Frozen spec · v1.0

Methodology v1.0

The immutable scoring specification used to rank every supplier on SupplierSpy from 2026-04-17 onward. Weights, formula, and rubrics on this page do not change. If they need to change, a new version ships at a new URL and this one stays pinned as the historical record.

Effective 2026-04-17 → present Editor D.B. Shadow Contact hello@supplierspy.com

Weights

Eight dimensions. Integer weights. Total sums to 100.

KeyDimensionWeight
reviewScore Public reviews
Weighted average of Trustpilot, Shopify App Store, Capterra, G2 counts + stars. Normalized to a 0-100 scale per source, then blended.
20
pricingTransparency Pricing transparency
Are wholesale prices published without forcing signup? Any hidden markup over the source cost? Full ceiling only if the supplier shows the same price a retail buyer would see at the origin.
18
businessTransparency Business transparency
Legal entity disclosed, founders named, financials filed. Publicly listed entities with audited reports score highest; anonymous storefronts score lowest.
16
shippingClarity Shipping clarity
Origins listed by warehouse. Stated delivery ranges with carrier names. No "5-30 days" hand-waving.
12
productRange Product range
Breadth (categories) and depth (SKU count) of the catalog relevant to dropshippers.
10
access Access & onboarding
Free tier or low-friction trial? Can you inspect the catalog before handing over a card?
10
support Support track record
Public support reviews — response time, resolution rate, refund policy transparency.
8
integration Store integrations
Official apps for Shopify, WooCommerce, Wix, etc. Score reflects depth (order sync, inventory) not just a listing.
6
Total100

Formula

final_score = Σ (dimension × weight) ÷ 100

Each dimension is scored 0-100 as an integer against the rubric below. The final score is rounded to a whole number for display. Ties break alphabetically by supplier name — no hand-ranking, no editorial override.

Rubrics

Short form. Full per-dimension receipts live at /supplier/<slug>/signals for every supplier.

  • 20Public reviews
    Weighted average of Trustpilot, Shopify App Store, Capterra, G2 counts + stars. Normalized to a 0-100 scale per source, then blended.
  • 18Pricing transparency
    Are wholesale prices published without forcing signup? Any hidden markup over the source cost? Full ceiling only if the supplier shows the same price a retail buyer would see at the origin.
  • 16Business transparency
    Legal entity disclosed, founders named, financials filed. Publicly listed entities with audited reports score highest; anonymous storefronts score lowest.
  • 12Shipping clarity
    Origins listed by warehouse. Stated delivery ranges with carrier names. No "5-30 days" hand-waving.
  • 10Product range
    Breadth (categories) and depth (SKU count) of the catalog relevant to dropshippers.
  • 10Access & onboarding
    Free tier or low-friction trial? Can you inspect the catalog before handing over a card?
  • 8Support track record
    Public support reviews — response time, resolution rate, refund policy transparency.
  • 6Store integrations
    Official apps for Shopify, WooCommerce, Wix, etc. Score reflects depth (order sync, inventory) not just a listing.

Permalink & integrity

SHA-256 of the canonical spec text (weights + formula + version string):

58d561777287ba09f4dfb2d7e28f5c90d7aa18f40496d19438b202da7d19bbcf

If this hash changes, the spec has drifted — file a correction at /corrections. The hash is computed at request time against a frozen in-source constant, so it will only change if the source itself is edited.

Version history

  • v1.02026-04-17
    Initial public release. 8 dimensions, weights summing to 100, alphabetical tiebreak.

Full site-wide changelog: /changelog. Filed corrections: /corrections. Reproduce locally: /reproducibility.