Affiliate Disclosure

How We Earn Revenue

BenchPicked may earn revenue from affiliate advertising programs. When you click certain links on our site and make a purchase, we may earn a small commission from the retailer at no additional cost to you.

Our affiliate link policy covers these partnership types as they are approved and activated:

• Amazon Associates — As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.
• Retail affiliate programs — Some retailers pay publishers a referral commission when a reader buys after clicking an eligible link.
• Direct brand affiliate programs — Some manufacturers operate their own affiliate programs. When we link directly to a brand's website, the link is disclosed if it can generate a commission.
• Affiliate networks — Approved networks, including DFO and Adsbranded, connect BenchPicked with participating merchants. Sponsored links are identified when those relationships are active.

How This Affects Our Content

Short answer: it doesn't affect our editorial judgment.

Our editorial process is designed to prevent affiliate revenue from influencing source research, scoring, or recommendations:

• ✓ Research comes first — Source-attributed specs, claim boundaries, and editorial analysis are completed before affiliate availability is used in a buying table.
• ✓ Commission rates do not score products — Commission terms are not part of the product quality rubric.
• ✓ Higher commissions don't mean higher scores — Products are scored by the editorial rubric, not by payout differences.
• ✓ We include non-affiliate context — Buying tables are designed to include direct retailer context and clear disclosure when a link is sponsored.
• ✓ We recommend against products when appropriate — If source quality, product fit, or claim boundaries do not support a recommendation, we say so, even if the program pays well.

How to Identify Affiliate Links

We make affiliate links easy to identify:

• All affiliate links are marked with rel="nofollow sponsored" in the HTML.
• Price comparison tables indicate which links are affiliate links and which are not.
• A disclosure notice appears near the top of every page that contains affiliate links, before the first affiliate link appears.
• Call-to-action buttons that lead to affiliate links include a small disclosure note.

If you prefer not to use our affiliate links, you can always search for the product directly on the retailer's website. We provide enough product information (model names, specifications) for you to find any product independently.

Product Evaluation Policy

BenchPicked evaluations are based on source-attributed specifications, verified user and seller data, affiliate availability, and clearly labeled hands-on testing when available. We do not accept:

• Free products or samples from manufacturers
• Discounts or incentives in exchange for favorable coverage
• Payment for reviews, rankings, or favorable coverage
• Undisclosed early access or pre-release placements

This policy keeps the page focused on what can be supported by sources. If a page includes first-hand testing, that work is clearly labeled and separated from manufacturer or seller claims.

Retail Program Disclosures

Retail programs can have additional disclosure and placement requirements. BenchPicked applies the required program language on pages that contain eligible retail affiliate links.

• Retail prices are checked close to publication but may change after a page is updated.
• Availability can vary by retailer, region, and fulfillment option.
• Affiliate links in email or direct messages are used only when the recipient has opted in and the applicable program permits that placement.

Amazon links go directly to Amazon and identify Amazon as the destination. We do not attach visitor-specific identifiers to Amazon links. Numeric Amazon prices, ratings, availability, or product images are displayed only when supplied by Amazon or an authorized Amazon API; otherwise we ask readers to check the current details on Amazon.

FTC Compliance Statement

This disclosure is provided in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising (16 CFR Part 255). We believe in full transparency about the financial relationships that support this website.

If you have questions about this disclosure or believe we have failed to properly disclose a material connection, please contact us at hello at benchpicked dot com.