Methodology
How BuyMetric researches products
Our approach is built on evidence and traceability: every claim should be traceable to a source, or labelled as our own judgement.
What exists today, and what does not. BuyMetric is new. This page describes the standards we are building to and apply to what we publish. At the time of writing, the site contains educational guides only. It does not yet contain a product database, tracked prices, price history, product rankings or scores. When those appear, they will follow this page. Our guides already carry evidence notes that list the published sources behind their technical statements, and say where we could not find support.
Our starting point
We do not personally test every product, and at present we do not carry out hands-on product testing at all. Our approach is to collect and organise information carefully, show where it came from, and be honest about what it can and cannot tell you. That means we will never describe a product as "tested" or write about personal experience of it unless that is genuinely true.
Where information may come from
As the system develops, we expect information to come from sources such as:
- Manufacturer specifications.
- Authorised retailer and product listings.
- Product data feeds supplied through affiliate networks, where we have been approved to use them.
- Prices we intend to track over time.
- Structured product information, such as model numbers and standard product identifiers.
We do not intend to copy retailer reviews, and we will respect the terms under which any data is supplied to us.
Recording sources and dates
Each piece of product information should be recorded with its source and, where it applies, the date and time it was retrieved. A price is only meaningful at a particular time and from a particular seller, so any price we show should say both. If we cannot show where something came from, we should not present it as a fact.
Four kinds of information, kept separate
| Label | What it means | Example of the kind of thing |
|---|---|---|
| Verified fact | Directly supported by an available source that we can identify. | A stated dock type, a stated height in centimetres, a price at a named seller on a stated date. |
| Derived information | A calculation or comparison produced from verified inputs, with the method stated. | The lowest tracked price over a period, or a price compared with another model's. |
| Editorial judgement | Our interpretation, made against criteria we state. | A statement that a feature set suits a particular type of household. |
| Unknown or unverified | Something we cannot confidently establish. We say so and do not fill the gap. | A feature that sources disagree on, or a figure we cannot find a source for. |
Manufacturer-stated specifications are claims by the manufacturer. We will describe them that way and will not present them as measured performance.
How we intend to rank or compare products
- Criteria and weightings are published before any ranking is shown.
- A word such as "best" is always tied to stated criteria and a date, for example "best value for a small flat, by our published criteria, as at [date]". It is never an unexplained label.
- Only verified specifications feed into calculated scores. Unverified information is shown as unverified and excluded.
- Rankings are based on the product and the information about it, not on how much commission it may earn us.
- Where more than one retailer sells the same product, we will not choose which to feature on the basis of commission alone.
Price information
When price tracking launches, we will show the seller and date with each price, and show a price relative to what we have actually tracked. We will not display a discount unless it is measured against our own records, and we will explain the basis. Retailer-stated "was" prices will not be repeated as if they were our data. We will not invent, estimate or back-fill price history.
What we don’t do
- We don’t pretend to have tested products we haven’t tested.
- We don’t invent reviews, quotes or ratings.
- We don’t manufacture price histories.
- We don’t claim something is “the best” without explaining the criteria.
- We don’t treat affiliate commission as a reason to rank one product above another.
- We don’t present AI-generated or automated research as personal experience.
- We don’t knowingly fill gaps with invented information.
Use of automation and AI
We expect to use software, including AI tools, to collect data, check it and help draft explanations. Our standard is that content should rest on sourced facts, that automated systems should not be allowed to introduce unsupported claims, and that people remain responsible for what is published. Automated drafting does not change any of the commitments on this page.
Errors and corrections
We will make mistakes. If you spot something wrong or unsupported, please tell us. We will correct errors promptly, and where a correction changes the meaning of what we published, we will say so on the page.
Commercial relationships
BuyMetric intends to earn commission from affiliate links. This does not change the price you pay and does not decide what we say. See our affiliate disclosure for details.