Todays shipping update, longer than usual

Adding a new point to my vetting checklist today after something felt off. What do you always check before trusting a source?

Ship times slowing down was my first clue with one source too, so I get the added checklist point. I mostly stick to places that were consistent for me over months, not just one good order. Down 13 lbs since then and that stability mattered more than any single batch.

I started screenshotting the checkout page and the confirmation email each time

What do you check first though, the batch paperwork or how they answer a basic email? Slow replies bug me more than slow shipping

What gets me is batch consistency, like do the vials look and label the same as last time. Had one where the label font changed and I just knew something was up

How long have they been around is my first filter too. If the site was registered last year and every review is five stars, I get suspicious.

What made you add it to the checklist? For me it was a source that kept changing their story on where the stuff actually ships from

The payment instructions changing thing is what gets me too, if a source can't keep its own checkout page straight it makes me wonder what else is drifting

payment details shifting is the one that gets me too, but I'd add batch photos to that list. If they can't show the same vials from the last order, i start squinting

I'd add whether the batch or lot number on the vial matches what's listed on their site. Had one where it didn't and that was enough for me to look elsewhere.

I started screenshotting the payment page each time before I send anything, so if the details shift later I have a record of what I actually agreed to.

I usually look at how long they've actually been around rather than what the site claims. A domain that's a few months old with a big stock list makes me slow down.

The heat question one is smart. I had a source that answered fast until I asked something specific about how they pack for summer, then it went quiet for days

honestly how long they've had the same domain is a big one for me too. I also check whether the batch paperwork matches the label on the vial.

Do they actually say what's in the vial on the label, or just a batch number? That one got me once, though the shipping notice point above is a better test than anything I check.

How long does it usually take them to answer a pre-sale question? That's my tell, if they're quick before i've paid but slow after, i notice

I check whether the tracking number actually starts moving within a day or two of the label being created. A label sitting there for a week before the carrier even scans it tells me more than any email update would

Do they answer a boring question like what carrier they use without making you feel like you're bothering them. That tells me more than a fancy site does

honestly i keep a running note of how fast they answer a plain email, no tracking question attached. Mine in El Paso got back to me same day on a Sunday once and that told me more than the product page did.

I keep a running note on whether they flag a delay before i notice it. Last source stayed quiet until i emailed, and that silence told me more than the tracking page did