ConsensusScout exists because product search is saturated with affiliate content that rewrites its conclusions around whatever pays best. These are the rules that keep this site from becoming that — written plainly so you can hold us to them.
Verdicts, sentiment scores, failure points and persona fit are derived only from owner discussions. No retailer, brand or referral program can change a score, a ranking or the wording of a verdict. The code that computes scores has no access to retailer data at all.
Retailers cannot buy a listing, a position or a badge. The retailer directory is ordered alphabetically per channel — never by payout — and non-partner retailers always appear alongside any partner.
The retailer directory is link-only: each row opens the retailer's own listing so you see the live price yourself. The price cycle widget shows a modelled street-value band and is labelled 'modelled estimate' everywhere it appears — it is a buying-timing signal, not a quote.
There are no referral programs attached today. If one is ever added, that link will carry a visible 'partner link' label and the ordering and inclusion rules on this page will not change. Nothing gets added to or removed from the directory because of a payout.
Pro subscriptions ($2.99/month or $19/year) cover the analysis and price-sweep costs. That's deliberate: readers paying for depth keeps the incentive pointed at accuracy rather than clicks. Everything editorial — verdicts, failure points, comparisons, cited sources — stays free and unpaywalled.
ConsensusScout is independent and affiliate-free. Price figures are modelled street values, not live retailer quotes — retailer links open the seller's own listing.