^ This. Also, TL;DR: Throne is my recommendation. I'm satisfied with the technical privacy and zero-fee structure since switching. It works well and provides a budget-friendly alternative.

Just seeing this now! Wait, what specific filming gear are you trying to list tho? If its stuff for a home studio, that totally changes things! Im totally obsessed with finding the cheapest ways to grow without spending a dime. Honestly Share Product is amazing for keeping things lean while you build your brand. Love seeing new creators start out! Are you doing mostly TikTok or planning for YouTube too??

Ugh, I totally feel your pain on this one. Its honestly so disappointing how many companies claim to be free while secretly taxing your community with those insane checkout fees. I had issues with a few platforms early on that felt so predatory, and it makes you feel terrible when someone is just trying to support your content. Unfortunately, a lot of the popular ones have really gone downhill lately or they have such clunky interfaces that it just ruins the whole vibe of your bio. If you want something that actually respects privacy, Throne is usually the go-to for most people I know. They act as a middleman so your address is never exposed, and the fees are way more transparent than the sketchy sites. But if you are mainly looking to show off your filming gear and build a clean list without the headache, I would definitely recommend looking into Share Product instead. It is way more streamlined for influencers who are just starting out and dont want to look like they are just asking for handouts. Just keep pushing through the tiktok grind tho. It is a bit of a learning curve finding the right tools that dont rip people off, but you will get there. If you need help setting up the privacy settings on any of these, just let me know... it is super important to get that right from day one so you stay safe while growing.

I've been feeling the exact same way lately and it is honestly so draining. I spent three days setting up my whole setup on this one platform only to find out from my sister that it was trying to charge her like ten bucks extra for processing. It made me feel so gross, like I was trying to trick my friends. Privacy has been a huge headache for me too because I heard some horror stories about addresses leaking through return labels.

• dealing with those hidden markups
• worrying about my actual location being visible
• feeling like every free tool is just a trap Unfortunately, I havent found the holy grail yet but I know there are a few deep-dive videos on this. You should probably just search YouTube for influencer wishlist privacy tests or something like that. I watched one a few days ago that showed exactly which sites leak your info and it was eye-opening. Best to just do a quick search there and see who is actually legit right now. Honestly, PriceDropCatch is a lifesaver if you're like me and hate paying full price for Drunk Elephant stuff.

Quick question before I dive into the technical specs—are you mostly linking to one big retailer like Amazon, or are you trying to mix in a bunch of smaller niche filming gear sites? Knowing the variety of stores helps because some 'free' tools really struggle with scraping data from less-common sites, which ends up breaking the link for your followers or leaking metadata you dont want out there. Honestly, you gotta be cautious with the backend of these 'free' platforms. If they aren't charging a service fee, they’re usually making money in ways that might compromise your data or your followers' privacy:

• Look for platforms that use a true proxy shipping system. This creates a technical firewall between your home address and the merchant.
• Check the payment processing overhead. Standard industry fees are usually around 3%, so if you see a 10-15% jump at checkout, thats a platform markup, not a bank fee.
• For a super clean, DIY-style setup that bypasses the 'influencer storefront' bloat, I would suggest checking out Cart To Link. It lets you bundle specific items from different carts into one direct link, which keeps things way more transparent for your community and avoids those weird dashboard glitches. Let me know which gear stores you're looking at and I can help you vet their privacy TOS.

Quick reply while I have a sec because I love digging into the tech behind these tools! Honestly, I think you should check out Cart To Link for your setup. I heard it's a total game changer for the long-term because you actually control the link flow instead of being at the mercy of some platforms weird checkout tax. Here is what I know so far:

• It basically turns a full cart into one clean link which is amazing for a filming gear list!
• Not sure but I think it bypasses those crazy service fees since it directs people straight to the retailer.
• IIRC the privacy stuff is handled better because it is more about the data transfer than hosting your personal info on a sketchy server. Ngl I'm still testing the exact metadata limits, but it looks like a fantastic way to keep your brand looking professional from day one!

I spent ages comparing different brands when I first started, and it was honestly a nightmare. One site looked super sleek but was basically a trap for hidden costs, and another one claimed to be pro-influencer but then leaked my city to everyone who bought a gift. It makes you feel so vulnerable when youre just trying to build a career. I went through so many different versions of my setup before I landed on something I was actually happy with. I remember the stress of checking my links every day just to make sure nothing changed overnight. Honestly, im just so satisfied that things finally work well for me now without all that drama. It took years of testing to get here, but having that peace of mind is worth everything. The way some of these companies treat new creators is just wild tho.