Affiliate, referral, reseller, and partner programs all pay you for sending business someone else's way, but they differ in what you do, what you risk, and how you get paid. The short version: a reseller buys a product and resells it at a markup, an affiliate is paid to refer through a link, a referral program rewards informal word of mouth, and a partner program builds an ongoing, attributed relationship around an audience you already have. Which one fits comes down to a single question: are you a business with customers, or an individual with a network?
MedStands runs on the two models that carry the least risk for you: a partner program for businesses and an affiliate program for individuals. Neither asks you to buy, stock, prescribe, or ship anything. Here is how the four compare, and how to choose.
What each program model means
A reseller buys a product wholesale, marks it up, and sells it under their own name. Resellers carry inventory, front the cost, and own both the customer relationship and its liability. It is the highest-effort, highest-risk model of the four.
An affiliate is paid a fee for referring people, usually through a personal link or code. There is no inventory and nothing to buy. The affiliate introduces, and someone else handles the product and the fulfillment.
A referral program rewards existing customers or contacts for informal word of mouth, often as a one-time thank-you when a friend signs up. It is casual by design and rarely built for recurring income.
A partner program sits between an affiliate and a formal business alliance. A partner refers its own audience on an ongoing, tracked basis and earns for as long as those referrals stay active. The relationship, and the credit for it, is meant to last.
Which model fits a business
If you have customers, members, patients, or foot traffic, a partner program is almost always a better fit than reselling. You already have the trust and the audience, which is the expensive part. It lets you point that audience toward a service without taking on inventory, staff, or liability, and it credits you every time someone signs up through you.
Reselling can suit a business built to stock and move product, but in a regulated space that means licensing, storage, and financial exposure most customer-facing businesses would rather avoid.
Which model fits an individual
If your strength is a network rather than a storefront, an affiliate program usually fits best. You are not running a shop or managing inventory; you are connecting people to something useful and getting credited for it. Affiliates do well when they regularly talk to the right audience, whether that is other business owners or a following.
A casual referral program suits the occasional introduction, but if you want your introductions to keep earning, an affiliate arrangement with lasting attribution is the stronger choice.
Where reselling falls short for regulated care
Telehealth shows why the reseller model rarely makes sense for most people. Selling medication yourself would mean licensing, inventory, and direct liability for a regulated product, which is not what a gym, medspa, salon, consultant, or sales rep is set up to do.
The referral models remove that weight entirely. You never handle a regulated product. Licensed providers do the prescribing and licensed pharmacies do the fulfillment, refills, and shipping. Your role stays firmly on the marketing side.
How MedStands maps to these models
MedStands deliberately skips the reseller model for you and offers the two lower-risk paths instead. Businesses join the partner program and refer their own customers with a QR code or personal link. Individuals join the MedStands affiliate program and refer other businesses or people through their network. Anyone who signs up through you is attributed automatically, and that attribution stays at the account level for the life of the relationship.
If you are torn between the two, Partner vs Affiliate: Which MedStands Program Fits You? walks through the decision in more detail, and What Is a Telehealth Partner Program? explains the mechanics from scratch. You can also browse partner programs by industry to see how the model maps to your field.
What you earn, and what you never touch
Whichever side fits you, the earning works the same way. You are paid a fixed marketing fee, set in advance by medication category, ranging from $36 to $260 per active referred customer per month. It is a fixed marketing fee, not a commission and not a percentage of anyone's sales. It repeats every month for as long as each referred customer stays active, and lands in your bank on a monthly schedule. Because it recurs with lifetime, account-level attribution, a modest number of active referrals can build into steady monthly income. What you earn depends on how many people you refer and how long they stay active.
Just as important is what you never do: no clinical work, no inventory, no prescribing, and no fulfillment, and you never touch medication. Licensed providers do the prescribing and licensed pharmacies do the fulfillment, refills, and shipping on a LegitScript-certified platform. MedStands is not a medical practice and does not prescribe. Every request is reviewed by a licensed provider, and not everyone qualifies, so your role is limited to the introduction. Both programs are free to join, with no setup fee, no monthly fee, and nothing to buy.
Common questions
What is the difference between an affiliate and a partner here?
A partner is a business that refers its own customers, members, or foot traffic. An affiliate is an individual who refers other businesses or people. Both earn a fixed marketing fee, both are free to join, and neither involves clinical work.
Is MedStands a reseller program?
No. You never buy, stock, or resell medication. Licensed providers do the prescribing and licensed pharmacies do the fulfillment, refills, and shipping. Your role is purely the referral, which is why there is no inventory or liability on your side.
Is the fee a commission or a percentage?
Neither. It is a fixed marketing fee set in advance by medication category, from $36 to $260 per active referred customer per month. It is not a cut of sales, and it does not change with the price of anything.
Does everyone who signs up qualify?
No. Every request is reviewed by a licensed provider, and not everyone qualifies. You cannot influence who is approved, and you are responsible only for the referral itself.
Ready to choose your model
The choice between affiliate, referral, reseller, and partner comes down to who you can reach and how much risk you want to carry. For most people the answer is simple: businesses with an audience join as partners, individuals with a network join as affiliates, and nobody has to touch a regulated product. Both are free to join, and both pay a fixed marketing fee to your bank every month. Take a look at the partner program if you have customers to refer, the MedStands affiliate program if you have a network, or browse partner programs by industry to see how it fits your field.