forum threadAutumn | Staff posted Nov 04, 2025 05:33 PM
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forum threadAutumn | Staff posted Nov 04, 2025 05:33 PM
From Company Ownership to Front Page: Your Top Slickdeals Questions, Answered
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Hey everyone,
You've asked how Slickdeals works: who owns us, how deals are picked, and what makes the Frontpage.
Here are straightforward answers from the team, no spin. If you want more detail, we'll keep updating this page.
Who owns Slickdeals?
Slickdeals has been privately owned since it was founded in 1999 by Van Trac. Since 2012, the company has navigated multiple stages of growth and evolution with the support of investors and owners, including Warburg Pincus and Goldman Sachs. Today, we're still independently operated under private ownership.
Do investors have any say in what merchants you have on your site?
No, none. Our investors have input on overall financial goals such as growth targets, but they don't make any decisions about what merchants or deals appear on Slickdeals. What you see on the site is entirely driven by our internal team and, most importantly, by our community.
Do merchants send you deals to post for them?
We do have a program that lets merchants submit deals for review by our Deal Specialists. It's never pay-to-play. Deal Specialists review every submission and only post offers that meet community standards on price and quality.
Here's how it works: our Deal Specialists review every submission. They'll check if that product (or a similar one) has been posted before and how our members responded. If the data shows members liked it at a certain price but not at another, they'll actually go back to the merchant and ask if they can lower the price. If the merchant can't, we usually pass.
If history shows our members just aren't interested in that product at all, we'll also pass.
Bottom line: we only post something if the team genuinely believes it's a good deal.
If you work with a merchant, does that mean they're guaranteed to go Front Page?
Nope. Front Page is earned, not bought. A deal's popularity (meaning community votes, engagement, and value) determines whether it makes it there, not whether we have a working relationship with the merchant.
What is the difference between a Deal Specialist and a Deal Hunter?
Deal Specialists review deals submitted to us, while Deal Hunters go out and independently find deals across the web.
Why do I see the same merchant often? Can you stop?
We know seeing the same merchant can get old. We feature them when the data shows a strong value for members. If you've had a bad experience, add a comment; your feedback affects what we surface.
We've actually stopped working with certain merchants in the past because of member feedback. Your experiences and opinions directly shape who we feature, so if you're tired of seeing a certain name, let us know why. We do pay attention.
Do you ever bump down a deal because a merchant isn't working with you?
Absolutely not.
Do mods remove posts that criticize merchants you work with?
We actually welcome and encourage honest feedback, even when it's negative. That's part of what makes Slickdeals different: members can speak freely about their experiences.
What we do remove are personal attacks and shills.
Why work with merchants at all?
Just like any other business, we've got bills to pay. We have about 250 employees, servers, infrastructure, and everything else that keeps Slickdeals running.
Some sites throw pop-ups and autoplay ads at you, or put deals behind paywalls. We've always wanted Slickdeals to stay free, open, and user-driven, so working with merchants in specific, limited ways helps make that possible without ruining your browsing experience.
Do staff have secret accounts to influence votes/comments?
Absolutely not. That's a strict no-go.
Our staff are Slickdeals users too and do organically engage with the community. For example, I like and comment on deals with my staff account but it's on items i've actually purchased or know that it's a good value. Whatever we do is labeled Staff, so it's all in the open.
Some staff accounts are used only for testing. For example, a staff account may be used to make sure things display correctly on the site, but those accounts are not used to post, vote, or engage in discussions. Most testing happens in a closed environment anyway, not on the live site.
Ok, what about bots then?
We have Slickdeals Scout. It scans retailers for price drops and posts them. It doesn't vote, comment, or influence rankings.
Why was my political post removed?
We get this one a lot. Our moderators aren't biased toward any political side, they're just enforcing the same rule across the board: Slickdeals isn't a political platform.
We remove political posts because they almost always turn into arguments and derail deal discussions. Speaking from experience (many of us were community members before being staff), it's tough to delete posts you might personally agree with, but it's part of keeping the space on-topic and welcoming.
