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Autumn | Staff 235K Views
Nov 4, 2025 5:33 PM

From Company Ownership to Front Page: Your Top Slickdeals Questions, Answered

Why are you downvoting this deal?

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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.
  • ✅ "This merchant never ships on time." — Fair feedback
  • ❌ "OP is an idiot" — Harassment, removed
Criticism of a product or merchant = fine. Harassment = not fine.

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.
  • ✅ "This merchant never ships on time." — Fair feedback
  • ❌ "OP is an idiot" — Harassment, removed
Criticism of a product or merchant = fine. Harassment = not fine.

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 Voting

Deal Score
+112
Good Deal
Bad Deal

Why are you downvoting this deal?

Community Reviews

Slickdeals is presented as a community driven deal site that still surfaces useful bargains, but the strongest theme is frustration with how Front Page, voting, and moderation work. Front Page placement is described as vote led, then reviewed for rarity, price history, and interest, yet several deals are seen as inflated, late, or ordinary. The thumbs system is defended as a way to avoid endless arguments, but anonymous downvotes, vague spam flags, and possible abuse keep drawing criticism. Classic view, filters, and better transparency are recurring asks, along with cleaner handling of staff posts, promoted tags, and ad blocker issues.

Common Questions (5)

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Share your experience with the Slickdeals community

Share information with the community. Please follow our Community Guidelines and be kind!

214 Comments

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May 29, 2026 6:44 PM
665 Comments
Joined Mar 2010
ConsumerAdvoCatMay 29, 2026 6:44 PM
665 Comments
Quote from LavenderSunflower View quoted comment :
To get to Classic view, scroll to the bottom-right of the page and select Classic if you're using Redesign or Mobile view.
Thank you. The redesign was simply horrible. I thought this old computer was failing.
Global Mod
May 29, 2026 6:53 PM
4.1K Comments
Joined Oct 2005
LavenderSunflower
Global Mod
May 29, 2026 6:53 PM
4.1K Comments
Quote from ConsumerAdvoCat View quoted comment :
Thank you. The redesign was simply horrible. I thought this old computer was failing.

You're welcome Smilie

I'm also partial to Classic view.
May 29, 2026 9:04 PM
4.8K Comments
Joined Aug 2015
SlySolMay 29, 2026 9:04 PM
4.8K Comments
Edit: Ugh, sorry … your question showed up at the bottom of the last page and I didn't see LavendarSunflower and your further replies … ignore the extra stuff below. I replied first without seeing it was already resolved. Smilie

Quote from ConsumerAdvoCat View quoted comment :
How and where to switch to classic view?
There should be an option at the very bottom of the SD page. However, switching views on certain pages can be tricky. I think it's usually recommended to make the change at the bottom of the main page, but you could also try it at the bottom of the thread list if you can't get it there. And If you can't click between Redesign / Mobile / Classic at the bottom of those pages, try going to a general forum location like the link below to make the switch. (Certain browsers / views can be different … I can never scroll down far enough to the bottom of the main page to click it on one browser for some reason

https://slickdeals.net/forums/forumdisplay.php

(Due to some slight quirkiness, it might be best to try experimenting with it from a different browser than the main one that you regularly use.) For instance if you usually use Chrome, try experimenting from Edge or Safari or vice versa. That way, you won't be making any changes to your standard preferred view and your main / preferred browser settings won't be changed at all in the process. That's not necessary, but if you have things set up just the way you like them, they can occasionally be tricky to get back just right if you happen to run into any of the quirkiness when switching views. Smilie

Also, the choices are sometimes at the lower left and sometimes lower right. And "Classic" can sometimes show up as "Full Site"
Last edited by SlySol May 29, 2026 at 03:50 PM.
Pro
Jun 4, 2026 1:07 AM
2.8K Comments
Joined Dec 2006
Cartier
Pro
Jun 4, 2026 1:07 AM
2.8K Comments
Hey I like the way you folks 'optimized' the search to be less redundant in the mobile apple app.
Keep up the good work.
Jun 4, 2026 3:21 AM
37 Comments
Joined May 2026
army00Jun 4, 2026 3:21 AM
37 Comments
Appreciate the transparency. It's helpful to better understand how deals are reviewed and what actually drives Frontpage placement. Thanks for taking the time to answer these questions.😊
Pro
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This user is an Expert in Home & Home Improvement
Jun 21, 2026 2:11 PM
35.3K Comments
Joined Jul 2006
SUCHaDEALJun 21, 2026 2:11 PM
Pro
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This user is an Expert in Home & Home Improvement
35.3K Comments
Hello SD Gurus and Mucky Mucks!

