Ask HN: How do you feel about affiliate links in comments?
I've noticed that when linking to a book on HN, people often directly note that it is not an affiliate link.
But if you recommend a good book to me and I buy it, I have no problem with you getting a kickback. Especially if you use that to buy more interesting books.
What's your take on affiliate links?
I can't speak to the HN consensus, but on some comment areas/lists I've moderated in the past, we generally tried to allow ones that were there in good faith. It's a fine line, though. It's ok with me if someone was going to recommend a book anyway, and throws in their affiliate link rather than giving the exact same link without an affiliate code. But does this subtly induce people to include more Amazon links than they might have otherwise? To recommend books that are only sort of apropos, or even kind of a stretch? To link Amazon when the author's site about the book, a Wikipedia article on it, or a relevant Google Books excerpt would otherwise have been the obvious links? In book-related discussions, does it induce people to recommend books they think will be popular or eye-catching (or at least get clicks), as opposed to ones they genuinely think are good?
I think the answer is probably yes to all of those, but with the right people/context/community it probably isn't bad enough to be fatal. And I agree that if someone does recommend me a book that I do end up buying, it seems fair to give them 4% or 6% or whatever, especially since if they didn't get it, that amount would just go to Amazon.
I guess in summary: previous experience leads me to believe "maybe, it depends".
An old trick for a lot of forums posters is to include both links, one with .. and one without and give users a choice (if you trust me use the affil link, if not the regular). Although I cringe in recommending this practice overall as I can easily foresee HN being overrun by stealthy affiliate marketers.
Personally I'm probably just going to circumvent the link and find it myself. I think it's probably a waste of time by the OP really - like delirium said, they get probably 4-6% of the sale, right? If it's a $12 book (a popular amount for business books), they earn $0.60 per sale. If they cause 10 sales, they earn $6. I would think that it is rare that there are more than 10 sales via an affiliate link on HN but I could be way off. But really - even 100 sales is "just" $60.
Waste of time if you ask me.
I'd say go for it. We can downvote ones we think are not acting in good faith.