Why so many Amazon deals?
Yes, you're right, a lot of Amazon deals are posted on our site by both community members and staff. Given the sheer volume of products and promotions Amazon runs, plus how popular they are with our community, it's no surprise those deals make up a big share of our content.
That said, we're always open to more variety. If you're shopping and come across an amazing deal from a merchant or store and you want to share it with our members, please post it!! And if there are merchants or types of products you'd like to see more often, let us know.
You can email us at [email protected] (yes, we know, old school ) or post in the Help Me Find a Deal forum if you're looking for something specific.
Do you allow self-promotion?
We draw a hard line between sharing an organically found deal and marketing on behalf of a company. If something feels like an ad instead of a contribution, it's removed. If we find proof that the merchant is posting for themselves, it's removed. If we find out a merchant is voting for themselves or using various accounts to vote for themselves, that account is typically banned and if this has been an ongoing issue with a particular merchant, if they continue despite warnings to stop, they may be banned from being posted on our site.
Thanks
Thanks for sticking with us through all that. And honestly, for caring enough to ask these questions in the first place. Slickdeals has always been about the people who make the community what it is: you all. The feedback, the deal-hunting, the call-outs when we miss something are what keep this place sharp and worth visiting.
We're not perfect, but we're listening. The more open we can be about how things work behind the scenes, the better this community gets for everyone.
If there's something we didn't cover here (or something you think we should talk about next time), don't be shy. Drop it in the forums or email [email protected]. We'll keep the conversation going.
You've asked how Slickdeals works: who owns us, how deals are picked, and what makes the Frontpage.
Here are straightforward answers from the team, no spin. If you want more detail, we'll keep updating this page.
Who owns Slickdeals?
Slickdeals has been privately owned since it was founded in 1999 by Van Trac. Since 2012, the company has navigated multiple stages of growth and evolution with the support of investors and owners, including Warburg Pincus and Goldman Sachs. Today, we're still independently operated under private ownership.
Do investors have any say in what merchants you have on your site?
No, none. Our investors have input on overall financial goals such as growth targets, but they don't make any decisions about what merchants or deals appear on Slickdeals. What you see on the site is entirely driven by our internal team and, most importantly, by our community.
Do merchants send you deals to post for them?
We do have a program that lets merchants submit deals for review by our Deal Specialists. It's never pay-to-play. Deal Specialists review every submission and only post offers that meet community standards on price and quality.
Here's how it works: our Deal Specialists review every submission. They'll check if that product (or a similar one) has been posted before and how our members responded. If the data shows members liked it at a certain price but not at another, they'll actually go back to the merchant and ask if they can lower the price. If the merchant can't, we usually pass.
If history shows our members just aren't interested in that product at all, we'll also pass.
Bottom line: we only post something if the team genuinely believes it's a good deal.
If you work with a merchant, does that mean they're guaranteed to go Front Page?
Nope. Front Page is earned, not bought. A deal's popularity (meaning community votes, engagement, and value) determines whether it makes it there, not whether we have a working relationship with the merchant.
What is the difference between a Deal Specialist and a Deal Hunter?
Deal Specialists review deals submitted to us, while Deal Hunters go out and independently find deals across the web.
Why do I see the same merchant often? Can you stop?
We know seeing the same merchant can get old. We feature them when the data shows a strong value for members. If you've had a bad experience, add a comment; your feedback affects what we surface.
We've actually stopped working with certain merchants in the past because of member feedback. Your experiences and opinions directly shape who we feature, so if you're tired of seeing a certain name, let us know why. We do pay attention.
Do you ever bump down a deal because a merchant isn't working with you?
Absolutely not.
Do mods remove posts that criticize merchants you work with?
We actually welcome and encourage honest feedback, even when it's negative. That's part of what makes Slickdeals different: members can speak freely about their experiences.
What we do remove are personal attacks and shills.
- ✅ "This merchant never ships on time." — Fair feedback
- ❌ "OP is an idiot" — Harassment, removed
Why work with merchants at all?
