HandpickedAffiliate Links Explained (2026)
What an affiliate link is, what it does not change, and how to spot a sponsored link before you click.
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Written and dated by our editors.
By Ruth AlvarezRuth Alvarez · Shopping Strategy EditorPublished in September 2026Quick answer: an affiliate link is a normal URL with a tracking code attached. If you click it and buy, the retailer pays this site a commission. The price you pay is the same either way.
What an affiliate link actually does When you click a shopping link on this page, a small code travels with you to the retailer. If you complete a purchase, the retailer's affiliate network records that the visit started here and pays us a percentage of the order. That payment comes out of the retailer's marketing budget, not out of your total.
What it does not change It does not change the price you pay. It does not give us access to your payment details, your address or your order history. We see aggregate numbers - clicks, orders and commission - not who bought what.
Why the link looks different Affiliate links often run through a tracking domain. Ours go through the PartnerBoost network and then on to the retailer, which is why the address bar may show a short domain for a split second before the store loads. It is the same destination, with a receipt attached.
How to spot a sponsored link Look for a disclosure near the top of the page, and hover a link to see whether it points at a retailer or a tracking domain. On this site every outbound shopping link carries rel="sponsored" and rel="nofollow" - the machine-readable version of the same disclosure.
How we decide what to recommend Rankings and scores are editorial. A product does not move up because it pays more. This matters most where commission rates differ sharply: a cheap accessory can pay a higher percentage than an expensive appliance, and we still rank on usefulness rather than on the payout.
How to support a site without paying more Use the links on the page instead of searching the product again - it costs you nothing extra. If you would rather not be tracked at all, search for the product directly; the article is free to read either way, and we would rather you ended up with the right product.
The short version Affiliate links are how this site pays for itself. They do not raise your price, they do not change our rankings, and they are disclosed wherever they appear.
