LipidDoc_ATL said:

Prices dramatically below market are the strongest single signal, and the reason is arithmetic rather than suspicion.

My experience ordering cross-border ordering internationally: I've ordered from an Australian compounder. Customs can be hit or miss.

Shipping time: 5-10 days
Customs clearance: was seized once, reshipped free
Quality: Janoshik tested at 98.2% purity

International ordering adds complexity but can save 60-80% compared to US prices. Research your country's import laws first.

AttorneyGrant said:

Agreed, with a caveat about community reputation: it is a lagging indicator.

That reframing is the part I needed. Printing the relevant bit and taking it with me.

LipidDoc_ATL said:

Prices dramatically below market are the strongest single signal, and the reason is arithmetic rather than suspicion.

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.

The figures, for anyone assembling their own picture. The boring version of this is the one that works, and the boring version is: measure a baseline, change one variable, wait, measure again under the same conditions. Nobody wants that answer and it is still the answer.

Worth separating that from vendor vetting, which this thread keeps folding into the same question. They behave differently and the advice does not transfer.

Moderator note: the sourcing question belongs in the vendor section and has been split out.