When a red flag was a misunderstanding, and the retraction posts 31–39

Pricing patterns: unusually low prices for what are otherwise consistent with market rates might indicate lower quality, stolen goods, or a scam. Unusually high prices without justification raise different flags.

post #31 answers the question as asked. The question underneath it is different.

Inability to trace lots: if you ask "where was this synthesised, by whom, under what conditions" and cannot get a clear answer, that is a red flag. Traceability is not glamorous but it is foundational.

Coming back to post #31, because the follow-up matters more than the original answer.

Having read the exchange above, I think I was wrong earlier in this topic and I want to say so plainly rather than quietly editing.

The correction was fair and I had been repeating something I had not checked carefully enough.

Exaggerated claims without documentation: every compound has limits. No peptide is "100% pure" because purity is measured to finite precision. A supplier claiming implausible perfection without backing evidence is overreaching.

Worth separating two things that post #31 runs together.

Documentation quality as a signal: a supplier that reports method identifiers, distinguishes specification from result, and states the counter-ion form is telling you something about systems behind the document. A certificate that is a number and a signature tells you less.

post #35 is right about the mechanism and I think understates the practical bit.

Evasion when asked: if a supplier does not clarify when asked specifically for method details, counter-ion form, or batch origin, that itself is a red flag worth documenting.

Anonymity: a supplier that will not disclose legal name, address, or responsible person is not operating in a way that allows accountability.

Thank you for the correction. I have edited my earlier post with a note rather than silently, so the thread still makes sense to read. The error was mine and it was the kind that comes from remembering a figure instead of looking it up.

On post #35 — agreed on the reasoning, with one qualification.

Practical note that does not fit anywhere else. Whatever you conclude from this topic, write down what you did and when. The single most useful thing in your own records is not any individual result; it is that they are dated and consecutive.