Methodology
How confidence works
Reliability Score · 0–100
Four signals, fixed weights
The score describes how well-evidenced and well-behaved a supplier’s listings are. It does not describe product purity, safety or legality — PeptideCompare doesn’t test or audit products — and it is provisional while the directory launches.
| Component | Weight | What counts | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Link health | 25 | Share of a supplier’s live listings whose outbound link passed our latest automated check. | Automatic, checked daily. Unchecked links don’t count as working. A link only counts as broken after two failed checks in a row. |
| Documentation | 25 | Share of listings with an uploaded certificate-of-analysis file. | A claim without a file scores 0 for that listing and shows a warning. We count files, not promises — and we don’t verify what’s inside them. |
| Moderated buyer feedback | 35 | Average rating of approved reviews, scaled by how many there are. | Only reviews that passed human moderation count. Full volume credit needs 10+ approved reviews, so one glowing review can’t carry a score. |
| Account maturity | 15 | Months listed on PeptideCompare plus how complete the listings are (product URL and image). | Tenure is capped at 12 months. This is time and completeness — never money paid. |
Zero weight
What can’t move the score
Fees paid
Every supplier pays the same flat £10 + £1 per listing. A bigger plan doesn’t buy points.
Featured or paid placement
There isn’t any. Offers sort by price, with working links ahead of broken ones.
Self-assigned star ratings
A supplier rating itself is not a signal. Only moderated customer reviews count.
Commission or referral value
We take no sales commission, so nothing about a click or sale can influence ranking.
Moderated feedback
How a review gets onto a supplier page
- 1
Supplier generates a one-time invite
From their dashboard, a supplier creates a unique review link for a real customer (sent by email or message). The link works once.
- 2
Customer rates and adds proof
The customer gives 1–5 stars and a short written review about the order, then attaches proof: an order confirmation (PDF or screenshot) or the last 4 characters of the order number plus the order date.
- 3
Review goes into a pending queue
Nothing is public yet. A member of the PeptideCompare team checks the proof and the text before approving, rejecting or holding it — moderation happens 9am–5pm (UK time), Monday to Friday. Pending, held and rejected reviews never count towards a score.
- 4
Limits keep spam farms out
One review per invite. Invites expire after 30 days. Each supplier can create at most 25 invites a month.
- 5
Velocity alerts auto-hold bursts
If a supplier gets 5 or more five-star reviews inside 7 days, the new reviews are automatically held for closer staff review.
- 6
Public wording stays honest
Approved reviews are labelled “moderated feedback”, not “verified purchase”. We would only use that phrase if we later connect to payment-processor data that can actually confirm a sale.
An honest limit
Proof of purchase can be faked, and we can’t see a supplier’s sales. Invite links, proof checks, human moderation, rate limits and velocity alerts make fake feedback harder and more expensive than open star-ratings — they don’t make it impossible. That’s why we say “moderated feedback”, why the review component is capped, and why reviews can never be bought.
Link health
How broken links are ranked
Offers are sorted by the price option you choose, but an offer whose outbound link failed our last check always sits below offers with working links, whichever direction you sort. It stays visible with a Link issue — still listed badge. Outbound link failed our last check. Listing stays live and billable but ranks below working links.
Where every supplier starts
A new supplier scores 0/100
Scores are earned, not assigned. A supplier with no checked links, no uploaded certificates, no approved reviews and no history begins at zero on every signal and climbs only as real evidence accumulates. No suppliers are scored yet — we’re onboarding them now.
- Link health0/25
- Documentation0/25
- Moderated buyer feedback0/35
- Account maturity0/15