Start with the buyer
Describe who a product may suit, the needs it addresses, and the trade-offs that matter for that choice.
Buyer-first product research, in progress
Choose with the whole picture.
Merit is being developed to help people compare online products using buyer-relevant evidence, clear trade-offs, and visible uncertainty.
This is an early preview. There are no product listings, recommendations, affiliate links, or accounts. Checkout is disabled; no purchases or service requests are accepted through this page.
A standard we are building toward
Useful comparisons need more than a star rating.
A decision should make clear what is known, what is disputed, and what still needs checking.
Show the evidence
Keep source, date, region, and tested configuration visible. Separate independent research from firsthand experience.
Count the full cost
Consider current availability, required extras, returns, cancellation, warranty, and support alongside the headline price.
Keep hard questions visible
Record relevant privacy, security, reliability, merchant-conduct, and ethical concerns, including unresolved ones.
Where commission fits
Commission can fund a business, but it is not evidence that a product is good. If future research includes an affiliate relationship, that relationship should be disclosed clearly and buyer fit should still guide the conclusion.