Just like any other business, we've got bills to pay. We have about 250 employees, servers, infrastructure, and everything else that keeps Slickdeals running.
Some sites throw pop-ups and autoplay ads at you, or put deals behind paywalls. We've always wanted Slickdeals to stay free, open, and user-driven, so working with merchants in specific, limited ways helps make that possible without ruining your browsing experience.
Do staff have secret accounts to influence votes/comments?
Absolutely not. That's a strict no-go.
Our staff are Slickdeals users too and do organically engage with the community. For example, I like and comment on deals with my staff account but it's on items i've actually purchased or know that it's a good value. Whatever we do is labeled Staff, so it's all in the open.
Some staff accounts are used only for testing. For example, a staff account may be used to make sure things display correctly on the site, but those accounts are not used to post, vote, or engage in discussions. Most testing happens in a closed environment anyway, not on the live site.
Ok, what about bots then?
We have Slickdeals Scout. It scans retailers for price drops and posts them. It doesn't vote, comment, or influence rankings.
Why was my political post removed?
We get this one a lot. Our moderators aren't biased toward any political side, they're just enforcing the same rule across the board: Slickdeals isn't a political platform.
We remove political posts because they almost always turn into arguments and derail deal discussions. Speaking from experience (many of us were community members before being staff), it's tough to delete posts you might personally agree with, but it's part of keeping the space on-topic and welcoming.
Why so many Amazon deals?
Yes, you're right, a lot of Amazon deals are posted on our site by both community members and staff. Given the sheer volume of products and promotions Amazon runs, plus how popular they are with our community, it's no surprise those deals make up a big share of our content.
That said, we're always open to more variety. If you're shopping and come across an amazing deal from a merchant or store and you want to share it with our members, please post it!! And if there are merchants or types of products you'd like to see more often, let us know.
You can email us at [email protected] (yes, we know, old school ) or post in the Help Me Find a Deal forum if you're looking for something specific.
Do you allow self-promotion?
We draw a hard line between sharing an organically found deal and marketing on behalf of a company. If something feels like an ad instead of a contribution, it's removed. If we find proof that the merchant is posting for themselves, it's removed. If we find out a merchant is voting for themselves or using various accounts to vote for themselves, that account is typically banned and if this has been an ongoing issue with a particular merchant, if they continue despite warnings to stop, they may be banned from being posted on our site.
Thanks
Thanks for sticking with us through all that. And honestly, for caring enough to ask these questions in the first place. Slickdeals has always been about the people who make the community what it is: you all. The feedback, the deal-hunting, the call-outs when we miss something are what keep this place sharp and worth visiting.
We're not perfect, but we're listening. The more open we can be about how things work behind the scenes, the better this community gets for everyone.
If there's something we didn't cover here (or something you think we should talk about next time), don't be shy. Drop it in the forums or email [email protected]. We'll keep the conversation going.
Community Notes
About the Poster
Deal Details
Community Notes
About the Poster
Hey everyone,
You've asked how Slickdeals works: who owns us, how deals are picked, and what makes the Frontpage.
Here are straightforward answers from the team, no spin. If you want more detail, we'll keep updating this page.
Who owns Slickdeals?
Slickdeals has been privately owned since it was founded in 1999 by Van Trac. Since 2012, the company has navigated multiple stages of growth and evolution with the support of investors and owners, including Warburg Pincus and Goldman Sachs. Today, we're still independently operated under private ownership.
Do investors have any say in what merchants you have on your site?
No, none. Our investors have input on overall financial goals such as growth targets, but they don't make any decisions about what merchants or deals appear on Slickdeals. What you see on the site is entirely driven by our internal team and, most importantly, by our community.
Do merchants send you deals to post for them?
We do have a program that lets merchants submit deals for review by our Deal Specialists. It's never pay-to-play. Deal Specialists review every submission and only post offers that meet community standards on price and quality.
Here's how it works: our Deal Specialists review every submission. They'll check if that product (or a similar one) has been posted before and how our members responded. If the data shows members liked it at a certain price but not at another, they'll actually go back to the merchant and ask if they can lower the price. If the merchant can't, we usually pass.
