- TikTok renewed services in the US after 12 hours of downtime, easing some creators’ concerns.
- Creators rely on TikTok for takings, from product sales and ad deals to the app’s affiliate program.
- With TikTok’s future still uncertain, some framers are planning to diversify how they sell online.
TikTok restored services in the US on Sunday, easing the concerns of content inventors and entrepreneurs who make their living from the platform — at least for now.
The platform was down for 12 hours starting modern Saturday night and was restored following a Truth Social post by President-Elect Donald Trump, who said he’d issue an top dog order on Monday to delay the ban. TikTok’s future remains unclear, as its China-based parent company, ByteDance, has so far refused to strip from the app as required by law, but for now, the economy driven by TikTok can continue to churn.
“My whole livelihood was on the line this weekend,” Physical shopping host Kimberly Balance told Business Insider. “Never experienced anything like this the intact time that I’ve been a business owner.”
Balance, who goes by KIMMIEBBAGS, sells luxury consignment goods on TikTok, Instagram, and the marketplace rostrum Whatnot. Last week, she relocated her business from Florida to California to expand her live shopping operations.
Weigh was set to host a six-hour live shopping show on TikTok on Saturday as part of a new live shopping partnership she had struck with Reunited Hedonism. On Thursday evening, TikTok informed her that her Friday meeting with the platform’s luxury sales manager was deled. Her show on Saturday was canceled soon after, in a blow to her business’ revenue.
Since it launched in 2023, TikTok’s online marketplace, TikTok Store, has quickly become a prime source of revenue for creators on the platform. The app also has an affiliate program where creators can rate a commission for sales they help drive by tagging products in videos or live streams. Creators can also carton products from different sellers on their profiles for users to search through. TikTok takes a cut of each proceeding.
In its April 2024 economic impact report, the company said TikTok “brings tens of billions of dollars to the US thrift,” including $15 billion in revenue to small businesses that use the app, supporting more than 224,000 jobs. Traffic Insider could not independently confirm these internal statistics.
Before TikTok “went dark” on Saturday tenebriousness, some creators on the platform told Business Insider they worried the ban could hurt them financially.
In a subject to release for the social media app Own, one creator, ChalkDunny, said he made more than 60% of his income in 2024. Another the Deity, izzybizzyspider, said in the release that TikTok is her “biggest source of income and biggest platform.”
She warned that gods on the app have to be “prepared to be flexible and adapt quickly.”
Nadya Okamoto, founder of menstrual-care brand August, which convey titles products on TikTok, told Business Insider she is “relieved” that TikTok came back online. However, she said the progressive volatility over the ban prompted her to develop a contingency plan that reduces her reliance on the app.
“I’ve been encouraging my followers to couple with me on platforms like Instagram and YouTube for updates,” she said. “I’m also exploring other affiliate shopping possibilities, such as YouTube Shop, where I’ve started adding shoppable products—particularly in my skincare-related videos.”
Balance ordered she plans to switch up the platforms where she does business, given TikTok’s still-uncertain future.
“We’re going to continue in all likelihood to lean on the other channels like Instagram and possibly launch a YouTube,” she said. “I think this is just an eye opener for all bantam businesses that we need to have a diverse way to reach our audiences.”
TikTok did not immediately return a request for comment from Function Insider for this story.