Affiliate Disclosure

Last updated: June 16, 2026

The Backyard Showdown is reader-supported. Some links on this site are affiliate links. If you buy through one, we may earn a commission at no extra cost to you — and sometimes with a discount for you through our codes. This disclosure is provided in accordance with the U.S. Federal Trade Commission's guidelines on endorsements and testimonials (16 CFR Part 255).

How affiliate links work

When you click an affiliate link or use one of our discount codes and make a purchase, the retailer or affiliate network pays us a small commission. It comes out of the retailer's margin, not your pocket — you pay the same price (often less, with a code).

Those rates are not the same everywhere, and you should know that. They vary by retailer, and some brands run higher-rate campaigns on specific products — on Amazon, a brand can fund a bonus commission on the exact item we happen to be reviewing. So on any given page, one contender may pay us several times what another does. We would rather you heard that from us than assumed it was flat, because it is the reason to read our evidence instead of taking our word.

It never changes our verdicts

Commissions never decide a winner. We regularly recommend products that pay us less than the ones they beat, and we name the best pick whether or not we earn from it. When a brand sends a review sample, we say so, and it buys no favorable treatment. The day a recommendation is for sale is the day this site is worthless — so it never will be. (More on how we judge gear on our About & testing page.)

Here is a case you can go and check. In our smart-value pool robot division, the belt went to a machine rating 4.0 stars over one rating 4.2— and the 4.2 is the one carrying an 18% brand-funded bonus on top of the 3% base, while the winner earns us the base rate and nothing more. We passed on it because about two in five of its visible reviews came from people given the product free, and none of those reviewers were US buyers, while every one of the winner's came from verified purchasers. The page says so in those words, with the numbers. That is what this policy looks like when it costs us money.

Programs we participate in

We participate (or are applying to participate) in affiliate programs run by retailers, affiliate networks, and outdoor-living brands directly. Where a program is active, purchases made through our links to that retailer may earn us a commission.

As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. Some of our links go to Amazon.com; if you buy through one, we may earn a commission at no extra cost to you.

Questions

Anything unclear? Email thebackyardshowdown@gmail.com.