Supplier Trust Signals

In the live pilot, trust signals support the buying decision; they are not a standalone production guarantee or automatic quality certificate. NowToPrint evaluates approved producer access, order performance, buyer feedback, and operational evidence together.

What appears in first live?

• A print shop can quote only when its producer role and marketplace access are active.
• Quote comparison shows price, estimated delivery days, shipping inclusion, and supplier notes together.
• Verified or special trust badges are shown only when the underlying quote or supplier data carries that signal.
• Admin or operations can still pause visibility, quote intake, or order progression when risk signals require it.

Trust engine weights

Two different calculations must be read separately:

Model	Inputs and weights
Buyer feedback rating	Quality 30%, on-time 25%, communication 15%, packaging 10%, overall 20%; each criterion is 1–5
Operational score	Delivery 40%, quality 40%, responsiveness 20%; based on bounded order/performance evidence

A high default metric with no order history is not earned quality evidence: the operational result remains manual review. Feedback ratings, operational eligibility and producer approval are separate. None guarantees production quality or awards an RFQ.

Operational score evidence

The operational supplier score is calculated by the marketplace package, not by the web route. It uses bounded delivery, quality, refund, and responsiveness evidence and produces a manual-first eligibility signal. A low score can block public recommendation, and a supplier with no history stays in manual review even when default metric values are high.

This score does not auto-award an RFQ, auto-route production, or certify supplier quality. Operations can use it as evidence together with standing, verification, quote notes, delivery expectations, and support history.

RFQ matching consumes the package-owned recommendation signal: blocked scores are removed from public recommendation, manual-review scores are capped for routing influence and optimistic persisted eligibility cannot loosen the metrics-derived gate, and completedJobs remains the supplier order count rather than a score surrogate.

Verification and privacy controls

The governed marketplace foundation treats supplier verification as a current evidence set, not as a self-declared badge. The canonical review covers business identity, tax registration, bank ownership, manufacturing capability, and sanctions screening. A failed required control or critical tamper, sanctions, or duplicate-bank-account evidence blocks verification. Manual-review controls or other supported abuse signals require review; incomplete input cannot prove verification.

Producer approval and restoration require an independent second operator. Restoration also requires a reviewed and accepted appeal. Trust records retain hashes and decision evidence instead of raw identity or provider payloads, and retention/legal-hold rules remain explicit.

Badge language

“Approved producer” describes current platform producer approval and standing. A verification signal should be read with its scope and current evidence; it is not a quality certificate. Performance scores support review and do not replace access controls. Do not infer an entitlement, earned rating or guaranteed capability from a legacy badge label.

What to check when choosing a supplier

• Is shipping included in the quoted price?
• Do the estimated delivery days fit your need?
• Are scope, file expectations, and production conditions clear in the supplier notes?
• If a verification or trust signal appears, is its supporting evidence visible in the system?
• If unsure, create a support request and include the RFQ or order code.