✅ Vendor Verification Guide

Before purchasing from any vendor, thoroughly review their feedback history. Sort reviews by most recent to see their current performance — not just their overall score. Look for detailed reviews that mention specific product quality, shipping times, and communication responsiveness. Be cautious of vendors with hundreds of reviews but only vague, one-line positive feedback. Check the reviewer accounts to see if they have activity beyond a single review, which could indicate review manipulation.

Verify a vendor identity by checking their PGP key fingerprint against known records across multiple markets and forums. A legitimate vendor will sign messages with the same key on all platforms. Request a signed message if you have doubts. Import the vendor public key into your PGP client and verify any signed communications or product authenticity claims. If a vendor key suddenly changes without a signed transition announcement, treat them as potentially compromised.

Evaluate vendor performance metrics holistically: account age (minimum 3-6 months for established credibility), total completed orders (50+ for reliable track record), dispute win rate (how often the vendor loses disputes), average response time (should be under 24 hours), and percentage of orders marked shipped on time. Compare these metrics against other vendors in the same category. New vendors with zero disputes are not necessarily more trustworthy — they may simply have too few transactions to evaluate.