John
In 2018 I figured out that a €9 doorstop from Amazon.de was a great way to prevent the smaller bits of audio hardware – DACs, streamers, phono stages and power supplies – from sliding off the back of a hi-fi rack, sideboard or Kallax unit. The cable pull on the back of small components can pile up pretty fast and I now have a range of doorstops here that I deploy regularly to keep ’em in place.
Sometimes these doorstops show up in our YouTube videos to generate a flurry of questions in the comments section: “What are they?” and “Where can I get one?”.
Answer:
🛒 (US) https://amzn.to/3F4Joys
🛒 (DE) https://amzn.to/3tKF5Gy
🛒 (UK) https://amzn.to/34Ybm2N
And judging by the Amazon reviews found in those product listings, this ‘hi-fi’ doorstop idea really seems to have caught on.
However, today’s story isn’t a self-congratulatory pat on the back but the beginning of a deeper dive into the Amazon Associates affiliate link programme. You can spot Amazon affiliate links (here and elsewhere) by their amzn.to/ structure. For example, the aforelisted links to doorstops are Amazon affiliate links — for Amazon.com, Amazon.de and Amazon.co.uk. If you click one of those links and buy something from Amazon, I earn a very small commission. That commission can be paid out into a bank account but I’ve opted to have it paid out as store credit.
Why?
I’ll be using the Amazon.de store credit to buy the odd CD or vinyl for myself. I can’t use Amazon.com or Amazon.co.uk store credit without also being hit by the double whammy of international shipping fees and import duties. At this stage at least, that juice just isn’t worth the squeeze. Instead, I’ll use the Amazon.com store credit to buy a CD or vinyl for one of my Stateside Patrons. I hope to make this a monthly thing. Ditto for Patrons living in the UK. Before I get to those tiny slices of philanthropy, I want to build up enough Amazon.com store credit to buy Darko.Audio staffer Jana Dagdagan a pair of noise-cancelling headphones. She works from home and is doing it tough with construction noise right now.
In a broader sense, I’m curious as to how much money can be earned from Amazon affiliate links. Is it akin to a barista’s tip jar? Or will they generate enough green to cause concern that I’ve become a commission salesman for doorstops? The more I promote and praise ’em, the more I earn.
Time will tell.
Further information: Amazon Associates Central
