Affiliate Disclosure

Last Updated: 9/4/2025

FTC Compliance Statement

In accordance with Federal Trade Commission (FTC) guidelines and to maintain transparency with our readers, BarbequeSauce.com provides this affiliate disclosure to inform you about our financial relationships with various companies and products we recommend.

The bottom line: We may earn money when you purchase products through links on our site, but this never affects our honest recommendations or editorial content.

What Are Affiliate Links?

Affiliate links are special URLs that contain tracking codes. When you click on these links and make a purchase, the retailer can identify that the sale came from our website, and we may earn a small commission at no additional cost to you.

How to Identify Affiliate Links

On our website, affiliate links may be identified by:

Disclaimers near the links stating "affiliate link" or "ad"
Special formatting or buttons (like "Check Price on Amazon")
General disclosure statements on pages containing affiliate links

Our Affiliate Partners

Amazon Associates Program

Primary Partnership: BarbequeSauce.com is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com.

What This Means: When you click on Amazon links from our site and make a purchase, we may earn a small commission (typically 1-10% of the sale price). This commission comes from Amazon's advertising budget and does not increase the price you pay.

Products Covered: Our Amazon affiliate links may cover:

BBQ sauces and condiments
Grilling equipment and tools
Cookbooks and recipe resources
Kitchen appliances and accessories
Any other products available on Amazon

Other Retail Partners

We may also participate in affiliate programs with other reputable retailers, including but not limited to:

Walmart Affiliate Program
Target Affiliate Program
Home Depot Affiliate Program (grilling equipment)
Williams Sonoma Affiliate Program (kitchen tools)
Sur La Table Affiliate Program (cooking equipment)
Other specialty BBQ and cooking retailers

Direct Brand Partnerships

We may have affiliate relationships directly with:

BBQ sauce manufacturers
Grilling equipment companies
Cooking tool brands
Food and recipe services

How Affiliate Commissions Work

Commission Structure

Amazon: Typically 1-10% of sale price (varies by product category)
Other Retailers: Usually 2-8% of sale price
Direct Brands: Varies by agreement, typically 3-15%

What Triggers a Commission

We earn a commission when:

You click on our affiliate link
You make a purchase within the tracking period (usually 24 hours to 30 days)
The purchase is completed and not returned

What Doesn't Affect You

No additional cost: Affiliate commissions never increase the price you pay
Same customer service: You receive the same support and return policies
Same product quality: The products are identical whether you use our links or not

Our Editorial Standards and Independence

Honest Reviews Promise

Our affiliate relationships do not influence our editorial content. We maintain strict editorial independence by:

Testing products personally whenever possible
Researching extensively before making recommendations
Including both pros and cons in our reviews
Recommending products we genuinely believe in
Noting when we haven't personally tested a product

Recommendation Criteria

We recommend products based on:

Quality and performance in real-world testing
Value for money across different price points
User reviews and feedback from verified purchasers
Brand reputation and reliability
Suitability for our audience (BBQ enthusiasts and home cooks)

What We Don't Do

We will never:

Recommend products solely because of high commissions
Hide negative aspects of products we're affiliated with
Promote products we don't believe in
Mislead you about affiliate relationships
Inflate prices or create false urgency

Free Resources and Lead Magnets

Our Free Guides

The free guides and resources we offer (such as BBQ sauce buying guides, cooking tips, and recipe collections) are genuinely free and provided as a service to our community.

How Free Resources Work

No purchase required: Our guides are free regardless of whether you buy anything
Genuine value: We invest significant time creating helpful, actionable content
Optional recommendations: While guides may mention products, purchases are always optional
Email delivery: We collect email addresses to deliver resources and stay in touch

Email Marketing

Our email newsletters may contain:

Affiliate links: Some product recommendations may include affiliate links
Sponsored content: Occasionally, we may feature sponsored products (always disclosed)
Educational content: Much of our email content is purely educational with no affiliate links

Use our links to support our work at no extra cost
Go directly to retailers if you prefer
Compare prices across multiple retailers
Make your own purchasing decisions

Supporting Our Work

If you find our content helpful, using our affiliate links is one way to support our work while purchasing products you were already considering. However, we never want you to feel pressured to buy anything.

