Sprite does advertise the shop as a whole, ultimately the success of a Creator’s merchandise on the shop will largely depend on the amount of effort they make to advertise their merchandise or artworks on this site.

To assist Creators who bring direct sales to this site, we have created a three tier system that provides greater support to Creators who achieve higher sales rates. There are no minimum sales, however – low volume Creators will stay on our minimum Tier and they are very welcome to do so. However, Creators who achieve higher turn-over will move up in tiers. Continued higher volumes are recognised through “locking in” a higher Tier for 12 months regardless of sales volumes. Our logic is that if you spend more time and effort advertising your merchandise, you should receive greater payback for that. Since Creators advertising their Merchandise on this site are also indirectly assisting other Creators on the site, it’s a win-win situation.

How Tiers support Creators

The rewards from the different Tiers are a greater share of the profit from sales. We may be able to offer support in other ways in the future, but this is what we can manage now. While the precise amounts are only available to approved Creators, the approximate returns are indicated below. Note that these values are only approximate.

To assist the lower Tier Creators, we include in the Tier system an undertaking to spend a portion of the profits from sales in advertising the Water Sprite Shop. This will be advertising of the Shop as a whole rather than any one Creator.

These Tiers apply only to products sold using our Print-on-Demand arrangements. Other arrangements apply for products sold on commission and for products for which specific agreements apply. Product descriptions will identify products to which different arrangements apply. Those agreements are commercial agreements between Water Sprite and the Creator and the details my not be disclosed.

The Tiers

Tier 1

Creators who achieve between AU$0 to AU$300 sales per month. Creators in Tier 1 will receive (on average) 40% of the profit from sales. A further 20% of sales profit will be dedicated to advertising the Water Sprite Shop.

Tier 2

Creators who achieve between AU$300.01 and AU$1000 per month will be promoted to Tier 2 for the following month. Creators who achieve Tier 2 for 4 months out of 6 will be promoted to Tier 2 for the following 12 months, starting from the month immediately following the month they achieve their fourth time at Tier 2.

This means that if a creator qualifies for Tier 2 for 4 consecutive months, their 12 months of Tier 2 starts on month 5 – they do not have to wait until the end of the 6 months for the 12 months at Tier 2 to start. On the other hand, if a Creator qualifies for Tier 2 in months 1, 3, 5 and 6, they will be promoted to Tier 2 for 12 months starting from month 7.

Creators in Tier 2 will receive (on average) 60% of profit share. A further 10% of profit share will be dedicated to advertising the Water Sprite Shop.

Tier 3

Creators who achieve greater than AU$1000.01 sales per month will be promoted to Tier 3 for the following month. As with Tier 2, Creators who achieve Tier 3 for 4 months out of 6 will be promoted to Tier 3 for the following 12 months, starting from the month immediately following the month they achieve their 4th time at Tier 3.

Creators in Tier 3 will receive (on average) approximately 80% of profit share.

Other Details

Water Sprite discretion

Water Sprite reserve the right to offer Creators a period at a higher Tier without them having qualified for that Tier according to these rules. We may do this to support them in times of need, in recognition of support they have provided us through advertising or other means, or on any other basis which we feel is reasonable.

Disclosure

This scheme is not intended to create a popularity contest, but to reward Creators who invest more effort in publicising their work on this site. In the interests of not creating a perception that some Creators are better than others, Water Sprite will NOT identify particular Creators as being at particular Tiers. Please see our Transparency Policy for what we will report.

Changes to Tiers

Water Sprite may amend the Tier system at any time, including changing the proportions of profit share and/or the thresholds at which the Tiers apply. If we decide to do so, we will give Creators three months notice. Creators are not obligated to remain with the system and may choose to remove themselves from participation on two weeks notice. Updates to the Tier system are not required to be advertised here in advance of any changes, but will be updated at the very least when those changes take effect.