Todays vetting checklist, adding a few new points

Do they ever push back when you ask something specific, like asking them to clarify a batch number? The ones that get defensive over small questions are the ones I quietly stop bothering with

honestly, i started asking who actually runs the lab and whether that name shows up anywhere else on their site. Two sources I liked until I did that had results credited to a lab that seemed to exist only in their own PDFs

I started checking whether the batch numbers on their labels actually match what shows up on the lab report, and a couple of sources fell apart right there. One had a report dated months before the batch it was supposedly testing.

Do they list a batch or lot number you can match to the lab report?

I started asking whether they'll send the actual lab PDF instead of just a screenshot in the listing, since dates are easy to crop around.

I've started asking for the lot number before I order, and the ones who answer right away usually turn out fine. Anyone who gets vague about it loses my business.

honestly, the one that keeps biting me is whether their shipping notice actually matches the label on the box, because twice now those dates drifted apart. How do you handle a source that passes every check but ships slow

Cold chain questions are the ones that separate people for me too. I ask how they pack for a philadelphia summer and the ones who say "insulated with gel packs, ships monday to wednesday" get my order

idk, i've started checking whether a source can tell me the actual storage temp they ship at, not just "cold chain handled." The ones that give me a real number or range seem to be the same ones whose packaging arrives solid

Do they answer the same question twice the same way? I ask a source something small early on, then ask again weeks later, and if the story shifts I get wary.

do you actually weigh the "recent dates" thing against how long they take to answer. I keep going back and forth on which one tells me more before i commit

Do they list the actual testing lab by name or just say third party tested? That has started mattering more to me than the paperwork itself.

how long a reply takes after you've already paid says more than the pre sale chat. That's the one i weight heaviest now

I do the same rephrase thing after getting a vague answer once. Ask about storage temps a second way and see if the number matches.