If history shows our members just aren't interested in that product at all, we'll also pass.
Bottom line: we only post something if the team genuinely believes it's a good deal.
If you work with a merchant, does that mean they're guaranteed to go Front Page?
Nope. Front Page is earned, not bought. A deal's popularity (meaning community votes, engagement, and value) determines whether it makes it there, not whether we have a working relationship with the merchant.
What is the difference between a Deal Specialist and a Deal Hunter?
Deal Specialists review deals submitted to us, while Deal Hunters go out and independently find deals across the web.
Why do I see the same merchant often? Can you stop?
We know seeing the same merchant can get old. We feature them when the data shows a strong value for members. If you've had a bad experience, add a comment; your feedback affects what we surface.
We've actually stopped working with certain merchants in the past because of member feedback. Your experiences and opinions directly shape who we feature, so if you're tired of seeing a certain name, let us know why. We do pay attention.
Do you ever bump down a deal because a merchant isn't working with you?
Absolutely not.
Do mods remove posts that criticize merchants you work with?
We actually welcome and encourage honest feedback, even when it's negative. That's part of what makes Slickdeals different: members can speak freely about their experiences.
What we do remove are personal attacks and shills.
Why work with merchants at all?
Just like any other business, we've got bills to pay. We have about 250 employees, servers, infrastructure, and everything else that keeps Slickdeals running.
Some sites throw pop-ups and autoplay ads at you, or put deals behind paywalls. We've always wanted Slickdeals to stay free, open, and user-driven, so working with merchants in specific, limited ways helps make that possible without ruining your browsing experience.
Do staff have secret accounts to influence votes/comments?
Absolutely not. That's a strict no-go.
Our staff are Slickdeals users too and do organically engage with the community. For example, I like and comment on deals with my staff account but it's on items i've actually purchased or know that it's a good value. Whatever we do is labeled Staff, so it's all in the open.
Some staff accounts are used only for testing. For example, a staff account may be used to make sure things display correctly on the site, but those accounts are not used to post, vote, or engage in discussions. Most testing happens in a closed environment anyway, not on the live site.
Ok, what about bots then?
We have Slickdeals Scout. It scans retailers for price drops and posts them. It doesn't vote, comment, or influence rankings.
Why was my political post removed?
We get this one a lot. Our moderators aren't biased toward any political side, they're just enforcing the same rule across the board: Slickdeals isn't a political platform.
We remove political posts because they almost always turn into arguments and derail deal discussions. Speaking from experience (many of us were community members before being staff), it's tough to delete posts you might personally agree with, but it's part of keeping the space on-topic and welcoming.
Why so many Amazon deals?
Yes, you're right, a lot of Amazon deals are posted on our site by both community members and staff. Given the sheer volume of products and promotions Amazon runs, plus how popular they are with our community, it's no surprise those deals make up a big share of our content.
That said, we're always open to more variety. If you're shopping and come across an amazing deal from a merchant or store and you want to share it with our members, please post it!! And if there are merchants or types of products you'd like to see more often, let us know.
You can email us at [email protected] (yes, we know, old school ) or post in the Help Me Find a Deal forum if you're looking for something specific.
Do you allow self-promotion?
We draw a hard line between sharing an organically found deal and marketing on behalf of a company. If something feels like an ad instead of a contribution, it's removed. If we find proof that the merchant is posting for themselves, it's removed. If we find out a merchant is voting for themselves or using various accounts to vote for themselves, that account is typically banned and if this has been an ongoing issue with a particular merchant, if they continue despite warnings to stop, they may be banned from being posted on our site.
Thanks
Thanks for sticking with us through all that. And honestly, for caring enough to ask these questions in the first place. Slickdeals has always been about the people who make the community what it is: you all. The feedback, the deal-hunting, the call-outs when we miss something are what keep this place sharp and worth visiting.
We're not perfect, but we're listening. The more open we can be about how things work behind the scenes, the better this community gets for everyone.
