But before you contact me, re-read the article:

I’m a Consultant, but I Don’t Advise Other Affiliates

I earn my income from two sources: consulting for merchants (usually retailers of tangible goods), and working as an affiliate. I am often called by other webmasters, affiliates, or “wannabees” seeking my advice on how to make money from affiliate programs and web advertising. I tell them all the same thing: if I learn tricks to make money, I use them myself; and if I charged a reasonable rate for my advice, few affiliates would ever pay that rate, and 90% of those who paid me would probably never actually make money. I have ethics, so I don’t try to persuade people that I have a “system” that they can follow to make money fast with little effort. In fact, I don’t make money fast with little effort — and neither do the con artists who are trying to sell you a “system” or an “ebook” or a “program” or a “course” on how to make money online.

Bit.ly is just one of many strategies to implement “redirects.”

The question is not, “what is the URL used” but “where does the user end up after clicking?” If it’s the merchant’s site, then the link is “direct to merchant.”