I've always wondered why SD doesn't add a 'deal expiration' date for the OP to select so a deal can auto expire for a known 'finite' deal. ie, One Day Deals at so many different merchants, weekly ad sales from Walgreens, CVS, Staples, Target, etc.

I can't tell you how many expired by date deals still remain active in the HD forum and unless someone mod alerts it, they just remain there for people to find, thinking they can partake of the deal because its active just to find the digital coupon is gone, the price went up or there's no rewards type offer on the product even though the deal post advertises it.

Would be a win-win-win for the forums, OP can add from the get-go, less work for the mods, less disappointed shoppers and less board clutter from bumped threads where people are bitching they can't replicate the deal.

THANK YOU FOR YOUR ATTENTION TO THIS MATTER!! S A D
1
Jul 1, 2026 6:41 AM
1.6K Comments
Joined Jun 2008
modahoJul 1, 2026 6:41 AM
1.6K Comments
The number of bots on this site has gotten out of hand. They're almost always present in a thread where staff's shilling some fifth-rate product that'll quickly land on the front page. Vacarro this and NXEFX7WO that... There's very little demand for these dubious brands, yet their crappy goods are still posted over and over again (with the obligatory "great deal" comments from newish fonts with exactly 10 rep points). Why won't SD put a stop to this artificial engagement?
Last edited by modaho July 1, 2026 at 08:59 PM.

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Pro
Global Mod
Jul 4, 2026 4:35 AM
1.4K Comments
Joined Jun 2006
Mbilo
Pro
Global Mod
Jul 4, 2026 4:35 AM
1.4K Comments
Quote from SUCHaDEAL View quoted comment :
Hello SD Gurus and Mucky Mucks!

I've always wondered why SD doesn't add a 'deal expiration' date for the OP to select so a deal can auto expire for a known 'finite' deal. ie, One Day Deals at so many different merchants, weekly ad sales from Walgreens, CVS, Staples, Target, etc.

I can't tell you how many expired by date deals still remain active in the HD forum and unless someone mod alerts it, they just remain there for people to find, thinking they can partake of the deal because its active just to find the digital coupon is gone, the price went up or there's no rewards type offer on the product even though the deal post advertises it.

Would be a win-win-win for the forums, OP can add from the get-go, less work for the mods, less disappointed shoppers and less board clutter from bumped threads where people are bitching they can't replicate the deal.

THANK YOU FOR YOUR ATTENTION TO THIS MATTER!! S A D
i think that's a good idea. if you'd like, post it in the suggestions forum here and more of us will see it:
https://slickdeals.net/forums/forumdisplay.php?f=5
Pro
Global Mod
Jul 4, 2026 6:00 AM
1.4K Comments
Joined Jun 2006
Mbilo
Pro
Global Mod
Jul 4, 2026 6:00 AM
1.4K Comments
Quote from modaho View quoted comment :
The number of bots on this site has gotten out of hand. They're almost always present in a thread where staff's shilling some fifth-rate product that'll quickly land on the front page. Vacarro this and NXEFX7WO that... There's very little demand for these dubious brands, yet their crappy goods are still posted over and over again (with the obligatory "great deal" comments from newish fonts with exactly 10 rep points). Why won't SD put a stop to this artificial engagement?
i think a lot of the short "great deal" type comments in recent months are more because of the Daily Draw. new users are dipping their toes into commenting and voting to earn bonus tickets:
https://slickdeals.net/forums/forumdisplay.php?f=52

the shills are still trying to shill, too. some of them may evade the efforts of mods like me. others get caught and banned.

regarding the names of some new brands, i could only speculate about why they pick the names they do. sometimes i don't mind rolling the dice on brands like that, brands that don't have much reputation. especially if it's a good deal.
Last edited by Mbilo July 3, 2026 at 11:43 PM.
Pro
Expert
This user is an Expert in Home & Home Improvement
Sep 2, 2026 2:52 AM
35.3K Comments
Joined Jul 2006
SUCHaDEALSep 2, 2026 2:52 AM
Pro
Expert
This user is an Expert in Home & Home Improvement
35.3K Comments
Spam/Self-Promotion downvote should be modified or eliminated.