If there's something we didn't cover here (or something you think we should talk about next time), don't be shy. Drop it in the forums or email [email protected]. We'll keep the conversation going.
You've asked how Slickdeals works: who owns us, how deals are picked, and what makes the Frontpage.
Here are straightforward answers from the team, no spin. If you want more detail, we'll keep updating this page.
Who owns Slickdeals?
Slickdeals has been privately owned since it was founded in 1999 by Van Trac. Since 2012, the company has navigated multiple stages of growth and evolution with the support of investors and owners, including Warburg Pincus and Goldman Sachs. Today, we're still independently operated under private ownership.
Do investors have any say in what merchants you have on your site?
No, none. Our investors have input on overall financial goals such as growth targets, but they don't make any decisions about what merchants or deals appear on Slickdeals. What you see on the site is entirely driven by our internal team and, most importantly, by our community.
Do merchants send you deals to post for them?
We do have a program that lets merchants submit deals for review by our Deal Specialists. It's never pay-to-play. Deal Specialists review every submission and only post offers that meet community standards on price and quality.
Here's how it works: our Deal Specialists review every submission. They'll check if that product (or a similar one) has been posted before and how our members responded. If the data shows members liked it at a certain price but not at another, they'll actually go back to the merchant and ask if they can lower the price. If the merchant can't, we usually pass.
If history shows our members just aren't interested in that product at all, we'll also pass.
Bottom line: we only post something if the team genuinely believes it's a good deal.
If you work with a merchant, does that mean they're guaranteed to go Front Page?
Nope. Front Page is earned, not bought. A deal's popularity (meaning community votes, engagement, and value) determines whether it makes it there, not whether we have a working relationship with the merchant.
What is the difference between a Deal Specialist and a Deal Hunter?
Deal Specialists review deals submitted to us, while Deal Hunters go out and independently find deals across the web.
Why do I see the same merchant often? Can you stop?
We know seeing the same merchant can get old. We feature them when the data shows a strong value for members. If you've had a bad experience, add a comment; your feedback affects what we surface.
We've actually stopped working with certain merchants in the past because of member feedback. Your experiences and opinions directly shape who we feature, so if you're tired of seeing a certain name, let us know why. We do pay attention.
Do you ever bump down a deal because a merchant isn't working with you?
Absolutely not.
Do mods remove posts that criticize merchants you work with?
We actually welcome and encourage honest feedback, even when it's negative. That's part of what makes Slickdeals different: members can speak freely about their experiences.
What we do remove are personal attacks and shills.
- ✅ "This merchant never ships on time." — Fair feedback
- ❌ "OP is an idiot" — Harassment, removed
Why work with merchants at all?
Just like any other business, we've got bills to pay. We have about 250 employees, servers, infrastructure, and everything else that keeps Slickdeals running.
Some sites throw pop-ups and autoplay ads at you, or put deals behind paywalls. We've always wanted Slickdeals to stay free, open, and user-driven, so working with merchants in specific, limited ways helps make that possible without ruining your browsing experience.
Do staff have secret accounts to influence votes/comments?
Absolutely not. That's a strict no-go.
Our staff are Slickdeals users too and do organically engage with the community. For example, I like and comment on deals with my staff account but it's on items i've actually purchased or know that it's a good value. Whatever we do is labeled Staff, so it's all in the open.
Some staff accounts are used only for testing. For example, a staff account may be used to make sure things display correctly on the site, but those accounts are not used to post, vote, or engage in discussions. Most testing happens in a closed environment anyway, not on the live site.
Ok, what about bots then?
We have Slickdeals Scout. It scans retailers for price drops and posts them. It doesn't vote, comment, or influence rankings.
Why was my political post removed?
We get this one a lot. Our moderators aren't biased toward any political side, they're just enforcing the same rule across the board: Slickdeals isn't a political platform.
We remove political posts because they almost always turn into arguments and derail deal discussions. Speaking from experience (many of us were community members before being staff), it's tough to delete posts you might personally agree with, but it's part of keeping the space on-topic and welcoming.
Why so many Amazon deals?
