Review methodology

Our testing routine

Every review on this site follows the same five steps. The routine is deliberately boring so the numbers hold up across months.

1. Screening order

We place a small first order to confirm the service exists, the fee matches the listing and the warehouse accepts the item category. Screening orders are not scored. If the service fails twice at this stage, we write nothing.

2. Bench intake

Items that clear screening are ordered again and logged on arrival: date, warehouse intake scan, storage shelf, photo-check result. We record the packaged weight on a 0.1 g scale and measure the outer carton with digital calipers to the nearest millimetre, then compute volumetric weight using the carrier divisor printed on the label.

3. Packing and consolidation

We request consolidation, reinforcement and label changes in a single ticket, then photograph the parcel before and after. A fixed reference set — folded hoodie, paperback, ceramic mug, trainers, 500 ml bottle — goes into every packaging comparison. Fit checks record whether the mug survives a 60 cm drop onto foam and whether the bottle leaks under a 5 kg stack.

4. Transit and arrival

Parcels go to three fixed destinations: Rotterdam, Manchester and Singapore. We log four timestamps — intake scan, pack complete, carrier first scan, signature — and add them to the quarterly timing table.

5. Scoring

Each review scores four things: preparation accuracy, packaging protection, timing against the stated window, and cost against a like-for-like non-consolidated shipment. Each is rated on the five-point scale and the overall score is a weighted average rounded to one decimal. Hands-on scores run from 4.0 to 5.0. A 5 means we would repeat the order without changing anything; a 4 means we would repeat it with a note to a friend.

What we do not do

We do not test with borrowed items, we do not accept warehouse staff walkthroughs as evidence, and we do not score a service we have not run through all five steps.