Links from gift it lists to retailers may earn us a small commission. This never affects what's on anyone's list.

Transparency

How gift it makes money — and why it doesn't change anything

gift it is free. We earn a small commission from retailers when someone clicks through from a list and buys something. Here's exactly how it works.

01

It comes from the retailer

Commissions come from the retailer's marketing budget — they don't add to your purchase price.

02

It never affects lists

We earn the same commission regardless of what's on a list. No items are promoted or ranked for commercial reasons.

03

Tracking requires consent

We only place affiliate tracking cookies with your explicit permission. Declining changes nothing about how gift it works.

How it works

What happens when you click a buy link

When someone clicks a "buy" button on a gift it list, they're taken to the retailer's own website to make their purchase. gift it is not involved in that transaction — we don't process payments, hold stock, or fulfil orders.

1

Someone clicks a buy link on a list

The link passes through gift it's redirect, where we check whether the gifter has consented to affiliate tracking.

2

If consent was given — an affiliate tag is added

The redirect appends a short identifier to the retailer URL. This tells the retailer the visit came from gift it.

3

If consent was declined — no tag is added

The redirect passes straight to the retailer with no identifier. The gifter's shopping experience is identical.

4

The gifter buys the item at the retailer

If a purchase is made within the commission window (typically 24–30 days), the retailer pays gift it a small percentage. This comes from their marketing budget and does not affect the price paid.

The commission rate is typically 2–8% of the sale price, depending on the retailer and product category.It's paid to us by the retailer and has no effect on what a gifter pays at checkout.

Editorial independence

What we don't do

Our commercial model only works if people trust what's on their lists. So we maintain strict rules about what money can and can't influence.

  • Retailers cannot pay to appear on anyone's list, or to have their products recommended or promoted by gift it
  • Products are never ranked, sorted, or filtered based on affiliate commission rates
  • We don't earn more commission if someone adds a higher-priced item to their list — the wishlist creation journey has no commercial influence
  • We don't share personal wishlist data with advertisers or affiliate networks
  • The commission we earn reflects only what gifters actually bought — it follows the list, not the other way round
  • Declining affiliate tracking cookies gives you full, uninterrupted access to every feature of gift it

Affiliate networks

Which affiliate programmes we use

Affiliate links work through networks that connect publishers (gift it) with retailers. Here are the networks we work with and what that means for you.

NetworkCoversCookie window
AWINPriorityApprox. 40% of the top 250 UK retailers, including John Lewis, M&S, Boots, and many independent brandsTypically 30 days
Amazon Associates UKPriorityAll Amazon UK product categories24 hours from click
CJ AffiliateSelected UK and international retailersVaries by retailer
Rakuten AdvertisingSelected UK retailersVaries by retailer
SkimlinksFallback for retailers not covered by the above networksVaries by retailer

If a retailer is not covered by any of our affiliate programmes, buy links still work — we simply earn no commission on that purchase.

Your control

Affiliate tracking and cookies

For affiliate commission to be recorded, the network places a small cookie on the gifter's device when they click through to a retailer. Under PECR (Privacy and Electronic Communications Regulations), we must ask for your explicit consent before this happens.

We do this in two places:

  • When you create a gift it account, during onboarding
  • When an anonymous gifter visits a list for the first time, via a consent banner

In both cases, accepting and declining have equal visual weight and prominence. Declining is always as easy as accepting. There are no dark patterns, no nag screens, and no features withheld if you say no.

You can change your preference at any time on our Cookie Settings page or from your account settings. Withdrawing consent stops affiliate tracking immediately.

Questions about how this works?

We're happy to explain anything. Our commercial model is something we're open about — it's the only way gift it stays free.

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