

Ask HN: Do you knowingly avoid affiliate links? - ljoshua

I recently noticed a behavior that I am actively trying to change: I used to avoid clicking on affiliate links, even if I wanted to get to the provider in the end (I&#x27;d strip it out or type it in myself). I don&#x27;t know why I did this, but I&#x27;ve talked with others who&#x27;ve done the same. Realizing that this does no harm to me but benefits others, I always click through affiliate links now.<p>Have you done the same? Any reason for why we do this? Are affiliate links a sleazy way to get in on something or a legitimate way to earn a buck for sending people somewhere useful? (Okay, not so much that last question, but the previous two.)
======
jayhuang
Absolutely. If you point out that it's an affiliate link, I'm perfectly fine
with letting you get the upside.

Otherwise I look at the anchor URL and get rid of the ref code. It's not a big
deal but it's annoying seeing people use blog posts or forum comments to post
stuff they normally wouldn't if they weren't incentivized.

------
krrishd
I click them knowingly. Personally, if they have provided a resource that is
of value to me, and I am not losing anything in the process, then fine, let
them have their incentive. I win a good resource, they get a few dollars, no
one is losing here.

------
TheLoneWolfling
If the person posting the link mentions that it is an affiliate link, I follow
it.

Otherwise, I'll strip it out.

Same with ad.fly etc. etc. If they provide an alternative, I'll generally
follow the link. Otherwise I won't.

------
ScottWhigham
It depends. I like to support blogs/etc that are free to use and, if they
suggest something I like/want, I will click it. If it's just some random
person in a forum/facebook/search result, yes I'd avoid it.

~~~
t_s
This is my usual behavior as well - if it looks like an advertisement or low-
quality post to show something off, I wont. If it's someone I follow and they
occasionally share something that is genuinely helpful I will click through.

