40-Inch TVs and Failed Referral Marketing

My sponsor for this post described itself (or himself or herself, but I'm assuming it's a genderless business entity) as a price-comparison site for 40 Inch TVs in the UK. But all the prices it shows are from Amazon.co.uk.

This isn't the first time I've seen an Amazon Associate run an "online store" that was just a front for Amazon and had no other real content. But it is the first time I've seen such a store pretend to be a comparison site. (It doesn't even provide a table or anything to compare the features of the different sets.)

Two months ago, The Electron Plumber wrote about what not to do when trying to make money through Amazon Associates. I was surprised to see Life User had made the list, for not having a fixed theme. (I've since taken my site-wide Amazon ads down; no point bugging you the reader with ads that won't make any money.) But unlike the sponsor, I had avoided the one bigger mistake: failing to offer content other than ads. Even in a sponsored post like this one, I find something to say.

40-Inch TVs and Failed Referral Marketing