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ForumsCOA & Analytical TestingCOA red flag compilation — real examples of suspicious certificates

COA red flag compilation — real examples of suspicious certificates

COA_Karl Tue, May 19, 2026 at 3:39 AM 8 replies 388 viewsPage 1 of 2
COA_Karl
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May 19, 2026 at 3:39 AM#1

Flagging this early and with the caveat that I may be wrong about part of it. I would rather be corrected than quiet.

Eight months with one supplier, then a change in how they communicate that I noticed before I noticed anything about the product.

One flattering data point from a group buy is not consistency. Consistency means separate batches, separately commissioned, over months.

What to check: Red flags, in rough order of how much they should worry you: no verifiable address, no batch numbers, prices far under market, vendor-commissioned tests only, pressure toward irreversible payment, and shipping with no temperature control.

If your experience contradicts this, say so in the thread — I would rather be corrected here than have people act on a warning that does not hold.

20 15matt_MKE, Dr.ReproEndo, lucas_SP_BR and 17 others
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PurityPaulOR
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May 19, 2026 at 4:51 AM#2
COA_Karl said:
Eight months with one supplier, then a change in how they communicate that I noticed before I noticed anything about the product.

Agreeing with COA_Karl, and the qualification matters more than the agreement. The useful checklist is about verifiability rather than presentation. Independent test results commissioned by buyers rather than by the seller, consistency across multiple batches over time rather than one flattering report, a physical address and a company registration that resolve, batch and lot numbers on the actual labelling, and a shipping practice that matches what the material needs. Everything a good-looking website provides is cheap to fake; none of the items above are.

19 14MikeNYC_runner and 16 others
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InsuranceTom
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May 19, 2026 at 6:03 AM#3
COA_Karl said:
Eight months with one supplier, then a change in how they communicate that I noticed before I noticed anything about the product.

I disagree that testing history is decisive. It tells you what a supplier did when they were being watched. Continuity of behaviour under stress — a late shipment, a failed test, a complaint — is more predictive than any run of good results.

18 13Dr.ReproEndo, lucas_SP_BR, lisa_labSD and 15 others
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TinaHashiRN
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May 19, 2026 at 7:15 AM#4

Taking the question as asked, rather than the general version of it. Prices dramatically below market are the strongest single signal, and the reason is arithmetic rather than suspicion. Synthesis, testing, and cold-chain shipping have floors. A price well under the floor means something was skipped, and the two things that get skipped are testing and content.

Last edited: May 19, 2026 at 1:15 PM
17 12Admin, Dr.Martinez, mike_mod and 14 others
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Dr.RheumBOS
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May 19, 2026 at 2:09 PM#5
PurityPaulOR said:
The useful checklist is about verifiability rather than presentation.

This matches mine closely enough to be worth saying so. One addition: an unstated method makes a report close to uninterpretable. "99% pure" without the technique, the standard and the conditions is a claim, not a measurement.

16 11Dr.PulmRoch, maya_sedona, stefan_berlin and 13 others
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