Last updated: 4 September 2026
Where this stands today, 17 October 2026: there are no affiliate links anywhere on this site. Google AdSense was approved on 17 October 2026, so the site now carries display ads. Every outbound link on Small Shop Lab right now points at a primary source — a company’s own pricing page, Etsy’s own policy pages, a US federal regulation — and earns nothing. The rest of this page describes what happens if that changes, so that the rule is written down before there is any money attached to it.
The short version: the site carries display ads, and no link on it earns me a commission today. If that ever changes it will cost you nothing extra, and it will not change what I recommend.
In plain English
If Small Shop Lab joins an affiliate program, it will mean that when I link to a tool, supplier or service, that link sometimes carries a code identifying the visit as coming from me. If you go on to buy, the company pays me a small commission out of their own margin.
You pay exactly the same price whether you use my link or type the address yourself.
This disclosure is made in accordance with the U.S. Federal Trade Commission’s Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising (16 CFR Part 255).
What I will and won’t do
I only link to things I have actually used in my own shop, or have tested specifically to write the post.
I say when something isn’t worth it. Several posts recommend the free option over the paid one I earn from. If a tool disappointed me, that goes in the post.
Commission never decides the ranking. In comparison posts, the winner is the one that performed best in the test — not the one that pays best. Where a higher-paying option lost, I say so.
I don’t accept payment for a positive review, and I don’t publish sponsored posts disguised as editorial. If a post is ever sponsored, it will say so at the top, before you read a word of it.
Programs
If Small Shop Lab joins an affiliate program, it is likely to be one run by a hosting, e-commerce, shipping, email or SEO tool provider, or the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program. It has joined none of them yet, so there is nothing to disclose under any of them today. This paragraph will say so plainly on the day that changes.
Display advertising
The site carries display ads served by Google AdSense. It uses no other advertising partner. These are chosen by ad networks, not by me, and are not endorsements.
Questions
If you ever wonder whether a link is an affiliate link, ask — see Contact. I’ll tell you straight.