[Viewpoint] Reliable Reviews or Affiliate Linking?

I had already tackled the issue of how trustworthy online reviewers really are - including influnothingers, youtumblers and unboxeurs (forgive the neologisms, but they do get the point across) - in the previous January editorial. Companies today rely less and less on banner ads placed on magazine websites - they're barely profitable, nobody clicks them - and are shifting instead toward affiliate linking. In other words: I, the reviewer, test a product, and if you buy it through the link I provide (on a web-page or social channel), I receive a percentage of the sale directly from the manufacturer or retailer. Amazon excels at this model, but Hi‑Fi brands are now catching up fast.

The problem - obvious to anyone - is that if I, the reviewer, earn money only when you buy, my incentive to write an overly enthusiastic review becomes enormous. The more glowing the tone, the more likely you are to click. And the more you click, the more I earn. A lukewarm or negative review doesn't generate sales, and my profit drops to zero.

How can you recognize an affiliate link? It's easy: it's never a clean link with just the URL of a manufacturer's website, but it contains tracking referrals that help the receiving site understand who the visitor/buyer is and where they come from. For example, something like this: https://example.com/product?ref=youraffiliateID&source=blog. In this case, the “source” is a blog where you read a review, and the “referral” is your ID as a visitor on that blog.

In January I mentioned rough figures (between 3% and 15%), but now I can be more precise: we've received a specific offer from a Hi‑Fi company (brand redacted), which I'm reproducing in full.

Translated into plain English: I, the reviewer, request a sample unit, review it, and if I manage to convince you to buy it (you can guess how), I pocket a hefty 20% commission on the sale - while you, the buyer, get 10% off. Now, a 20% “gift” on a product costing several thousand euros is not exactly pocket change: it's a genuine PAYMENT to the accommodating reviewer from the manufacturer. The reader‑buyer benefits too, of course, thanks to the 10% discount. On the surface, it looks like a win‑win situation: the reviewer earns, the buyer saves, the company sells. The only loser, inevitably, is the credibility of the entire chain.

It also means that the “real” price of the product isn't the one advertised - it already includes the reviewer's kickback. You used to complain that print magazines were influenced by advertisers? Does this new system of open‑air (though not always disclosed) kickbacks look any better to you?

Remember this: every time you read an online review that includes an affiliate link, and every time your favourite YouTumbler/Influenothinger/TinkTonker tells you to check the link in the description, there's a nice commission hidden in there. How credible is what you've just read or heard? That's for you to decide.

Did you enjoy this article? You can support our free, advertising-free magazine, with no affiliate links with a small Paypal donation using the button below. Thank you!

DISCLAIMER. TNT-Audio is neither a shop, nor a HiFi company or a repair laboratory for HiFi components. We don't sell anything. It is a 100% independent magazine that neither accepts advertising from companies nor requires readers to register or pay for subscriptions. We do not use affiliate links. If you wish, you can support our independent reviews via a PayPal donation. After publication of reviews, the authors do not retain samples other than on long-term loan for further evaluation or comparison with later-received gear. Hence, all contents are written free of any “editorial” or “advertising” influence, and all reviews in this publication, positive or negative, reflect the independent opinions of their respective authors. TNT-Audio will publish all manufacturer responses, subject to the reviewer's right to reply in turn.

May 2026 Editorial

Reliable Reviews or Affiliate Linking?