The Basics
Researched Picks is a one-person operation. I’m Ben Arp, and I’m the only person who writes, researches, and publishes content on this site. There’s no editorial board, no content team, no interns. Just me and an unhealthy amount of time spent reading Amazon reviews.
How I Make Money
I use Amazon affiliate links. When you click a link on this site and buy something — anything, doesn’t even have to be the product I linked to — I earn a small commission. Amazon pays me, not the brand that made the product.
That’s it. That’s the entire business model.
I don’t run display ads (yet — might have to eventually, we’ll see). I don’t accept sponsored posts. I don’t do “paid partnerships.” I don’t accept free products from manufacturers.
What Affiliate Links Mean For You
Nothing changes about the price you pay. You pay the exact same price whether you use my link or go to Amazon directly. The commission comes out of Amazon’s cut, not yours.
I make the same commission rate regardless of which product you buy. This is the important part. I have zero financial incentive to recommend an expensive product over a cheap one. If the $30 option is better than the $200 one, I’ll tell you to buy the $30 one.
What I Won’t Do
- Accept payment from brands for reviews. If a brand emailed me offering money for a review, I’d say no. (Several have. I said no.)
- Accept free products. Companies send review units that are cherry-picked and handled carefully. That’s not the same product you’d get off the shelf.
- Let affiliate relationships influence my rankings. If a product is genuinely the best but doesn’t have an affiliate program, I’ll still recommend it.
- Hide the downsides. Every product I recommend has flaws. I tell you about them.
Corrections and Updates
I make mistakes sometimes. When I do, I fix them and note the correction. If you spot an error — wrong spec, outdated price, discontinued product — email me and I’ll update the post.
I also revisit older posts when new models come out or when I get enough reader feedback to change my mind about something. Product recommendations aren’t set in stone.
Independence
No brand, company, or PR firm has any editorial input on this site. Nobody reviews my content before publication. Nobody tells me what to write or what not to write.
I’m just a guy who got tired of bad product reviews and decided to do it better.