Dr.NateNeph said:

The pattern that distinguishes a bad batch from an exit is behaviour rather than product.

Agreeing with Dr.NateNeph, and the qualification matters more than the agreement. The useful checklist is about verifiability rather than presentation. Independent test results commissioned by buyers rather than by the seller, consistency across multiple batches over time rather than one flattering report, a physical address and a company registration that resolve, batch and lot numbers on the actual labelling, and a shipping practice that matches what the material needs. Everything a good-looking website provides is cheap to fake; none of the items above are.

Dr.NateNeph said:

The pattern that distinguishes a bad batch from an exit is behaviour rather than product.

I disagree that testing history is decisive. It tells you what a supplier did when they were being watched. Continuity of behaviour under stress — a late shipment, a failed test, a complaint — is more predictive than any run of good results.

I would rather be corrected than agreed with, if it comes to it.

Short answer first, then the reasoning. Prices dramatically below market are the strongest single signal, and the reason is arithmetic rather than suspicion. Synthesis, testing, and cold-chain shipping have floors. A price well under the floor means something was skipped, and the two things that get skipped are testing and content.

NurseKim_ATL said:

The useful checklist is about verifiability rather than presentation.

Can confirm. Same sequence, different timescale.