Advertising & Affiliate Disclosure

How we make money

PicksGuide is a free resource for shoppers. To sustain our research, writing, and platform operations, we earn revenue in two primary ways:

1. Affiliate commissions: When a reader clicks a link on our Site and makes a qualifying purchase from a retailer (such as Amazon, Walmart, or other merchants), we may earn a commission. This does not increase the price you pay. Our affiliate partners include, but are not limited to, the Amazon Associates Program and other affiliate networks.

2. Advertising: We display advertisements served by Google AdSense and may work with other advertising partners. These ads are typically labeled as such and are separate from our editorial product recommendations.

Editorial independence

Our product rankings, comparisons, and recommendations are determined by our editorial team based on the criteria described in our How We Rank methodology. Key principles:

• A commercial relationship with a brand does not guarantee a high ranking, a positive review, or a "best" designation.

• We do not accept payment to alter product scores, remove negative assessments, or fabricate awards.

• Products are evaluated against consistent, published criteria — not advertiser preference.

• When a product is supplied by a brand or commercial partner at no cost for evaluation purposes, that fact is disclosed on the relevant page.

How we disclose commercial relationships

We disclose material connections in the following ways:

• Site-wide: This disclosure page is linked from our footer on every page.

• Content-level: Individual buying guides and ranking pages include a disclosure notice near the top of the page.

• Link-level: Affiliate links that earn commissions are identified where practical.

• Product-level: Products provided by commercial partners are identified with a note on the relevant page.

FTC compliance

Our practices are designed to comply with the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) guidelines on endorsements, testimonials, and native advertising, including:

• 16 CFR Part 255: Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.

• FTC Native Advertising Guidelines: Ensuring commercial content is clearly distinguishable from editorial content.

• FTC Dot Com Disclosures: Disclosures are clear, conspicuous, and placed where readers are likely to see them.

What we do NOT do

To be completely clear, PicksGuide does not:

• Publish fabricated consumer reviews or fake testimonials.

• Claim personal product use or hands-on testing when no such evaluation has occurred.

• Accept payment to remove or suppress negative findings.

• Create false scarcity (e.g., fake countdown timers, fabricated "only X left" claims).

• Invent discounts, price comparisons, or customer ratings.

Pricing and availability

Product prices, discounts, shipping estimates, and stock availability change frequently and are controlled by retailers — not by PicksGuide. We display pricing information for reference, but you should verify the current price and availability directly on the retailer's website before purchasing. We are not responsible for discrepancies between the information on our Site and what a retailer displays.

Product images

Product images displayed on the Site are sourced from manufacturer-provided assets, retailer product pages, or licensed stock photography. If you are a rights holder and believe an image is used improperly, please contact us at contact@picksguide.org with the URL and we will address it promptly.

Reader trust

Our business depends on reader trust. If you believe any content on PicksGuide is misleading, inaccurate, or fails to disclose a material connection, please tell us at contact@picksguide.org. We review every concern and publish corrections where appropriate.

Contact

Questions about this disclosure? Reach us at contact@picksguide.org.