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Affiliate & commercial
disclosure

We earn commissions when you click certain links. Here's exactly how that works, which networks we work with, and why it never affects what we write.

FTC 16 CFR Part 255 compliant Amazon Associates participant Scores locked before any link is placed Updated May 2026
Amazon Associates — Required Statement
This statement is required verbatim by the Amazon Associates Operating Agreement.
01
Amazon Associates Program Disclosure VERBATIM — FTC REQUIRED

Trusted Buyer Report is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com. As an Amazon Associate, Trusted Buyer Report earns from qualifying purchases.

When you click a link on this site that goes to Amazon and make a purchase, we may earn a small commission. This does not change the price you pay. The commission comes from Amazon, not from you.

Our editorial team scores every store and product before any affiliate link is placed on the page. The existence of an Amazon affiliate relationship for a particular product or store has no influence on whether it is reviewed, how it is scored, or what verdict is reached. See §5 Editorial independence.

Amazon affiliate links are identified by the destination URL containing tag=trustedbuy or a similar Associates tag. You can verify any link before clicking by hovering over it.
FTC disclosure — 16 CFR Part 255
Federal Trade Commission guidelines require us to clearly disclose all material connections between this site and the brands and stores we write about.
02

In plain English: Trusted Buyer Report earns money through affiliate commissions. When you click a link to a retailer or product on this site and make a purchase, we may receive a percentage of the sale as a commission — at no additional cost to you. This is how we fund our independent editorial team, research tools, and AI infrastructure.

Affiliate links
Pages containing affiliate links display a clear disclosure notice at the top of the page — not only in a policy document. No affiliate link appears on a page that does not carry this disclosure.
Free products
If a product was received free of charge or at a discount for review purposes, this is stated in a disclosure box near the top of the review content. Free receipt does not inflate scores.
AI-assisted content
Any section of content generated or significantly assisted by AI is labeled with a visible AI badge at point of use. No AI-generated content is published without a named human editor reviewing and approving it.
Scores before links
Editorial scores are locked in our database before any affiliate link is applied to a page. A score may not be modified after a link is placed without a full new editorial review cycle.
  • Affiliate relationships are disclosed on every page that contains affiliate links — not only in a privacy policy or terms of service
  • "As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases" — present on all pages containing Amazon affiliate links
  • Material connections (free products, press access, sponsored travel) are disclosed on the specific review page, not only on an About page
  • All disclosure language is written in plain English — not legal boilerplate that requires a lawyer to understand
  • Disclosures are displayed before the reader reaches any affiliate link — not after
  • This disclosure policy is reviewed quarterly for compliance with current FTC guidance
This disclosure is compliant with FTC 16 CFR Part 255 (Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising) as updated October 2023.
Affiliate networks & programs
A complete list of every affiliate network and direct program we currently participate in. This list is updated whenever a new relationship is added or removed.
03
Network / Program Type Categories covered Status
📦
Amazon Associates
Direct program Electronics, home, beauty, apparel, outdoor, and all Amazon-sold products Active
🛒
ShareASale
Network Fashion, home goods, health & wellness, specialty retailers Active
🔗
CJ Affiliate (Commission Junction)
Network Electronics, travel, software, financial products Active
🧡
Impact (impact.com)
Network DTC brands, subscription services, SaaS products Active
🖤
Rakuten Advertising
Network Major retail brands, department stores, luxury goods Active
🔵
Walmart Affiliate Program
Direct program General merchandise, groceries, home essentials Active
🛍️
eBay Partner Network
Direct program Used goods, collectibles, electronics, apparel Active
This list is updated whenever we add or end an affiliate relationship. Last updated: May 2026. If you believe a relationship is missing from this list, please contact us.
How affiliate commissions work
The exact sequence of events from research to commission — so you can see precisely where commercial interests enter the picture.
04
1
Editorial research begins — no commercial contact
Our editorial team selects stores to review based on consumer interest and search data. No store can pay to be selected, and we do not contact a store's marketing or affiliate team before or during the review process.
2
3-phase review completed & score locked
The review goes through AI analysis, human expert verification, and editorial sign-off. The final score is committed to our database and cannot be changed without a new full review cycle. See methodology →
3
Affiliate link applied — after score lock
Only after the score is locked does our publishing team check whether an affiliate program exists for the store. If one does, standard affiliate links are added to the page. The score cannot be changed at this point except via a new editorial cycle.
4
You click a link & we may earn a commission
When a reader clicks an affiliate link and completes a purchase, we receive a commission from the retailer — typically 1–10% of the purchase price, depending on the network and category. You pay nothing extra. The commission is paid by the retailer, not added to your price.
5
Commission funds editorial independence
Affiliate revenue funds our independent research team, our AI infrastructure, and the costs of physically testing products. This model allows us to publish without charging readers and without accepting payment for editorial coverage.
The key point: The commission structure creates an incentive to give honest, useful recommendations — stores that deliver poor experiences drive up return rates and complaints, which would hurt our reputation far more than any commission we might lose from a negative review.
Editorial independence — our commitment
Non-negotiable rules that govern the relationship between our commercial activity and our editorial output.
05
The Editorial Independence Pledge
No store or brand can pay to be reviewed, ranked higher, or reviewed faster
Affiliate links are placed only after editorial scores are locked and published
Products received free are disclosed; free receipt never inflates a score
Advertisers cannot suppress a negative review or editorial conclusion
Score changes require a new full editorial review — not an internal edit
Editors with a financial interest in a store are recused from reviewing it
Every review carries a named editor, their credentials, and the score-lock date
$0 in paid placements — we refuse all offers, without exception

