Checking whether a vendor is legitimate

New members ask this question constantly and the answers are usually vague. Here is a concrete process I follow before placing any order with a vendor I have not used before.

Step 1: Age and history check

Search for the vendor domain name across major forums (this site, other ID-focused boards, Reddit's relevant communities). Look for posts from multiple different user accounts mentioning the vendor. Specifically look for posts older than six months — a vendor with posts spanning 12 to 18 months is much more likely to be legitimate than one with only recent mentions. New vendors deserve more skepticism regardless of how professional their site looks.

Step 2: Contact test

Message the vendor with a specific pre-order question that requires genuine product knowledge to answer. Ask about how they handle a specific state template, what their barcode encoding process is, or what their reshipment policy says for packages held at customs longer than 30 days. Evaluate: how fast did they respond? Was the answer specific or generic? Did they demonstrate knowledge of the subject?

Scam operations either do not respond or give you a generic positive answer. Legitimate vendors with production experience answer specific questions specifically.

Step 3: Payment method sanity check

Cryptocurrency (Bitcoin or Monero at minimum) should be offered. Vendors who only accept gift cards, wire transfers, or cash by mail are using payment methods with essentially no buyer recourse. Gift cards especially are the preferred payment method of scam operations because they are untraceable and nonrefundable.

Step 4: Small test order

First order from any new vendor should be one card for a state with well-documented quality benchmarks. This gives you verifiable quality data at limited cost before committing to larger orders. If the first card meets expectations, subsequent orders can be larger. This step costs money but it is the most reliable verification of all the above.