Disclosure

GearPuff.com is committed to transparency. This page explains how we make money, what affiliate links are, and how we maintain our editorial independence. If you have questions, email us at info@gearpuff.com.

How GearPuff is funded

GearPuff generates revenue through two channels: affiliate commissions and advertising placements. No revenue source influences what we review or what we say about any product.

Affiliate commissions

When you click an affiliate link on GearPuff.com and make a purchase, the retailer pays us a small commission. You do not pay any extra. The price is exactly the same whether you use our link or go directly to the store.

We participate in the following affiliate programs (current as of the date above):

• Amazon Services LLC Associates Program: An affiliate advertising program that allows us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites.
• Best Buy Affiliate Program: Commission on purchases made through links to Best Buy.
• Walmart Affiliate Program: Commission on purchases made through links to Walmart.
• B&H Photo Affiliate Program:Commission on purchases made through links to B&H Photo Video.
• Other retailer programs: We may add or remove affiliate partnerships over time without updating this page. You can assume any link to a retailer product page is an affiliate link unless stated otherwise.

Editorial independence

Here is what affiliate commissions do NOT buy:

• Positive reviews
• Favorable ratings
• Selective omission of flaws
• Placement in recommendation lists
• Influence over our testing process

We buy every product we review with our own money at full retail price. Manufacturers do not supply review units. We do not let advertisers or affiliate partners preview, approve, or influence any review before publication.

When we recommend a product, the recommendation is based on our testing and judgment. We pick the retailer links based on price and reliability, not commission rate. If Amazon pays 4% and a smaller retailer pays 8%, we still link to whoever has the better price and return policy.

Advertising

GearPuff.com may display banner ads and other paid advertising. All advertisements are clearly marked or visually distinguishable from editorial content. We do not accept sponsored reviews or paid editorial placements.

Advertisers have no influence over our content, review scores, or product recommendations. We reserve the right to reject any advertisement that conflicts with our values or misleads our readers.

Sponsored content

GearPuff.com does not publish sponsored reviews. We do not accept payment in exchange for coverage of any product. If a product appears on this site, it is because we chose to buy and review it based on reader interest and editorial judgment.

We may occasionally publish sponsored content that is clearly labeled as such. This content will be visually distinct from our reviews and buying guides, and will not include product recommendations or ratings. As of the date above, we have never published sponsored content.

Product sourcing

Every product reviewed on GearPuff.com is purchased at full retail price with our own money. We do not accept free review units, samples, or loaner products from manufacturers or PR agencies.

This policy costs us thousands of dollars a year in products we could otherwise get for free. We do it because it removes the single biggest source of bias in product reviews: the desire to stay in a manufacturer's good graces to keep receiving free products. If we spend our own money on a product, we have no reason to say anything other than the truth.

Review updates

Products change over time. Firmware updates can improve or degrade performance. Build quality issues can emerge months after launch. We revisit our reviews and update them when significant changes occur. If we discover a flaw after publication, we add it to the review and note the update date.

We do not delete reviews or change scores to please manufacturers or advertisers. Once a review is published, it stays published with its original score. Updates are clearly marked.

Your trust matters more than a commission

We say this often because it is true: a $10 commission is not worth lying to you. We built this site on the idea that honest reviews are valuable and people can tell when you are bullshitting them. Affiliate money pays the hosting bills and buys the next product to review. Your trust is what makes any of that possible.

Questions

If you have questions about any of the above, or if you think a review or recommendation on this site was influenced by something other than our honest opinion, email us immediately at info@gearpuff.com. We take every concern seriously.