Commercial model
How this works, financially.
Compare ITAD is a buyer-side resource. That means we are accountable to you — the buyer — first. This page describes every way we make money and every commercial relationship that could, in theory, influence our editorial judgment.
The model
Three revenue streams, all disclosed.
Referral fees. When you use the directory to contact an ITAD vendor and that vendor becomes a client, some vendors pay us a referral fee. Referral partners are listed in the disclosure table below. Referral relationships do not affect directory placement, profile completeness, or editorial coverage — they only apply when you already chose to contact that vendor.
Premium placement. Vendors can pay for additional visibility in the directory — for example, appearing in a featured section at the top of a filtered results page. Premium placements are always labeled as such. They do not affect the data or ratings on a vendor's profile page.
Sponsored content. Occasionally, vendors or adjacent service providers sponsor content in The ITAD Brief. Sponsored content is always labeled “Sponsored” and follows the same factual standards as our editorial content. Sponsors do not review or approve editorial content.
Where the lines are
What vendors cannot buy.
- —Vendors cannot pay to be included in the directory. Inclusion is editorial.
- —Vendors cannot pay to improve their profile rating, verification badges, or certification status.
- —Vendors cannot pay to suppress or remove information about themselves.
- —Referral partners receive no preferential treatment in search results or category filters.
- —Sponsors do not influence the editorial calendar, coverage topics, or conclusions in The ITAD Brief.
- —Our assessment scoring methodology is public, fixed, and not adjustable by any vendor.
Why this works
Buyer trust is the product.
The ITAD market is small and relationship-driven. Vendors know that a buyer who trusts this directory is a buyer who is serious about vendor selection. That trust is only valuable if it is real — which means it cannot be for sale.
Our referral and placement revenue depends on buyers using the directory and taking the vendors they find there seriously. If we compromised editorial integrity to chase short-term revenue, the directory would become useless, and the commercial model would collapse with it. The incentives are aligned.
Questions about our commercial relationships can be directed to editorial@compareitad.com.
Material connections
Active commercial relationships
This table is updated in real time. Every active commercial relationship between Compare ITAD and a vendor in our directory is listed below.
No active commercial relationships as of May 2026.
This table will be updated automatically when any referral, placement, or sponsored-content relationship becomes active.
Questions or corrections?
If you believe a commercial relationship is missing from this table, or if you have a question about how a particular piece of content was funded, contact us at editorial@compareitad.com. We will respond within five business days and update this page if a correction is warranted.