I was doing some shopping online this weekend and I was stuck by some sort of phobia that I have gained over the years:

I avoid buying through affiliate links.

I almost never click on PPC ads, in fact, I go to lengths to avoid them. I'll type in the URL in the ad instead of clicking on it. Same for affiliate links. If I see a link goes through an affiliate network or that it is masked.

I am hyper-sensitive to my online actions that generate money for others, mostly because I've been in this industry for so long.

I notice without trying, and I avoid clicking without thinking about it.

But why is making money for someone else who helped me find something online a problem with me? Let's think about this...

Privacy concerns?

It is true, I do not like to be tracked. I suspect that many people don't like the idea of being tracked. Though I know enough about affiliate marketing to know that the affiliate publishers don't know who I am (unless I tell them, and if I do, they have the ability to know a lot). The affiliate networks have the ability to know quite a bit about me, but that's way too much effort and they've got enough to do. Except for Google, and I've given up on Google knowing everything about me. So that's not it.

Jealousy?

Somewhere somebody is making money off my actions. It should be me (or a friend).

If I had a coupon or deal site and an affiliate link for every merchant advertiser in the world, this would be a little more rational. Except generally, I don't buy through my own links. Even if I have one (unless I want to test for tracking). I also don't like to buy through other affiliate's links (like my friend's coupon site) just for the sake of doing so. I don't feel that's right, as it costs someone money...

Cost of my Actions?

By clicking on a PPC ad or buying through an affiliate link, I know that my actions are costing someone money. This is why I don't click on ads or buy through affiliate links for the sake of doing so, especially my own.

And sometimes I judge the affiliate publisher. Do they really deserve this money? Did they wrest their way into the process and dupe me into clicking a link? Stuff a cookie? Act on a url type-in? Or did they really do something that has impacted my decision to buy something through this particular advertiser?

Competitiveness?

Like someone who works at Coke won't drink Pepsi. (It's true, they're crazy about this.) Or sending a package to someone who works at UPS via FedEx.

When the Coke truck driver drinks a Pepsi at their friend's house, they aren't literally taking money out of their own pocket. In fact it could be argued that they're helping the soft drink industry overall.

And for that reason, I'm going to get over this hang-up starting right now as we enter this holiday season.

I don't mean that I'm going to actively seek out affiliate links for my purchases, because that's not what this is about.

But I will support the good publishers in the affiliate marketing industry by letting the affiliate commissions flow.

At the same time, In doing so, I will only support the publishers who I feel deserve commissions because they helped me make a purchase by adding value to the process. I can't help but pay attention after all.

How about you? When you make a purchase on line, do you click through your own links? Click on others? Avoid links altogether? Do you have the same hangups as I do?

Take the poll and weigh in! And comment below to let us know how you behave.