If you ever believe a review on this site was influenced by a commercial relationship, please contact our editorial team or submit a correction. We investigate every allegation and publish our findings.

GDPR & CCPA — affiliate data & privacy
How affiliate tracking interacts with data protection regulations for EU and California residents.
06

When you click an affiliate link on this site, the affiliate network (Amazon Associates, ShareASale, CJ, etc.) may set a tracking cookie in your browser to attribute a future purchase to our referral. This is standard affiliate tracking technology. Here is how your rights are protected under GDPR and CCPA.

GDPR (EU / UK)
General Data Protection Regulation
Affiliate tracking cookies require your consent under GDPR. Our cookie consent banner lets you accept or decline affiliate tracking cookies before any are set.
  • Affiliate cookies are classified as "Marketing / Tracking" — not strictly necessary
  • You can withdraw cookie consent at any time via the cookie settings link in the footer
  • Declining affiliate cookies does not affect your ability to use this site
  • We do not share personally identifiable data with affiliate networks beyond what is required for transaction tracking
CCPA (California)
California Consumer Privacy Act
Under CCPA, California residents have the right to know what personal information is collected and the right to opt out of the sale of personal information.
  • We do not sell personal information to third parties
  • Affiliate tracking data is shared only with the specific network that attributed your click
  • California residents may request deletion of personal data by contacting us at privacy@trustedbuyerreport.com
  • We do not discriminate against users who exercise their CCPA rights
Each affiliate network has its own privacy policy governing how they handle tracking data. Key links: Amazon Privacy Notice · ShareASale Privacy Policy · CJ Privacy Policy

For the full details of how we collect, process, and protect data across the entire site — including affiliate tracking, analytics, and newsletter data — see our Privacy Policy →

Questions about this disclosure?
We believe full transparency builds trust. If anything in this document is unclear or you believe something is missing, please contact us.
07

If you have a question about a specific affiliate link, a product you purchased through our site, or anything in this disclosure, our editorial team is happy to answer.

Disclosure questions
Questions about affiliate links, commissions, or this policy
editorial@trustedbuyerreport.com
Privacy & data
GDPR / CCPA requests, data deletion, cookie consent
privacy@trustedbuyerreport.com
This Affiliate Disclosure was last reviewed and updated: May 2026 · Version 2.1 · Next scheduled review: August 2026 Review methodology
Editorial Independence
Scores are finalized before any affiliate link is placed
Data-Driven Analysis
Our research tools detect patterns — named humans write every verdict
Verified Shopper Community
Every community review is from a confirmed real purchase
Full Methodology Published
Read how we score — every criterion is public

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Trusted Buyer Report was built on one belief: shoppers make better decisions when the research behind a recommendation is honest, methodical, and transparent. Every score on this site is earned through data — not a payment. Our editorial team includes consumer advocates, former retail buyers, and category-specialist researchers who test claims independently before anything goes live. Affiliate commissions fund our work — but are never applied before scores are locked.

No paid rankings, ever Human-verified editorial Updated every 90 days FTC compliant Named editors on every article
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Affiliate Disclosure: As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. Trusted Buyer Report also participates in other affiliate programs. When you click a link on our site and make a purchase, we may earn a commission at no additional cost to you. This helps fund our independent editorial team. Our scores and editorial recommendations are finalized before any affiliate link is applied and are never influenced by commercial relationships. Read our full disclosure →  ·  Research Disclosure: Where our research tools assist in content preparation, this is clearly labeled. All such content is reviewed and signed off by a named human editor before publication. Read our editorial standards →