Yes, you're right, a lot of Amazon deals are posted on our site by both community members and staff. Given the sheer volume of products and promotions Amazon runs, plus how popular they are with our community, it's no surprise those deals make up a big share of our content.
That said, we're always open to more variety. If you're shopping and come across an amazing deal from a merchant or store and you want to share it with our members, please post it!! And if there are merchants or types of products you'd like to see more often, let us know.
You can email us at [email protected] (yes, we know, old school ) or post in the Help Me Find a Deal forum if you're looking for something specific.
Do you allow self-promotion?
We draw a hard line between sharing an organically found deal and marketing on behalf of a company. If something feels like an ad instead of a contribution, it's removed. If we find proof that the merchant is posting for themselves, it's removed. If we find out a merchant is voting for themselves or using various accounts to vote for themselves, that account is typically banned and if this has been an ongoing issue with a particular merchant, if they continue despite warnings to stop, they may be banned from being posted on our site.
Thanks
Thanks for sticking with us through all that. And honestly, for caring enough to ask these questions in the first place. Slickdeals has always been about the people who make the community what it is: you all. The feedback, the deal-hunting, the call-outs when we miss something are what keep this place sharp and worth visiting.
We're not perfect, but we're listening. The more open we can be about how things work behind the scenes, the better this community gets for everyone.
If there's something we didn't cover here (or something you think we should talk about next time), don't be shy. Drop it in the forums or email [email protected]. We'll keep the conversation going.
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Leave a Comment
138 Comments
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The fat wallet and Slickdeals community was initially about real deals and workarounds to get multiple codes and gift cards and all kinds of crazy shit back in the day.
Now it's more like the sales ad but that's still better than just retail I suppose
There's a reason why I bring up the 90% off lowes gift-a-thon every year.. you simply cant beat that deal. Walked away with so many doubles of everything.. in the end I was giving away codes
Here it is: https://slickdeals.net/e/13604605-buick-encore-preferred-40-off-msrp-net-price-under-15-000-with-costco-auto-program?v=1&src
There's a reason why I bring up the 90% off lowes gift-a-thon every year.. you simply cant beat that deal. Walked away with so many doubles of everything.. in the end I was giving away codes
i do remember staying up all night b/c some farmers place was giving away $20 amazon gift cards, but the system was coded to regenerate the gift cards simply by hitting refresh after the first one.... i got like $1k+ in free amazon gift cards
Hey mrmochi, that's not true though.
We have never just banned someone for calling another member a shill without any rule breaking along with it (like if they made up an extra account to post and call someone a shill).
I replied earlier to someone else about this but no, we do not allow members to call other members shills. There have definitely been times, even before I worked here, I certainly thought it, still do, but I haven't said that publicly., We do not allow name calling, just in general. You can mod alert someone you think is a shill so that a mod can look into it. You can also thumb down their thread or put them on ignore. We wouldn't allow you (or anyone) to name call someone in public here, be it calling someone a jerk, idiot, shill, etc.
Thank you for the thoughtful, personalized response.
I have always used the classic UI, the "new" UI only degraded usability. I don't care about how people vote on comments, deal alert in new UI is a joke compared to classic. These days with price being in the deal post metadata, maybe add price range as a deal alert filter?
1) Thanks Autumn for doing it, and for your commitment to answering questions. I love the passion of the community, but MANY of the comments here just show that people don't understand how business works. To some people, everything is a conspiracy. Thanks for your patience.
2) Count me among those who started on FatWallet more than 20 years ago, and didn't fully commit to SlickDeals until FW kicked the bucket for good. I liked the simplicity and robustness of the FW community (and many of the quirks, too -- they had a clever badge system that was fun). But I don't blame SlickDeals for what is, essentially, the changing nature of online deals. The "Wild West" days of the internet were bursting with price mistakes, stackable coupons, and intentionally money-losing enterprises. It was fun when I got 4 new Dell PCs and a printer for a total of $800, and the endless free supplies from Staples were nice, but none of that was sustainable. I recognize that SlickDeals survived because it evolved into a more sophisticated affiliate marketing model that works when the retailer makes money too.
