How We Review Products

• 3 min read

Our Research Methodology
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SetupScore reviews are built on large-scale customer review analysis. We don’t physically test products—instead, we analyze what happens after the honeymoon period ends, tracking real-world experiences over months and years.

Why this approach? Because one reviewer’s 2-week experience tells you less than 2,000 customers’ long-term experiences.

Customer Review Analysis
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We analyze 500-2,000 verified Amazon purchase reviews per product using sentiment analysis and pattern detection to identify:

  • Long-term reliability: Does it still work after 6 months? 2 years?
  • Common failure modes: What breaks first? How often?
  • Real-world performance: Does it match marketing claims?
  • Hidden costs: Warranty claims, replacement parts, customer service quality
  • Regional differences: US vs UK vs EU product quality variations

This approach gives us data from thousands of hours of real-world use—far more than any single reviewer could provide.

Multi-Region Price Tracking
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We monitor prices across Amazon US, UK, DE, FR, ES, and IT stores. Our automated price tracking checks availability and pricing to help you find the best deals regardless of your location.

Spec Verification Through Customer Reports
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We don’t measure products ourselves, but we track when customers report discrepancies:

  • Standing desks: Height range claims, noise levels, wobble issues, motor failures
  • Office chairs: Lumbar support quality, build quality issues, long-term comfort degradation
  • Monitors: Color accuracy complaints, dead pixels, warranty claim experiences

When 15% of customers report “noisy motors” but the manufacturer claims “whisper quiet,” we flag it.

Update Schedule
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  • Customer sentiment: Analyzed when new patterns emerge
  • Reviews: Updated quarterly or when significant new data arrives
  • Pricing: Monitored continuously

Why Not Physical Testing?
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Traditional review sites test one unit for 2-4 weeks. We analyze thousands of experiences over 6-24 months.

Problems with traditional testing:

  • ✗ Honeymoon bias (everything feels great when new)
  • ✗ Can’t detect long-term reliability issues
  • ✗ Limited to reviewer’s body type, workspace, use case
  • ✗ Manufacturer can send cherry-picked units
  • ✗ Expensive = fewer products covered

Benefits of our approach:

  • ✓ Tracks real-world reliability over time
  • ✓ Identifies patterns across diverse users
  • ✓ Catches quality control issues (some batches fail, others don’t)
  • ✓ Detects silent spec changes
  • ✓ Can cover unlimited products

Example: A standing desk might feel rock-solid in week 2. But our analysis shows 8% of users report motor failure between months 10-14. Traditional reviewers miss this—we don’t.

Editorial Independence
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We do not:

  • Accept payment for positive reviews or rankings
  • Feature products we wouldn’t recommend based on data
  • Cherry-pick only positive customer reviews
  • Allow manufacturers to influence our analysis
  • Hide negative findings or patterns

We do:

  • Earn affiliate commissions when you purchase through our Amazon links (typically 3-5%)
  • Disclose all affiliate relationships
  • Maintain full editorial control over all recommendations
  • Let the data decide rankings, not marketing budgets

Scoring System
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Our 10-point scoring system weights:

  • Customer Satisfaction (35%): Overall review sentiment, recommendation rate
  • Long-Term Reliability (30%): Failure rates, durability patterns over 6-24 months
  • Value (20%): Price vs. features and longevity
  • Performance (15%): Does it do what it claims? Feature completeness

Products scoring 8.0+ earn our “Recommended” badge. Scores below 7.0 include detailed explanations of common issues.

Transparency
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What we analyze:

  • Verified Amazon purchase reviews (US/UK/DE/FR/ES/IT)
  • Review patterns and sentiment over time
  • Price history and availability
  • Warranty claim patterns (when data is available)
  • Manufacturer spec sheets vs. customer reports

What we DON’T do:

  • Physical hands-on testing
  • Lab measurements
  • Individual unit inspections
  • Manufacturer facility visits

We’re honest about our methodology because we believe it’s actually superior for identifying products that last.

Methodology Disclosure
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Every review page includes a methodology badge explaining:

  • Number of customer reviews analyzed
  • Time period covered
  • Data sources used
  • Analysis date

We believe transparency builds trust. Questions about our methodology? Email: reviews@setupscore.com

Last updated: February 10, 2026