Affiliate Disclosure

Affiliate marketing is a performance-based arrangement where a website earns a commission for recommending products. When a reader clicks a product link on our site and completes a purchase, the retailer pays us a percentage of the sale as a referral fee.

This model is widely used by product review sites, blogs, and comparison engines. It allows us to publish free content — buying guides, product roundups, and category pages — without charging readers or running display advertising.

Major publishers including major technology review sites, consumer publications, and shopping guides operate on the same model. The FTC in the US, the ASA in the UK, and equivalent bodies in most countries require clear disclosure of affiliate relationships, which is why this page exists.

Smart Choice Shop participates in the Admitad affiliate programme, through which we earn commissions on qualifying purchases made on AliExpress.

• Admitad GmbH is a global affiliate network that manages the tracking, reporting, and payment of commissions on behalf of AliExpress.
• AliExpress is a global online marketplace operated by Alibaba Group. It is the retailer — they pay the commissions from their own marketing budget.
• Our affiliate ID is embedded in every product link. When you click and purchase, Admitad attributes the sale to us and AliExpress pays the commission.

AliExpress pays different commission rates depending on product category. Below are the approximate rates for our main content areas. These rates are set by AliExpress and Admitad — we have no ability to negotiate them individually.

These rates mean that if you buy a $90 product through our link, we earn approximately $4.50–$6.30. On many transactions, commissions are pending review and may be reversed if you return the item or dispute the purchase.

Important: the small variation in commission rates across categories does not influence our editorial decisions. A gadget roundup is not made more or less likely to be published because of whether gadgets pay 5% or 7%. We publish roundups where we find genuinely good deals, regardless of category.

You are never obligated to use our affiliate links. Here are your options:

• Use our links — you pay the same price and support our ability to publish free content. This is what we'd appreciate, but it's always your choice.
• Search AliExpress directly — copy the product name from our roundup and search on AliExpress yourself. You'll find the same product at the same price.
• Block affiliate tracking — browser extensions such as uBlock Origin or Privacy Badger can block the Admitad tracking redirect. If you use one, we simply won't receive a commission on any resulting purchase — but you'll still be able to read all our content.
• Clear cookies — clearing your browser cookies removes any Admitad tracking cookie that may have been set when you clicked a link.

This disclosure is made in compliance with the following regulations and guidelines:

• FTC (USA) — 16 CFR Part 255: Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising. The FTC requires clear and conspicuous disclosure of material connections between endorsers and advertisers.
• ASA / CAP Code (UK) — the UK Advertising Standards Authority requires that affiliate content is clearly identified as such.
• EU Directive 2005/29/EC — the Unfair Commercial Practices Directive, which requires traders to disclose commercial relationships that might influence consumer decisions.
• Google Search guidelines — all affiliate links include rel="nofollow sponsored" attributes as recommended by Google's link spam policies.

If you have concerns about whether our disclosures meet the requirements of your jurisdiction, please contact us.