Research you can actually
trust — and trace.
We're a team of consumer advocates, former retail buyers, and category-specialist researchers. Every score on this site is earned through data — not a payment.
Why we built this
Most review sites are paid-placement directories in disguise. We built something different.
Trusted Buyer Report started from a simple frustration: the "best of" lists dominating Google were almost universally pay-to-play. Stores that paid for placement sat at the top. Stores that didn't — even if they were genuinely better — disappeared.
"We believe the single most important thing a review site can do is make its methodology fully public — and then actually follow it."
We recruited a team with backgrounds in consumer journalism, retail buying, and product testing. We built AI tooling to help us read patterns across tens of thousands of verified shopper reviews — the kind of signal analysis that would take a human weeks to do manually.
Then we published our scoring framework publicly, named a human editor on every article, and made a hard rule: no store can pay for a better rating. Affiliate relationships fund us, but they are established after editorial work is complete — never before.
We are still early. But every review we publish is one more data point in the same direction: that honest, transparent research is both possible and valuable.
How every review gets made
A 3-phase process for every store review and buying guide — so you know the recommendation is based on real research, not sponsored content.
- No store can pay to be featured, ranked higher, or reviewed faster
- Affiliate links are placed after scores are locked and published — never before
- Products received for free are disclosed on the review page; free receipt does not inflate scores
- Every review carries the named editor who signed off, plus the date of the most recent update
- If a commercial relationship changes, existing scores are re-evaluated by an editor with no conflict
- Reader-submitted corrections are reviewed within 5 business days and published publicly if valid
How we use AI — and how we don't
AI is a research tool, not a publishing tool. Here's the exact boundary we hold ourselves to.
- Scans thousands of verified shopper reviews to detect statistical patterns
- Flags inconsistencies between a store's marketing claims and reported customer experience
- Monitors pricing history and return-policy changes at scale
- Generates structured research briefings for human editors to use as a starting point
- Powers AI Tools (Summarizer, Comparator, Shopping Assistant) — all clearly labeled
- Publish a review, score, or recommendation without a named human editor signing off
- Override or automatically change an editorial score without human review
- Generate content that isn't clearly labeled with an "AI" badge
- Contact a store, brand, or advertiser on our behalf
- Make any monetisation or affiliate-link decision
The rules we hold ourselves to
Publishing standards that cover accuracy, disclosure, conflict of interest, and corrections.
Questions about our process?
Our editorial team answers questions about methodology, corrections, and partnerships. We aim to respond to every message within 2 business days.
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