Last Updated: March 2026
Transparency is everything to us. So before you dive into our reviews, guides, and recommendations, we want you to know exactly how this site makes money and why that should never make you doubt a single word we publish.
Here’s the full, honest truth.
Yes, We Use Affiliate Links
Some of the links on BestBrandsHQ.com are affiliate links. That means if you click on one of those links and end up buying something, we may earn a small commission from the retailer at absolutely no extra cost to you.
Read that last part again: at no extra cost to you.
The price you pay is the exact same whether you use our link or go directly to the store yourself. The retailer simply gives us a small percentage as a thank you for sending you their way. That’s how affiliate marketing works, and it’s one of the most common ways independent websites like ours stay up and running.
Why We Use Affiliate Links
Running a website costs money. Hosting, research, testing, writing, editing, maintaining the site… it all adds up. Affiliate commissions help us cover those costs so we can keep doing what we do: publishing honest, in-depth bag reviews that actually help people.
Without affiliate income, we’d either have to shut down or start charging you to read our content. We don’t want to do either of those things. Affiliate links let us keep BestBrandsHQ completely free for you while still keeping the lights on behind the scenes.
This Never Influences Our Reviews
Let’s make one thing crystal clear.
Our reviews are based on research, hands-on evaluation, and honest comparison. Period. If a bag is great, we’ll tell you it’s great. If it’s overpriced garbage, we’ll tell you that too, even if there’s an affiliate link attached to it.
We’ve given negative reviews to products that had generous affiliate payouts. We’ve given glowing reviews to products with no affiliate program at all. The commission has zero influence on our opinions, our ratings, or our recommendations.
Our reputation depends on being honest with you. The moment we start pushing products just to earn a commission is the moment we lose your trust. And your trust is worth more to us than any affiliate payout ever could be.
How to Spot an Affiliate Link
In most cases, affiliate links on our site look just like regular links. They take you to the product page on the retailer’s website, and the buying experience is exactly the same as if you’d found the product on your own.
Some affiliate links may contain tracking parameters in the URL. This is standard practice and simply tells the retailer that the visit came from our site. It does not collect any personal information from you.
What About Products We Don’t Link To?
Not every product we review has an affiliate link. Sometimes we write about bags that don’t have an affiliate program at all. We still review them because our goal is to cover the best (and worst) bags out there, regardless of whether we earn anything from it.
If we only reviewed products that made us money, we wouldn’t be doing our job. Simple as that.
Affiliate Partners
We work with several well-known affiliate programs and retail partners. These may include (but are not limited to) Amazon Associates, major online bag retailers, and brand-specific affiliate programs. We only partner with retailers that we consider reputable and trustworthy.
That said, partnering with a retailer does not mean we endorse everything they sell. Our reviews are always about the individual product, not the store.
Our Promise Still Stands
If you’ve read our About Us page, you already know where we stand. But it’s worth repeating here.
Every review on BestBrandsHQ is written with one goal in mind: helping you make the smartest buying decision possible. Affiliate links help us fund that mission, but they never shape it.
You can always count on honesty from us. That’s not a marketing line. That’s a commitment.
The Fine Print
In accordance with the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) guidelines, we disclose that BestBrandsHQ.com may receive compensation for products reviewed or linked on this site. This compensation comes in the form of affiliate commissions and does not affect the editorial integrity of our content.
We are committed to full transparency and compliance with all applicable advertising disclosure regulations.
Questions?
If you have any questions about our affiliate relationships or how we make money, we’re happy to explain further. Just reach out.
The Bottom Line
We use affiliate links to keep this site running. You never pay a penny more because of them. And they never, ever influence what we say about a product. What you read on BestBrandsHQ is what we genuinely think. Always has been. Always will be.
Thanks for supporting us by using our links. It means more than you know.