Affiliate Disclosure
This page sets out our position on affiliate links and sponsored content, in line with the UK Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) and Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) guidance on online disclosure.
The short version: Some of the outbound links on Spot Bot earn us a small commission if you click through and buy something. It costs you nothing extra. We only link to dealers we'd recommend regardless of any commission, and we always label sponsored links clearly.
What is an affiliate link?
An affiliate link is a tracked link to a third-party retailer. If you click one and go on to make a purchase from that retailer, we receive a small commission from the retailer. The price you pay is no different than if you had visited the retailer directly without clicking through Spot Bot.
How we use affiliate links on Spot Bot
The "Sponsored" link inside each metal card on the calculator (e.g. "Sell silver for cash →", "Buy gold bullion →") is, or may be, an affiliate link to a UK precious metal dealer. These are clearly labelled Sponsored next to the link text and use a rel="sponsored nofollow noopener" attribute so they are also identified to search engines.
We do not run display advertising at this time. If we ever do, ads will be clearly distinguishable from editorial content.
Our editorial policy
We choose which dealers to link to based on:
- Reputation in the UK precious metals market
- Transparency of pricing
- Customer reviews from independent sources
- Availability of an affiliate programme (only because, without one, we couldn't afford to run the site)
If a dealer offers a higher commission but we don't trust them, we won't link to them. Commission rates are not the deciding factor.
What you can do
You're never obliged to use an affiliate link. If you'd prefer not to, simply type the dealer's name into your browser directly. The price and product you receive will be identical.
Questions or concerns
If you spot a link you believe should be labelled and isn't, or you have any other concern about our affiliate practices, please email hello@spot-bot.co.uk. We take disclosure seriously.