prOk…in short, and as polite as possible, your message makes both an inaccurate and unnecessary accusation (questioning my honestly) and statement (suggesting the links are potentially dangerous).
Yes, the links do credit KLOV with incoming traffic to eBay. eBay uses the intermediate URL to tell where the traffic came from. If a sale results, eBay contributes back a small fee.
The link-tracking system you see was designed by Ebay in conjunction with ValueClick/CJ, one of the oldest, largest, and most reputable ad networks. It does NOT "potentially open (users) up to spyware/adware in the process". The links ARE official links to eBay, and thus are as reputable as eBay itself. Additionally, I would figure you would find the KLOV and WebMagic reputable, since you have been an active message board member for three and a half years. There are also some simple javascript techniques that could be used to make the complex URL link look like a simpler one.
No code is installed on your computer when you use the tool or the links, no pop-up box asks you if it is 'OK' to install something. If we (eBay and us) wanted to be sneaky or "not exactly honest", we could have hidden tracking information inside third-party cookies and had simpler URL links. The web browser cookie system does have some hardly-known ways to set third-party cookies on a web browser without creating an error or warning message and without being automatically blocked.
Our search reports are a win-win-win process. Our visitors get 'smart searching' in a way that doesn't exist on eBay. eBay gets more exposure to itself and to listings. And the KLOV gets a small amount of extra revenue to help build-out more features.
WebMagic has over a decade of experience working with ad networks. Our size allows us direct access to the best ones, and we don't work with unknown, unnecessary, and disreputable resellers or middleman (which is where many problems on the web tend to come from).
We only work with the top 1% of companies, like Yahoo and eBay. I have a personal relationship with both Yahoo and eBay and have personally spoken to –several- staff members -from each- as recently as last week.
We don't sell info to spammers, we don't send you to automatic unrequested pop-up hell, and we think there is a special very hot place in the afterlife for purveyors of spyware/adware.
The KLOV site has traditionally lost on average about $1000 /month (mostly in hired labor to process submissions). Some months cost twice that, some nothing. I would like to see it be simply self-sufficient and break-even. Minor revenue contributions, plus an upcoming improved system to let volunteers help with the KLOV should allow the KLOV to be largely self-sufficient (hopefully within the next 6 months). The revenue isn't why I created the eBay search report system--I've been using an enhanced version of it for myself for years. If eBay is willing to contribute $ for sending traffic to them that we would send them anyway, it's a plus.