What each check means
Five checks, five limits. Four follow beginner rules of thumb from seller guides, and the numbers for ad share and brand hold are our own.
Review barrier
The median number of reviews across the top ten organic results. It passes at 500 or fewer.
The rule of thumb says the top-ten average should be under 500. Shelfverdict uses the median instead, so one listing with tens of thousands of reviews does not hide a thin niche.
Young listings
How many of the top ten organic results have under 100 reviews. It passes at 3 or more.
The rule says several listings under 100 reviews should still sell. A new seller needs proof that a young listing can rank, and “several” is read here as at least three of ten.
Ad share
Sponsored cards as a share of all cards on the page. It passes at 30% or less.
No published figure exists, so the limit is ours. A page where more than three in ten cards are ads is a niche you would have to pay your way into. The count includes every card on the page, not only the top ten.
Brand hold
The share of the top ten held by the most common brand. It passes at 30% or less, which is three listings.
The rule says no dominant brand and gives no number, so the 30% is ours. The brand is the first word of each title, which is a guess. It can split one brand in two or join two brands that start with the same word, and the card marks this check as an estimate.
Price band
The median price of the top ten, held to a band for the page’s currency.
| Currency | Band |
|---|---|
| US dollar | 15 to 50 |
| Euro | 15 to 50 |
| Pound sterling | 12 to 40 |
The rule says $15 to $50. The euro band keeps those numbers and the pound band is set a little lower, our own choice with no conversion behind it. Any other currency is not judged.
Price gaps, not scored
Separately, the card notes a jump of more than 40% between two neighbouring prices in the top ten, such as no listing between $14.00 and $25.00. It is shown as information and does not change the stamp.