Does ThisIsWhyImBroke Earn Money From Product Links?

Updated

Yes. ThisIsWhyImBroke discloses that it is reader-supported and that some products displayed on the site may earn it a commission if you purchase through its links. The site also states that it participates in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program. In practice, that means clicking a product link and buying something can generate a commission for the site, while the price you pay is not increased by that commission.

What the site actually discloses

The disclosure appears in the site footer and is written in plain terms:

  • "ThisIsWhyImBroke is reader supported, some products displayed may earn us a commission if you purchase through our links."
  • "ThisIsWhyImBroke is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program."
  • A link is provided to "Learn more about how our site works."

Two things are worth separating here. First, the site is upfront that commissions exist. Second, it names one specific affiliate program — Amazon Associates — rather than claiming all links work the same way. The disclosure says "some products," not "all products," so not every link on the site is necessarily monetized.

How affiliate commissions work in this case

The mechanism is standard affiliate marketing:

  1. You browse a product listing or gift guide on ThisIsWhyImBroke.
  2. You click through to a retailer such as Amazon.
  3. If you buy something during that session, the retailer pays ThisIsWhyImBroke a percentage of the sale.
  4. You pay the normal listed price.

The commission comes out of the retailer's margin, not your wallet. This is the same arrangement used across most product-discovery and gift-guide sites.

Does it cost you more?

No. The site's own disclosure frames the commission as something the site earns "if you purchase through our links" — it does not describe any added fee for the buyer. The Amazon Associates Program works the same way: the customer pays the standard price, and the associate earns a referral fee from Amazon.

Does it change what gets recommended?

The disclosure does not say commissions influence rankings or editorial choices, and the page evidence does not include any statement about how products are selected. What is documented is simply that commissions may be earned and that the site is reader-supported. Treat that as the limit of what the site itself claims.

What "reader supported" means here

The phrase signals a business model: instead of charging for access, the site covers its costs through affiliate revenue. That is consistent with the footer text, which pairs the reader-supported statement with the commission disclosure and the Amazon Associates participation.

If you want the site's own explanation of how it operates, the footer points to a "Learn more about how our site works" link. The site also publishes an Affiliate Disclosure and a Privacy Policy, both linked in the footer.

Practical takeaways

  • Expect commissions. Some links on ThisIsWhyImBroke are affiliate links, and purchases through them can earn the site money.
  • Expect no markup. The disclosed model is commission-from-the-retailer, not a surcharge to you.
  • Check the retailer's price independently if you want to confirm you are paying the standard rate — the commission arrangement itself does not change the listed price.
  • Read the Affiliate Disclosure in the footer for the site's full statement rather than relying on a summary.

The short answer: yes, ThisIsWhyImBroke can earn money from product links through affiliate commissions, including via the Amazon Associates Program, and its disclosure describes this as reader-supported revenue rather than a cost passed on to buyers.