I have a couple of websites and one is very gift-guide/party planning heavy, so I do referrals to my own products and some other designers if I don't have anything in the category. I usually try to use the html that Zazzle gives you if there's a collection to share, since that way I'm not using images, just the code. If I do use an image (if there isn't a collection) I use the Zazzle mockup, not the designer's mockup, since I don't know what the rules are for the platforms they got those mockups from. I don't like to do that, but sometimes someone has a cute item that I really want to include, and there's no collection to share.
Something else that you could do is to pin the thing to Pinterest, then use a Pinterest embed in the article. That's one way to get the image on your site without actually using the image, if that makes sense. You can add the link in the text in the article so that people don't have to go to Pinterest, they can just click to go to the listing.
I also don't use other people's images in the pins that I make for the articles unless I have their permission. One of my sites is an artisan shopping directory (that's my shop name on here) so I have people who have given me permission to be in the directory and use their images in my articles. I'll use those in pins, but not the people whose products I just choose randomly.
If someone ever asked me to remove one of their listings from an article I would, but I don't know why they would. I get a decent amount of traffic to the sites, so it's another place to find products online.