Alternative Ways to Support Us

If you prefer not to use affiliate links, you can still support our work by:

Subscribing to our newsletter
Sharing our content with friends
Following us on social media
Providing feedback and suggestions

Price Accuracy and Availability

Dynamic Pricing

Product prices on retail websites change frequently. The prices mentioned in our content:

May not be current when you view them
Vary by location and retailer
Change based on sales and promotions
May include or exclude shipping costs

Our Recommendation

Always check current pricing and availability on the retailer's website before making a purchase.

Product Availability

Products we recommend may:

Sell out or become discontinued
Be temporarily unavailable
Have different availability in different regions
Be replaced with newer versions

International Readers

Geographic Limitations

Our affiliate partnerships primarily serve:

United States: Most of our affiliate links work for US customers
Canada: Some Amazon and other retailer links may work
Other Countries: Limited affiliate functionality

International Alternatives

If you're outside our affiliate coverage area:

Product recommendations are still valuable for research
You can search for similar products from local retailers
Our cooking advice and techniques remain universally applicable

Data and Privacy

Affiliate Tracking

When you click affiliate links:

Cookies may be placed on your device for tracking purposes
Purchase data may be shared with us for commission calculations
Personal information is handled according to retailers' privacy policies

Our Privacy Practices

We handle any affiliate-related data according to our Privacy Policy. We:

Don't receive your personal payment information
Only get aggregated purchase data for commission purposes
Protect any data we do receive according to privacy laws

Legal Compliance

FTC Guidelines

We fully comply with FTC guidelines regarding affiliate marketing, including:

Clear and conspicuous disclosure of affiliate relationships
Honest and truthful advertising and recommendations
Proper placement of disclosures near affiliate links
Regular updates to our disclosure practices

Changes to Affiliate Relationships

We may add or remove affiliate partnerships at any time. We will:

Update this disclosure when material changes occur
Notify email subscribers of significant changes
Maintain transparency about our current partnerships

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: Do affiliate commissions make products more expensive?

A: No, affiliate commissions come from the retailer's advertising budget and never increase the price you pay.

Q: Do you only recommend products with high commissions?

A: No, we recommend products based on quality and value. Some of our top recommendations have low or no affiliate commissions.

Q: What if I don't want to use affiliate links?

A: That's completely fine! You can go directly to retailers or search for products independently. Our reviews and advice are still valuable for your research.

Q: How much money do you make from affiliate links?

A: Affiliate income varies monthly and depends on many factors. This income helps support our website operations, content creation, and product testing.

Q: Do you get free products to review?

A: Occasionally, we may receive free products for review, which we always disclose. Free products do not guarantee positive reviews.

Contact Us About Affiliate Disclosure

If you have questions about our affiliate relationships or this disclosure, please contact us:

Email: [email protected]
Subject Line: "Affiliate Disclosure Question"
Website: https://barbequesauce.com/contact-us

We will respond to affiliate-related inquiries within 5-7 business days.

Our Commitment to You

We are committed to:

Transparency in all our affiliate relationships
Honesty in our product recommendations
Value in our content and advice
Compliance with all applicable laws and guidelines
Respect for your purchasing decisions

Your trust is important to us, and we work hard to earn and maintain it through honest, helpful content and transparent business practices.

Thank you for supporting BarbequeSauce.com! Your use of our affiliate links helps us continue creating valuable content for the BBQ community while never costing you anything extra.

This Affiliate Disclosure is effective as of the date listed at the top of this document and may be updated periodically to reflect changes in our affiliate partnerships or legal requirements.