Start with a resolved identity
Record the exact business name and domain. Keep the business location, dispatch origin and advertised delivery destinations in separate fields. A familiar-looking brand or domain is not evidence of a registered business relationship. If you cannot resolve an identity, preserve that uncertainty before comparing offers.
Follow the documentation trail
Find the original report, its issuer, the sample description and the report identifier. A supplier statement that testing took place is different from a report you can read, and a readable report is different from one authenticated by its issuer. Record those steps separately.
Read the policy before the price
Check published shipping, return, cancellation and support information. Save the source and observation date. Do not interpret advertised shipping as permission to import or market a particular material. Research procurement requirements should be confirmed through your institution.
Compare the same kind of service
A stock catalogue, a custom-synthesis project and an analytical laboratory solve different problems. Within a category, compare matching specifications and state which fields are unknown. An unexplained numeric score hides more than it clarifies.
