How we score

Our verdicts are our opinion, based on our tracked prices. Here is exactly how we reach them.

The order of the tests

Every product goes through these checks in order. The first one that applies gives the verdict.

? Not enough data

Test 1. We have fewer than 30 days of tracked prices before today. We give no score.

! Was-price not supported by our dataWas-price not supported

Test 2. We only test a was-price when there has been an actual drop: today’s price is at least 5% below the price on the day before the was-price appeared, and we have 30 days of prices before that day. If the price was within 1% of the was-price (or higher) on fewer than 15 of those 30 days, the was-price is not supported by our data. Score 4–29.

✓ Real deal

Test 3. Today’s price is at least 10% below the typical (median) price over the previous 90 days, and no more than 1% above the lowest price in that period. Score = 70 + the percentage below typical, capped at 99, so in practice 80–99.

≈ Normal price

Test 4. Everything else. Score = 45 + the percentage below typical (or minus the percentage above it), limited to between 30 and 65.

If a was-price is shown but there was no actual drop, or we have no prices from before it appeared, we say there was not enough data to test it, and the product continues to tests 3 and 4.

The rules we measure against

CMA reference-pricing principles. The Competition and Markets Authority says a was-price should reflect a genuine selling price, offered immediately before the discount for a sufficient period. It says compliance is more likely if that period is at least 30 days, and that enough sales should have been made at the higher price. Under the Digital Markets, Competition and Consumers Act 2024, the CMA can fine traders directly for misleading pricing.

ASA / CAP Code. Advertising rules require the basis of price comparisons to be clear, and say reference prices must be a genuine, established usual selling price. The ASA generally expects around three months of pricing history to back up a usual price.

What we can and can’t see

We see the price on each retailer’s public product page once a day. We can’t see sales volumes, so we can’t test the CMA’s sales-volume expectation, only how long a price was offered.
Short gaps in our data can affect a verdict. We show the full chart so you can judge for yourself.
A “Was-price not supported by our data” verdict means our tracked prices don’t support the was-price shown. It is not a legal finding that a retailer has broken the law.

Retailers: disputes and corrections

If you are a retailer or brand and believe a verdict is wrong, for example because our data is missing days, tracked the wrong variant, or a price was charged on a channel we do not see, please tell us. Email wasitreal@mail.grokbot.com with the product, the page link and any evidence (for example dated price records). See our contact and corrections page for what happens next.

Sources

We started tracking prices on 13 October 2026, so most products will show “Not enough data” until mid-November 2026. A was-price shown by a retailer is displayed as the retailer’s claim and is not judged until we have the history to test it.