I don’t see it as a game of one-upping. An influencer getting free merchandise with absolutely no guarantee of revenue is a loss for the producer if there’s no revenue guaranteed. The producer reimbursing after revenue is gained isn’t one-upping them, it’s a business agreement that protects their business. I think it’s absolutely proper to offer a counter in a business agreement, that’s how any business operates. Add on to that that OOP is likely a one person operated small business, as opposed to like Nike or CoverGirl who already have enough revenue to cover a handful of losses, and you get an absolutely rational proposal to stay solvent and end with either a win for both parties or a loss on the part of the salesperson who couldn’t do their job–which is to sell.

ETA: My boyfriend, who is an independent photographer and video producer, absolutely eviscerated me for this argument lol.

I know you’re desperate. Do not get credit cards. You can hang on a few more years to be able to have nice things. The argument that you need to start building credit is rationalization. Your friends will love you even if you can’t buy nice gifts. You’re not smarter than every other delusional person who insists they can magically pay back more than they earn. Don’t be stupid.

My boss texted a group thread at 10:30pm and I responded in 3 different clear but relatively lighthearted ways to stop texting because I was in bed. He got annoyed. 20m later my watch gave me an alert that my heart rate was 114bpm for more than 15m and now I can’t sleep.