3) I also don't love that so much of the content is Amazon, but I'm a Prime member and I get it. BTW they owe my Prime membership to SlickDeals. I'm certain that Prime doesn't really pay for itself for most members, but when combined with SD Deal Alerts, it works for me. They go very well together.
4) I agree with those who see Front Page "inflation" as an issue. My own observation is that you have two problems: One is simply that your cutoff point is too low. Deals are being labeled "front page" after 5 or fewer votes. That's an easy fix. I've posted more than a few frontpage deals myself and been surprised how low the bar is. The other problem is one of timing and it's the opposite problem. For the hottest deals, the "Front Page" designation doesn't happen quickly enough. I've posted deals that were very slick and didn't last long (which is often the case with the best deals). They became "Front Page" on day 2, after the deal had already expired. I'm sure these are the deals that more of us want to see -- and not a full day after they were posted.
5) I am blown away to learn how big the SlickDeals organization has become. It's cool to see, and if my community participation is helping to generate profits that employee more people working there, then that's a win-win for all of us.
Would I like it if SlickDeals let us share superior deals that benefit another affiliate (like a cashback site)? Absolutely. That would be the ultimate in user-centricity. Do I expect it? No. Just know that SD has less value to me on Black Friday and Cyber Monday because of it. Still, we all should understand why SlickDeals exists and accept that as part of the game.
6) I was a beta tester for the new app and let your team know at the time that the changes were making it less friendly to old-time power users. SD is now less about community and more about promoting and making money off the deals that the community brings you. I understand you're trying to strike a balance between growth and affiliate sales, and catering to the community that brung you here. Still, I don't understand why it isn't easier to get straight to my notifications about deal discussions.
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LOL. but what if it's true?? I've been called some choice words on here over the years.
I do love being called a 'shill' for SD. Yes, they transmit top secret deals to me via an SD chip planted in my head daily to post worthless deals. This way they can make money off the junk I share on their behalf. It's so much fun!!!
Man, if there's a cool SD chip that can get planted in heads, lmk cause I'm the first to admit that posting deals is not my forte, haha.
In 2025 there's so many social media groups who are running their own scrapes. Bots are also easier to access to those who care to utilize them. E-commerce is drastically better with more price mistakes getting shuttered quickly. Such price mistakes also get communicated quicker now due to social media's rise. Furthermore, prices are now drastically higher.
I wonder if the SD I know hasn't changed but the way a deal is provided to me has, which leads me to feel that SD no longer has "the deals" when in reality it may not be true....it's just the deals are worse and no longer unhinged in the consumer's favor.
There's a reason why I bring up the 90% off lowes gift-a-thon every year.. you simply cant beat that deal. Walked away with so many doubles of everything.. in the end I was giving away codes
i do remember staying up all night b/c some farmers place was giving away $20 amazon gift cards, but the system was coded to regenerate the gift cards simply by hitting refresh after the first one.... i got like $1k+ in free amazon gift cards
Thank you for the thoughtful, personalized response.
I have always used the classic UI, the "new" UI only degraded usability. I don't care about how people vote on comments, deal alert in new UI is a joke compared to classic. These days with price being in the deal post metadata, maybe add price range as a deal alert filter?
Working here is sometimes weird for me. I was a member for 11 years before working here so I'm well aware of how the site feels for members. Now I've worked here for 11 years and I'm well aware of the business side too. So member me would have been like "yeah don't work with merchants, don't have affiliate links" but employee me gets it, if that makes sense. Plus, when the site was newer, it was not nearly as expensive to run. I mean Van started the site in his dorm room lol. Unfortunately and fortunately, a lot has changed since then, just with the internet and websites in general. We try to run the site best we can and part of the reason why I made this thread to begin with, so others can get kind of a glimpse into what and why we do some of the things we do.
1) Thanks Autumn for doing it, and for your commitment to answering questions. I love the passion of the community, but MANY of the comments here just show that people don't understand how business works. To some people, everything is a conspiracy. Thanks for your patience.
