<b>"I only promote things I'd use myself" is a flex, not a defense</b>

<b>"I only promote things I'd use myself" is a flex, not a defense</b>

Hot take: the affiliate who claims they'd personally use every offer they run is either lying or has a frighteningly low bar for their own life.

This line gets treated as the gold standard of integrity. It's actually a deflection — it swaps "is this honest to the buyer" for "does it pass my vibe check." Your personal taste isn't a consumer-protection framework. Plenty of harmful offers feel fine to the person selling them. "I'd use it" measures your comfort, not anyone's safety.

Self-endorsement is the cheapest ethics there is.

Agree? Fight me in the comments.