Decision Shelf · Commercial disclosure
Commercial disclosure
Know what funds the shelf. Commercial relationships matter when evaluating advice. Our disclosure policy explains how readers should recognize paid links and placements, and what those relationships mean for the content.
Effective and last reviewed:
The principle
A commercial relationship must be clear where it matters to your decision. Payment cannot buy a favorable conclusion or replace evidence.
Affiliate links and commissions
Affiliate links can help fund Decision Shelf. When a guide includes an identified affiliate link, Decision Shelf may earn a commission from the retailer or program if you make a qualifying purchase through it.
The affected guide must explain that relationship clearly near the shopping links, along with any required program identification. This policy page does not replace those notices. An ordinary manufacturer or reference link is not, by itself, evidence of a paid relationship.
Sources, examples and shopping decisions
Source links let you check where specifications and factual information came from. A product’s appearance in an example does not itself establish a buying recommendation, paid placement or hands-on test.
Decision Shelf does not sell the products described here or take payment for orders. Availability, price, delivery, returns and warranty terms belong to the seller. Check those terms and the exact variant before any purchase.
Commercial terms do not establish product merit
Our editorial rule is that payment cannot buy a favorable conclusion, suppress a supported limitation or substitute for evidence. Product selection must be grounded in the reader’s needs, fit, tradeoffs and credible product information. A higher commission is not a reason to call a product better.
Useful guidance should remain useful when shopping links are removed. Using what you already own may be the best outcome. Our method explains the evidence needed before making a buying recommendation.
Advertising, sponsorships and supplied products
Any paid placement or sponsored content must be clearly labeled on the affected page. A free or loaned product, payment or other material benefit connected with coverage must also be disclosed where readers encounter that coverage.
Receiving a product does not justify claiming it was purchased independently or tested when it was not. These standards apply to any commercial format; they do not establish that a particular brand has a relationship with Decision Shelf. Our privacy policy explains the site’s actual data practices.
Questions about a relationship
If a link or commercial statement seems unclear, contact corrections@decisionshelf.com with the page address and the wording or link involved. Disclosure errors belong under the same corrections policy as other factual errors.