What should you look for in vendor reviews on independent sites?

Look for patterns, not individual reviews

One bad review among hundreds of good ones is likely an outlier. But if 30% of reviews mention the same problem—slow communication, damaged delivery, poor quality—that's a pattern worth taking seriously. Count recurring complaints.

Read recent reviews, not old ones

A vendor's service can change over time. Recent reviews are more predictive of what you'll experience. A business that was excellent two years ago might have deteriorated, or improved. Focus on the last six months of reviews.

Pay attention to review length

Short reviews ("Great!" or "Terrible") give you little information. Longer reviews with specifics are more useful: "Took three weeks to deliver and arrived damaged, but customer service replaced it immediately." Detailed reviews tell you how problems are handled.

Check the rating distribution

All 5-star reviews is suspicious. All 1-star reviews means something's very wrong. A realistic mix suggests honest feedback. Look at the percentages: if 80% are 4-5 stars and 20% are 1-2 stars, that's a healthy distribution.

Notice what reviewers compare against

Reviewers who mention other vendors they've used previously give context. "Better than Vendor X but not as good as Vendor Y" tells you how they stack up competitively. This comparative feedback is more useful than standalone praise.