Full transparency about our affiliate relationships and how we maintain editorial independence while earning commissions from product recommendations.
In accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR Part 255 guidelines concerning the use of endorsements and testimonials in advertising, KingPickleball.com discloses that we receive financial compensation through affiliate relationships with various retailers and manufacturers.
This means: When you click on certain links on our website and make a purchase, we may earn a commission at no additional cost to you. This disclosure is made in the interest of full transparency and compliance with FTC regulations.
When you see a "Check Latest Price" button or product link on our site, these are typically affiliate links. If you click through and make a purchase, the retailer pays us a small commission (usually 3-8% of the sale price).
Important: You pay the exact same price whether you use our link or go directly to the retailer. The commission comes from the retailer's marketing budget, not from your pocket.
Commission rates vary by retailer and product category:
Most affiliate programs use cookies that last 24-90 days. This means if you click our link today but purchase within that window, we may still earn a commission. This is standard practice across affiliate marketing and allows us to get credit for recommendations even if you need time to research before buying.
Product performance determines our rankings — not commission rates. We recommend products based on testing results, user feedback, and objective evaluation criteria, regardless of which products pay higher commissions.
KingPickleball.com is a participant in the following affiliate programs:
We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com.
We maintain affiliate relationships with select pickleball equipment manufacturers and specialty retailers including Selkirk, Joola, Engage, and other major brands.
We partner with major sporting goods retailers and pickleball-specific online stores through their affiliate programs.
Note: Not all products we review have affiliate programs available. In cases where no affiliate relationship exists, we still provide honest recommendations based on our testing and evaluation.
The majority of products we review are purchased at full retail price using our own funds. This ensures complete editorial independence and allows us to evaluate products exactly as consumers would receive them.
Occasionally, manufacturers provide products for review at no cost. When this occurs:
We supplement our testing with feedback from our network of experienced pickleball players (3.5+ skill rating) who test products in real-world conditions and provide unbiased feedback.
No. Our rankings are determined by product performance, testing results, and objective evaluation criteria. Commission rates do not factor into our editorial decisions. We've ranked products #1 that pay lower commissions than alternatives ranked lower.
Affiliate commissions help fund our testing operations, website maintenance, and content creation. This allows us to provide free, comprehensive reviews without charging readers subscription fees or accepting sponsored content from manufacturers.
No. You pay the exact same price whether you use our link or go directly to the retailer. The commission comes from the retailer's marketing budget, not from your purchase price. In some cases, we may even have exclusive discount codes that save you money.
We still review and recommend products even when no affiliate relationship exists. Our goal is to provide the most accurate and helpful recommendations, regardless of whether we earn a commission.
If you find our reviews helpful, using our affiliate links when making purchases is the best way to support our work at no cost to you. You can also share our content with fellow pickleball players and provide feedback on our reviews.
No. We do not accept payment from manufacturers to write reviews or feature products. All editorial content is created independently based on our testing and evaluation. Any sponsored content (if we ever introduce it) would be clearly labeled as such.
We're committed to full transparency. If you have questions about our affiliate relationships, editorial policies, or how we maintain independence, we're happy to answer them.
Contact us at: editorial@kingpickleball.com