Supplement Seller and Package Consistency Checklist

Identify the legal seller behind the storefront

A familiar platform, polished website, or brand photograph does not necessarily identify the business accepting the order. Record the seller's legal or trading name, physical address, customer-service contacts, domain, marketplace profile, and the entity named in checkout terms. On a marketplace, distinguish the platform from the third-party seller and the company fulfilling shipment. Save the listing URL and seller profile together because the same product page can host offers from several businesses.

Check whether contact details are internally consistent across the footer, terms, returns page, invoice description, and marketplace profile. A privacy service on a domain record is not proof of wrongdoing, and a long-established domain is not proof of authenticity. These are context fields only. More useful evidence includes a verifiable business identity, responsive contact route, clear return address, and a seller relationship confirmed through the manufacturer's own current channel or an authorized-retailer directory where one exists.

Match the listing to one exact product variation

Capture brand, full product name, format, flavor, package size, language, market, universal product code or other identifier, manufacturer, and label images. Compare the title, bullet points, panel, and variation selector for conflicts. A listing that combines reviews or images across sizes can create an accidental mismatch even when the seller is legitimate. Do not treat a stock photograph as evidence of the label that will arrive; mark it as seller-provided listing imagery.

Compare the listing with the manufacturer page and an authoritative label database when available. Differences can reflect a redesign, regional package, or old stock rather than counterfeiting. Record them precisely instead of declaring a conclusion. Ask the seller for the current package code or label photograph through the platform's documented messaging system if needed. Preserve the answer and date. A seller's unsupported assurance is one evidence item, not an independent verification.

Document package consistency after receipt

MIHEN's post-receipt notes are a consistency screen, not an authentication method. Photograph the product and shipping evidence without exposing personal information, then transcribe the statement of identity, responsible-business line, lot or batch field, printed date, package size, and other identifiers that are actually visible. Compare those fields with the order and a dated label record when available. A matching code does not prove genuineness, and a mismatch is a question for the seller, manufacturer, platform, or responsible authority rather than a counterfeit finding.

Typography, color, container shape, or seal differences are editorial observations only; packages can change by date and market. Describe the difference without assigning a cause. When a QR code offers verification, inspect the destination before opening it and use a separately known official company route when uncertain. FTC guidance explains that QR codes can lead to spoofed sites or malware. This digital-safety step protects the reviewer; it does not validate the physical product or the code printed on it.

Treat price, reviews, and badges as signals, not verdicts

An unusually low price can prompt further verification, but discounts, clearance, bundles, and regional pricing can also explain it. Calculate the actual package and delivery terms before comparing. Reviews can describe seller service or packaging observations, yet they may combine several sellers and variations, and their authenticity is not guaranteed. Do not use star ratings as product authentication. Read the platform's explanation of who sold and fulfilled the reviewed order if that information is available.

Logos such as secure checkout, official store, laboratory tested, or certified require a named issuer and a verifiable record. A graphic copied into a listing is not verification. Search the issuer's directory using the company and exact product fields, and record the date and match status. Payment protections and a clear dispute process can reduce transaction risk but do not establish package authenticity. Keep commercial protections and product evidence in separate columns.

Document concerns through the proper channel

When material inconsistencies remain, pause the comparison and preserve the listing, seller identity, order record if one exists, photographs, codes, and correspondence. Use the marketplace dispute process, payment-provider channel, manufacturer contact, or public authority reporting route appropriate to the market. State observable facts rather than accusing a seller or product without confirmation. Public allegations can harm legitimate businesses and may create legal risk when based only on packaging differences or anonymous reviews.

A MIHEN record should use evidence states such as seller identity confirmed, manufacturer relationship confirmed, package match documented, unresolved variation, or official warning located. It should not display authentic as a permanent guarantee. Sellers, listings, and stock sources change. Date every check and reverify before republishing. This workflow addresses identity and traceability; it does not assess the product's health effects, personal suitability, or overall quality.

• Record the business that sells and the party that fulfills the order.
• Save the seller profile with the exact product listing.
• Match format, size, market, code, and label imagery.
• Check manufacturer or issuer directories on their official domains.
• Inspect QR-code destinations for digital safety, not as product authentication.
• Treat price, reviews, graphics, codes, and package differences as prompts for checking, not proof.
• Photograph traceability fields without exposing personal information.
• Report factual concerns through the responsible channel.