Where FindAProduct prices come from
We do not type prices in by hand. Shops send files through affiliate networks. We import those files and show what is still live.
The three networks
Awin, Commission Junction (CJ) and Rakuten Advertising are the networks we use today. A shop must have accepted us on that programme before their products can appear. Pending or rejected programmes are not imported as if they were live.
CJ and Rakuten also have search APIs with tight result caps. A full catalogue needs the overnight export or SFTP file, not only the daytime search. If a network file fails, that shop’s rows go stale until the next successful import.
What we keep on a row
For a retailer offer we store the product name, brand when the feed sends one, image URL, price, was-price when present, shop name, and the tracking URL behind Visit retailer. We do not invent a brand, a review, or a specification the feed did not send.
Products without a live offer, or with only a placeholder image we have already blacklisted, stay out of the public shop count. The homepage number is the filtered shop catalogue, not every raw row in the database.
When numbers look frozen
The large product count on the homepage is cached so the site stays up if the API is slow. It can lag a few hours behind a finished import. That is a display delay, not a second catalogue.
If you run a shop and your products vanished, the usual causes are an expired programme, a feed with no image, or the offer marked not live. Email hello@findaproduct.co.uk with the programme name. Do not send passwords.