E-commerce affiliate platform
Refersion Affiliate Link Checker
Refersion links don’t go through a network domain at all — they’re direct merchant URLs carrying an rfsn parameter, tracked by a script on the merchant’s store. That means they break differently: if the merchant uninstalls Refersion, changes platforms, or the product URL dies, your link fails with no network error page to catch.
How Refersion links work
Typical link
https://merchant-store.com/products/item?rfsn=1234567.abcdefRefersion is installed on the merchant’s own store (commonly Shopify). Your affiliate link is simply the store URL with an rfsn parameter; the Refersion snippet on the page reads it and sets the attribution cookie.
No network hop means no network error pages — and no safety net. The link’s health is entirely a function of the merchant page being live and the Refersion install still running on it.
Link domains
(merchant domains) · refersion.com
Tracking parameters
| Parameter | Role |
|---|---|
| rfsn | Your Refersion tracking code — the entire attribution mechanism |
How Refersion links break
Merchant uninstalls Refersion or migrates platforms
The URL may still load perfectly while the rfsn parameter does nothing. This is the hardest affiliate failure to detect by eye — the page looks completely normal.
Product URL dies
Shopify product URLs change with catalog restructures. The rfsn survives on a 404 page, which helps nobody.
Parameter stripped by redirects
If the merchant adds redirects (http→https, domain changes) that drop query strings, the rfsn is lost in transit and attribution never fires.
Error signals Afterlink detects
These are actual failure fingerprints from Afterlink's validation engine for Refersion links:
- ▸Product page returning 404 or soft-404 ("this product is no longer available")
- ▸rfsn parameter lost through the merchant’s own redirects
- ▸Homepage redirect from a former product URL
How Afterlink checks Refersion links
Afterlink extracts every link from your YouTube channel or website, recognizes Refersion links by domain and parameter signature, then runs five checks on each one: the full redirect chain (including JavaScript and meta-refresh redirects), network error-page detection, destination verification against the embedded target, tracking parameter analysis, and deep-link decay detection (product page silently replaced by a homepage). Every link gets a clear verdict — working, warning, or broken — with the evidence attached.
Frequently asked questions
How do I know if a merchant still runs Refersion?
Confirm your test clicks appear in your Refersion dashboard. From the outside, page-level checks can verify the link resolves with the rfsn intact — attribution beyond that is only visible in the dashboard.
My Refersion link loads fine — can it still be broken?
Yes. If the merchant removed Refersion or your program ended, the page loads normally and pays nothing. Periodic test clicks plus dashboard checks are the only complete verification; automated link scanning catches the page-level failures (404s, redirects, stripped parameters) continuously.
Troubleshoot Refersion
- Refersion Links Not Working? Diagnose and Fix Them
- Refersion Link Redirects to Homepage Instead of the Product — Fix
- Refersion Tracking Not Working? How to Verify and Fix Attribution
- Refersion Program Closed or Merchant Left? What Happens to Your Links
- How to Test Refersion Affiliate Links (Complete Procedure)
Related networks
Check every affiliate link you've ever published
If you've published Refersion links, some of them are probably broken right now. Afterlink scans your entire YouTube channel or website, follows every redirect chain, and alerts you the day a link breaks.
Run a free scan