Affiliate Transparency · Editorial policy
How we select products for buying guides
Our editorial policy for choosing guide topics, comparing products, handling affiliate links, and updating marketplace recommendations.
By AI Comparor Editorial Desk · Global · Updated August 5, 2026 · 8 min read
Key takeaways
- We choose topics around shopper questions, not only commission rate.
- Final price, stock, shipping, returns, and warranty always belong to the merchant page.
- Affiliate links are disclosed and should not replace editorial usefulness.
- Older articles need maintenance because links, SKUs, and marketplace rules change.
We start with shopper intent
A buying guide starts with a question a real shopper might ask: Which earbuds are good under a budget? What is the difference between local and global marketplace stores? Which robot vacuum features matter in a small apartment? Is a flash-sale price worth the risk of limited stock and strict return terms?
If a topic cannot be expressed as a shopper question, it is usually not ready for a guide. This keeps the site away from pages that exist only because an affiliate offer is available.
We check category fit and country fit
Some categories are naturally comparison-friendly. Electronics, appliances, phones, earbuds, laptops, beauty products, home goods, and accessories usually have features, price points, and merchant differences that can be explained. Other categories may still work, but they need a clear reason for the reader.
Country fit matters too. A product that makes sense in Indonesia because it spreads through TikTok Shop creators may need a different explanation in Spain, where warranty, shipping, and cross-border marketplace context may matter more. Brazil may require more attention to payment, delivery, and merchant reliability.
We do not select only by commission
One useful lesson from affiliate publisher discussions is simple: content improves when the publisher stops asking only which program pays the most and starts asking whether the product would still be worth recommending without a commission.
AI Comparor may earn commission from qualifying links, but commission cannot be the whole editorial logic. We also consider relevance, clarity, availability, merchant trust, country context, and whether the guide helps a reader decide.
We separate our role from the merchant's role
AI Comparor does not sell products directly, process payment, ship items, or control refunds. The merchant or marketplace controls final price, taxes, shipping, delivery time, return rules, warranty, and customer support.
That boundary appears in our terms, privacy policy, and affiliate disclosure because it is important for readers and reviewers. A comparison site can organize information, but it should not pretend to control the transaction after the outbound click.
We update because marketplace pages change
Marketplace links are not permanent. Products go out of stock, variants disappear, merchants change URL structures, apps deep-link differently, and affiliate tags can be stripped in redirect chains. These are not small technical details; they affect whether a guide remains useful and whether attribution is accurate.
Our editorial standard is to treat maintenance as part of publishing. Older high-traffic guides should be reviewed because they are often the pages most exposed to outdated SKUs and broken merchant paths.
How AI assistance may be used
AI tools may help organize research notes, draft outlines, compare repeated themes, or check whether a page is missing disclosure language. Human review is still required for final editorial direction, site policy, and whether a page is useful to readers.
This matters because AI-generated sameness is easy to recognize. Our goal is not to mass-produce pages. It is to turn marketplace and community research into practical, transparent shopping guidance.
Sources and review basis
- Product documentation for marketplace affiliate links and external merchant flow.
- Affiliate publisher discussions on conversion quality, recommendation trust, and link audits.
- Marketplace shopper and seller discussions showing real product questions and platform risks.