What I’m trying to say is that sympathy is earned.
The average member here isn’t going to jump through hoops (be it a worthy cause or not) if any explanation involving ‘why’ isn’t plastered in front of their face every single time that they go gah gah over yet another shiny little object.
If that isn’t possible, desirable or mind numbingly reasonable (see above) then ‘charity to others’ shouldn’t be expected.
Not arguing…just offering the average view(?) of somebody looking to buy something the fastest/easiest way possible before they change their mind.
ah well. I think the people doing the AFF links are kindly asked not to engage in “aff wars” so they will not talk about others, in others threads or enter a thread like this.
I think it is pretty cool all those threads are allowed, just look at gearbest, I see ads for Gearbest on BLF and still admin allows people to make aff link threads for the same deals, eating away from his profits (I see a very big difference between posting flashdeal that are there anyways and really go after special deals like others do)
really? why are codes only for people that think of themselves as special, and therefore more entitled? their money is more special?
Im not sure I believe that.
actually it is not a different discussion, the whole reason the “secret” codes feel scammy is because it feels like someone is NOT supposed to know about it. In this case, the Manufacturer is not supposed to know that a Vendor is selling below MSRP? I dont get it. Wholesale pricing is always lower than retail. Group buys are larger orders than individual retail sales. Discount codes are a form of group buy imo, and since they involve larger volume sales, I dont see why it is a problem that the price is discounted.
In any case, I AM grateful to M4DM4X and others, and I do respect their comission, so thanks to what I have learned in this thread, I will make sure to use their AFF links, not just the codes.
As far as cookies, InPrivate browsing, and clearing the history cache to make sure an AFF link gives the deal poster their commission, Im happy to cooperate.
fwiw, I do not think an InPrivate browsing window erases the history cache in advance, afaict, it only erases the history when the window is closed. So Im not sure if InPrivate windows will allow the AFF member to receive proper credit.
Here is what I do.
- I save the AFF link and code to a text document, where I keep track of deals that interest me.
- I exit my browser
- I open the AFF hotlink in my text window, which automatically opens my browser.
- I then buy the item with the code.
- I do hope that this gives the proper AFF member credit for the sale.
Im not in any way trying to deny an AFF a commission, Im grateful they post the deals.
I wont share the codes, since Ive been asked not to. Although I think sharing an AFF link With a Code, Should be OK, as it protects the commission, as intended.
Can’t there be a rule or polite request that people posting deals use 1 (one) thread for that?
It ia getting annoying when people start making several threads for deals that can be found in official vendors threads.
Some flashaholics get offers, make shopping groups, use aff. links …. seems to me respectable. I appreciate your work, I have done it once and it requires effort. (Thanks to M4D, Freeme, … and other for offer great offers). I think this is good for us.
But then, there are also other people that I do not know anything about it, I do not think they’re flashlights fans and I think they’re just absolutely here to use affiliate links and get money. They arrive one day and start to offer aff, aff… and more aff…links but, no comments about flashlights, not Pics of his lights, not reviews or comments……only aff……We all know who they are.
Point and end, to my comment.
I also believe we need a solution because more and more users are trying to become affiliate sellers on here. There is a good reason why so many forums completely ban affiliate links, it can quickly spam an entire forum. Because there is so much money in it (and more money the more you post) this can lead to a very cluttered and spammed forum.
If user a, b and c are allowed to do aff linking, we won’t be able to ban it for user d, e or f. this can quickly accumulate into chaos.
However, if everyone needs/wants codes then maybe we can all work together to find or create some kind of database for registered users where these are visible without posting through threads.
the deals that M4D M4X and Freeme post are the same as the ones the big vendors post. Im happy for Martin to get a commission, as he has been helpful to me personally.
its the Vendors that are promoting multiple reviews and affiliate posters. They all go into the Commercial Sellers Forum, we do not have to read them.
Its the front page of BLF that puts them all on the first page due to constant updates.
The solution is to not have posts from the Commercial Sellers forum on the front page. Or to use the subforum links directly, and not use the BLF home page, as it is full of Spam from Vendors and their affiliates
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