Hello!

Given spamming the boards or self-promoting deals on the boards is against SD rules to start with, why is this category allwed 'free reign' to impact peoples legit posts with no substantiation?

It should be considered the same as a 'repost' vote where you have to give evidence or proof of the claim for the mods to take action.

I am so sick and tired of getting downvoted as 'spam or self promotion' when no such thing is occuring. if something thinks the item isn't a good item or it's not a good price, that's another matter. But this category needs either oversight or elimination so it's not abused to downvote for the sake of downvoting. Don't accuse a poster of self promotion or spam if you can't back it up.

Hope there will be some changes made in this respect. thank you.
3
Oct 1, 2026 7:28 PM
397 Comments
Joined Apr 2007
somebody_hOct 1, 2026 7:28 PM
397 Comments
Over 50% deals are either amazon or prime in hot deals. why can we just not have a special thread for all things amazon. break it into save and subscribe, regular amazon and prime deals. why do you want all people to waste all their time looking at these deals which are not hot deals if we dont have prime or free shipping
Oct 1, 2026 7:45 PM
4.8K Comments
Joined Aug 2015
SlySolOct 1, 2026 7:45 PM
4.8K Comments
Quote from somebody_h View quoted comment :
Over 50% deals are either amazon or prime in hot deals. why can we just not have a special thread for all things amazon. break it into save and subscribe, regular amazon and prime deals. why do you want all people to waste all their time looking at these deals which are not hot deals if we dont have prime or free shipping
You can try using the filter option to exclude Amazon from showing up on your main page. I haven't played with that, but it was mentioned in a couple of previous threads … https://slickdeals.net/f/19011151-filtering-by-retailer
Oct 8, 2026 5:04 AM
5.6K Comments
Joined Jun 2006
puddnheadOct 8, 2026 5:04 AM
5.6K Comments
Quote from idiggplants View quoted comment :
the day this website got bought out by a for profit company, was the day it died. none of what you say or assure us isnt happening can be verified, and in fact, much of it is extremely hard to believe.

we have all seen plenty of garbage deals posted time and time again by staff, knowing full well that it isnt an actual deal. yet they keep posting it over and over again. there are a few sites that are literally NEVER posted by anyone other than staff. why? because they arent actual deals.



thats a long winded way of saying... we do all advertising we can like any other website, but we ALSO post artificial deals we are paid to post because that's where we get the most money. but you should be thankful we dont have popups which you can block with basic software. OUR ADS CANT BE BLOCKED! because we love you!
Yeah, I'd joined here 20 years ago, after being on FW for years before. The deals here at one time felt genuine, organic. But that stopped years ago. Now I only check in here a few times a year at most, BF or amazon prime days or whatever, and even on those dates I don't find much.
Oct 9, 2026 10:52 AM
4.9K Comments
Joined Dec 2004
kerplunkOct 9, 2026 10:52 AM
4.9K Comments
Quote from somebody_h View quoted comment :
Over 50% deals are either amazon or prime in hot deals. why can we just not have a special thread for all things amazon. break it into save and subscribe, regular amazon and prime deals. why do you want all people to waste all their time looking at these deals which are not hot deals if we dont have prime or free shipping
Totally agree!
Why not a [PRIME] thread for all the prime members only deals.

Another subject: I was checking out the winners of the daily giveaways and most don't have that many posts. Could we have maybe just one OG giveaway for those of us who have been and continue to be here for decades now. Big Grin
1

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Oct 9, 2026 1:17 PM
11.1K Comments
Joined Feb 2011
shopperuvdealzOct 9, 2026 1:17 PM
11.1K Comments
Quote from kerplunk View quoted comment :
Totally agree!
Why not a [PRIME] thread for all the prime members only deals.
A lot of us have certain things in our deal alerts. If they put them all in one thread we might not get an alert when what we want is posted.

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