2) Count me among those who started on FatWallet more than 20 years ago, and didn't fully commit to SlickDeals until FW kicked the bucket for good. I liked the simplicity and robustness of the FW community (and many of the quirks, too -- they had a clever badge system that was fun). But I don't blame SlickDeals for what is, essentially, the changing nature of online deals. The "Wild West" days of the internet were bursting with price mistakes, stackable coupons, and intentionally money-losing enterprises. It was fun when I got 4 new Dell PCs and a printer for a total of $800, and the endless free supplies from Staples were nice, but none of that was sustainable. I recognize that SlickDeals survived because it evolved into a more sophisticated affiliate marketing model that works when the retailer makes money too.
3) I also don't love that so much of the content is Amazon, but I'm a Prime member and I get it. BTW they owe my Prime membership to SlickDeals. I'm certain that Prime doesn't really pay for itself for most members, but when combined with SD Deal Alerts, it works for me. They go very well together.
4) I agree with those who see Front Page "inflation" as an issue. My own observation is that you have two problems: One is simply that your cutoff point is too low. Deals are being labeled "front page" after 5 or fewer votes. That's an easy fix. I've posted more than a few frontpage deals myself and been surprised how low the bar is. The other problem is one of timing and it's the opposite problem. For the hottest deals, the "Front Page" designation doesn't happen quickly enough. I've posted deals that were very slick and didn't last long (which is often the case with the best deals). They became "Front Page" on day 2, after the deal had already expired. I'm sure these are the deals that more of us want to see -- and not a full day after they were posted.
5) I am blown away to learn how big the SlickDeals organization has become. It's cool to see, and if my community participation is helping to generate profits that employee more people working there, then that's a win-win for all of us.
Would I like it if SlickDeals let us share superior deals that benefit another affiliate (like a cashback site)? Absolutely. That would be the ultimate in user-centricity. Do I expect it? No. Just know that SD has less value to me on Black Friday and Cyber Monday because of it. Still, we all should understand why SlickDeals exists and accept that as part of the game.
6) I was a beta tester for the new app and let your team know at the time that the changes were making it less friendly to old-time power users. SD is now less about community and more about promoting and making money off the deals that the community brings you. I understand you're trying to strike a balance between growth and affiliate sales, and catering to the community that brung you here. Still, I don't understand why it isn't easier to get straight to my notifications about deal discussions.
I've thought about getting rid of amazon prime myself but then like you said, I keep seeing all these deals for chips and and soups and makeup and weird little cheap things I didn't know I wanted but since I have prime, might as well buy it, lol.
For this part:
I agree with those who see Front Page "inflation" as an issue. My own observation is that you have two problems: One is simply that your cutoff point is too low. Deals are being labeled "front page" after 5 or fewer votes. That's an easy fix. I've posted more than a few frontpage deals myself and been surprised how low the bar is. The other problem is one of timing and it's the opposite problem. For the hottest deals, the "Front Page" designation doesn't happen quickly enough. I've posted deals that were very slick and didn't last long (which is often the case with the best deals). They became "Front Page" on day 2, after the deal had already expired. I'm sure these are the deals that more of us want to see -- and not a full day after they were posted.
I hear that. I'll bring that up with the teams that handle it and also see if I can get you a better answer than what I would probably be able to give.
But to clarify, the second problem (regarding timing) do you mean you'll post a short lived deal that gets a lot of thumbs up but isn't front paged soon enough and it dies, is that right?
Every single thing you do as part of our community, be it posting, voting, making deal alerts, everything, helps keep this site going and why we appreciate you all so much.And also why I made this thread because you all do so much for us that I want to see what things can be tweaked or fixed or removed, etc to make it better for everyone.
The app, they are definitely still working on that and those issues are ones we've brought up with them as well. There are a lot of things we're hoping to have added to the apps, like being able to see your PMs, easier ways to post and engage with the community and not just the deals, things like that.
Thank you so much for your reply, this is exactly the types of posts I was hoping to see here
Please God No
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imagine having bought some gold then @ 40% off
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