Methodology
Every number has a provenance.
A price is only useful if you know what kind of price it is, where it came from and when it was seen. These are the labels used across the catalogue.
What the catalogue covers
The catalogue is organised by category, not by one product type. It covers products, property, projects, software and services. A category appears in navigation only after at least one record passes the same evidence test; the rest are listed on the all categories page as research in progress.
Retail observation
A price seen at a named retailer on a stated date. It is a snapshot, not a promise. The record links to the source page and shows the observation date next to the amount.
Reference price
A manufacturer's or publisher's reference figure used to compare models. It may not be the amount a local retailer charges, and it is not presented as a local offer. We do not convert a reference figure into another currency; a local observation is added separately when one exists.
Estimate
A derived figure with a stated method. Estimates are not used to fill a missing retail observation silently. If a record has no price evidence, it says so.
Status is not verification
A product can be current, discontinued or announced while its price evidence is fresh, stale or absent. The status field describes the product; the price block describes the evidence. They are deliberately separate.
Images and third-party material
Product names, marks and specification text are used for identification. We do not copy a retailer's or publisher's photograph into the catalogue unless its licence allows that use. When a record has no licensed or original image, its social card uses the site-wide image instead of an unlicensed product photo.
Advertising and independence
Advertising is not part of the evidence. If ads are enabled, they are served separately from the records, kept off utility and legal pages, and never used to rank a record or change a price. A paid placement is not accepted as a source.
Sources and updates
Each record lists its sources and the date it was last verified. A page can be older than the day you read it. Check the source before relying on a price, especially for a time-sensitive purchase.
Corrections
A correction names the record and field, re-checks the source and updates the observation date. We do not remove a record merely because its price aged; the date is the context that makes the number honest.
What we will not do
We will not invent a benchmark, a citation, a retailer or an offer. We will not present a converted reference price as a local retail price. We will not rank a product because a seller paid for placement.
Prices change without notice. A dated observation is evidence of what was seen, not a guarantee of what you will pay.