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How We Rank Vendors

RefurbVerify uses a Bayesian-adjusted, 3-component scoring model — the same statistical method used by Amazon, IMDb and Netflix to produce fair, sample-size-aware trust scores.

1. Overview

Every vendor receives a TrustScore from 0 to 100, computed from three components plus a volume bonus:

60
Review Aggregate
Bayesian-adjusted weighted average of Trustpilot (2×) and ProductReview.com.au (1×) star ratings, scaled to 60 points.
20
Refurb Transparency
Grade descriptions, battery health disclosure, warranty clarity, returns policy quality. Max 20 points.
20
Operations & Legitimacy
Australian ABN, physical AU operations, contact information, years in business. Max 20 points.
+ Volume Bonus (up to +10 pts) Vendors with higher verified review counts earn bonus points — rewarding sustained, long-term customer engagement. Formula: (vendor reviews ÷ total reviews) × 10.

The final formula is:

TrustScore = Review Aggregate (0–60)
               + Refurb Transparency (0–20)
               + Operations & Legitimacy (0–20)
               + Volume Bonus (0–10)
               = 0 to 100

2. Bayesian Rating Adjustment

Raw star ratings are not used directly. Instead, each rating is Bayesian-adjusted to correct for sample size bias — the same technique used by Amazon product rankings, IMDb movie scores, and Netflix recommendations.

The problem with raw ratings

A vendor with 4.9★ from 12 reviews and a vendor with 4.7★ from 97,000 reviews cannot be fairly compared using raw stars alone. The small-sample rating is statistically unreliable — it could easily be 4.2★ or 5.0★ with more data. The large-sample rating is close to ground truth.

The Bayesian formula

Adjusted Rating = (n × raw_rating + K × prior) ÷ (n + K)

Where:
  n = number of reviews for this vendor
  raw_rating = observed star rating (e.g. 4.8)
  K = 5,000 (prior weight — equivalent "virtual" reviews)
  prior = 3.5★ (market mean — neutral starting point)
How to read this formula When a vendor has very few reviews (n ≪ K), the adjusted rating is pulled strongly toward 3.5★ — reflecting our uncertainty. When a vendor has many reviews (n ≫ K), the adjusted rating stays close to the observed rating — reflecting high confidence. K = 5,000 means we need roughly 5,000 reviews before we give full weight to the observed rating.

Worked example: Reebelo vs OzMobiles

This is why Reebelo ranks #1 despite OzMobiles having a higher raw Trustpilot rating:

Step OzMobiles Reebelo AU
Raw Trustpilot ★4.84.7
Review volume~20,000~97,000
Bayesian TP adjustment
(n × rating + 5000 × 3.5) ÷ (n + 5000)		 (20,000×4.8 + 5,000×3.5) ÷ 25,000
= 4.54★		 (97,000×4.7 + 5,000×3.5) ÷ 102,000
= 4.64★
Raw ProductReview ★4.54.5
Bayesian PR adjustment4.30★4.45★
Weighted avg
(TP×2 + PR×1) ÷ 3		 (4.54×2 + 4.30) ÷ 3
= 4.46★		 (4.64×2 + 4.45) ÷ 3
= 4.58★
Review score (÷5 × 60)53.5 / 6054.9 / 60
Transparency + Ops18 + 18 = 3617 + 17 = 34
Volume bonus+1.0+5.0
Final TrustScore90.5 → 91 / 10093.9 → 94 / 100 🥇

Reebelo's 4.7★ from 97,000 reviews is statistically more reliable than OzMobiles' 4.8★ from 20,000 reviews. After Bayesian adjustment, Reebelo's effective rating is actually higher, making it the rightful #1 ranked vendor.

3. Component Detail

Review Aggregate (max 60 pts)

We combine Trustpilot and ProductReview.com.au star ratings using a weighted average, with Trustpilot carrying 2× the weight per review (reflecting its stronger fraud-detection and verification processes). The minimum sample threshold is 20 reviews per platform — smaller samples receive a warning flag.

Weighted avg = (Bayes_Trustpilot × 2 + Bayes_ProductReview × 1) ÷ 3
Review Score = (Weighted avg ÷ 5) × 60

If only one platform has data, that platform's Bayesian-adjusted score is used directly for all 60 points.

Refurb Transparency (max 20 pts)

We assess how clearly the vendor communicates refurbishment quality to buyers:

Grade descriptions (A/B/C or equivalent): 0–6 pts
Battery health disclosure: 0–4 pts
Warranty terms (length + coverage): 0–4 pts
Returns policy (timeframe + conditions): 0–4 pts
Refurb process transparency: 0–2 pts

Operations & Legitimacy (max 20 pts)

We verify that the vendor is a genuine, operating Australian business:

Australian ABN registered & active: 0–6 pts
Australian physical operations: 0–5 pts
Published contact (phone/email/address): 0–4 pts
Years in continuous operation: 0–3 pts
Active social & support channels: 0–2 pts

Volume Bonus (up to +10 pts)

Review volume is a signal of sustained customer engagement. Vendors with larger verified review counts receive a proportional bonus:

Volume Bonus = (vendor_review_count ÷ 194,000 total) × 10

Example: Reebelo has 97,000 reviews, so 97,000 ÷ 194,000 × 10 = +5.0 pts. The total review pool updates as new vendors are added.

4. Sentiment Bands

Final TrustScores are grouped into four tiers:

≥ 86
🏆 Top Rated
Exceptional review scores, strong transparency and verified AU operations. Highest confidence for buyers.
70–85
✅ Rated
Good track record. Some limitations in review volume, transparency or operations relative to Top Rated tier.
< 70
⚠ Fair
Below-average review sentiment, limited transparency, or marketplace-model vendors where quality varies by seller.
—
🔲 Unrated
Insufficient review data on either platform to compute a reliable score. Listed in the directory for awareness.

5. Data Sources

🟢 Trustpilot
Primary review platform. Carries 2× per-review weighting due to stronger identity verification and anti-fraud systems. Minimum 20 reviews required for inclusion without warning.
🔵 ProductReview.com.au
Australian-native review platform. Carries 1× weighting. Provides local consumer sentiment specific to the AU market.
🏛 Australian Business Register
Used to verify Australian Business Numbers (ABN) for all assessed vendors. ABN status is a mandatory legitimacy check.
🌐 Vendor websites
Assessed directly for transparency components — grading descriptions, battery health disclosure, warranty and returns policies.

6. Important Notes

⚠ Whole-platform scores Some ratings reflect whole-platform scores — not just refurbished products. For example, Kogan, Big W, eBay and Amazon reviews cover all products sold on those platforms, not exclusively refurbished items. Treat scores for marketplace-model vendors with extra caution.
⚠ Point-in-time snapshot Review data is captured periodically and may not reflect the most recent reviews. Vendor policies (warranty, returns, grading) are checked at time of scoring and may have changed. Always verify current terms directly with the vendor before purchasing.
ℹ Information only — not advice RefurbVerify TrustScores are compiled for information purposes only and do not constitute purchasing advice, financial advice or endorsement of any vendor. See our full disclaimer & terms.
Methodology version: v6 (Bayesian-adjusted) · Introduced: May 2026
Key change from v5: Star ratings now Bayesian-adjusted using K=5,000 virtual reviews and a 3.5★ market prior, replacing the raw-rating approach. This corrects for sample-size bias and aligns with industry-standard methods used by Amazon, IMDb and Netflix.
Score recomputed: