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by harisenbon 3910 days ago
While I don't mind personally, it is generally frowned upon to use affiliate links on HN. Just FYI
3 comments

That's not an affiliate link, it's just a plain Amazon link. It doesn't include an affiliate code. (But thank you for raising the point in case anyone else was wondering about it.)

The B00SIOZY6A part is an ASIN (Amazon Standard Identification Number). I've always felt free to post plain Amazon links here, such as the canonical Amazon URL for this product:

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00SIOZY6A

Or the shortened URL that OP posted (but forgot to put in the http part so it wasn't clickable):

http://www.amzn.com/B00SIOZY6A

Now if you click on that amzn.com link, you will see ref=cm_sw_su_dp in the URL, but that's not an affiliate code either, it's an Amazon ref code.

Here's a Reddit discussion about Amazon URLs, affiliate tracking codes, and ref codes:

https://www.reddit.com/r/amazon/comments/qim88/referral_code...

Of course, if OP is the seller of that item, it would be a different story entirely!

I don't use any affiliate programmes, and generally dislike them. It was the default amazon URL shortener, sorry if any misunderstanding.
yeah especially since it sets a session cookie that leaches off anything you buy there and not just the linked product. not sure how long the cookie lasts though.
If it were an affiliate link, it would do that. But it isn't, so it doesn't.

See my other comment for details.