Partner Community Policy

Welcome to our Partner Payments Policy! Since you’re reading this, you’re probably an AppSumo Partner, or interested in becoming one, (a “Partner”, for short) so you can sell your digital products on the AppSumo marketplace.

Keep in mind that you are legally bound by the terms of this policy, and it is also not the only document you agree to follow when you participate in the AppSumo marketplace. For example, by participating in the AppSumo marketplace, you agree to adhere to all agreements you enter into with us, such as our Terms of Use and Partner Terms (both of which incorporate additional agreements) as well as our Listing & Updates Policy and Payments Policy. Violations of our policies or these agreements have legal consequences such as those specifically set forth in our Terms of Use.

But please read on so you will better understand our wonderful community and what is required to be a part of it!

Being A Part Of The AppSumo Community

What sets AppSumo apart from other online marketplaces and digital platforms? More than anything else, it’s the creativity, diversity, and ingenuity of our Sumo-ling community. We hustle all the harder because simply put, our community deserves it.  We’re excited to have you join us, but definitely make sure to follow the rules we have that help protect our community.

By submitting your deal, you agree to:

  1. Never use on our site language that is obscene, vulgar, abusive, threatening, defamatory, harassing, or otherwise offensive.

  2. Never make misleading or false claims or statements.

  3. Never impersonate AppSumo staff, other Partners, or anyone else for that matter.

  4. Always treat AppSumo customers, employees, and other Partners with the utmost respect, courtesy, and consideration. 

  5. Always protect customers’ privacy and personal information.

Your customers’ privacy deserves more attention! Please understand that by selling your products on the AppSumo marketplace, you agree that you (and not AppSumo) are responsible for all the information about your customers that you send, receive, store, or process and that you will comply with all privacy and data protection laws and regulations. This includes all local, national, and/or international data protection and privacy laws that govern the ways in which you can use customer information provided to you. To sell your products on AppSumo, you must post on your website a privacy policy that complies with these laws. By using our site, you also agree to the terms of our Privacy Policy.

Interacting With The Community

At AppSumo, we strive to better connect our Sumo-lings with our growing network of  Partners. This digital exchange of goods and services between kindred entrepreneurial spirits is what fuels our company (well, that, and the tacos!). 

When it comes to interacting with the Sumo-ling community: 

  1. Don’t be afraid to ask for reviews! Reviews are critical to establishing brand identity and consumer trust when launching your product on AppSumo. That being said, you must not incentivize customers to leave reviews (i.e. to offer something back to the customer in exchange for their posting a review on your listing). The integrity of our marketplace is built on honest reviews, ratings, and feedback that is offered freely and without incentive. 

  2. Prioritize Product Detail Page engagement. First impressions are everything, so don’t be an inattentive Partner after your listing goes live on the site. We understand that listing on AppSumo might be your side hustle, but we highly recommend carving out time in your daily schedule to be on your Product Detail Page. Choose a specific time once a day, once a week, or once every other day that you sit down and work on answering reviews/questions on your Product Detail Page. You can even offer “office hours” for your customers! We reserve the right to remove your listing if you fail to support your customers.

  3. Approve ALL reviews and questions (unless they are clearly spam). The AppSumo ecosystem is built around a give-and-take of ideas, questions, comments, and constructive criticisms. Receiving valuable feedback should be one of the main reasons you submitted your product in the first place! (Note that if reviews or questions seem fake or spammy, let us know so we can take care of those for you.) 

  4. Respond to ALL reviews and questions. After you respond, make sure you click “resolved.” Pro-tip: create a  roadmap or detailed FAQ post of commonly asked questions. The more detailed responses you can provide ahead of time, the fewer questions will likely be asked on your Product Detail Page. 

  5. Be respectful and play nice. No cursing/profanity, harassment, or hate speech. We reserve to the right to terminate your account if you  

  6. “Kill them with kindness.” Thank customers for their input, especially those who leave negative reviews or questions. Avoid getting defensive, argumentative, or combative.  

  7. Discuss products but don’t trash talk. If your software is compared to others on the marketplace, discuss the differences in features and prices.  Encourage Sumo-lings to find the best tool for their specific use case. Do not trash talk other software tools or tell Sumo-lings that they should switch to yours. Let the Sumo-ling make the judgment call for themselves. Remember: all of our Partners are part of the same community.  That makes us special and benefits you.

  8. Underpromise today and overdeliver tomorrow. If Sumo-lings ask for features, don’t promise them unless they’re actually ready and included in your current offering. Instead,  respond to those queries by stating you will consider adding any undeveloped features to your product roadmap for the future.

  9. Consider providing your support email address in your responses to customers. Any back-and-forth between a Partner and a customer will max out after three “nested” replies. When this happens, we encourage you to provide your support email directly to the customer in question and invite them to continue the conversation via email rather than in the reviews/comments/questions section of your deal.

  10. Read more about product reviews, ratings, questions, and more right here.