How we review products and deals
Consider this: At any given moment, everyone is shopping for six different things. Ensuring you’re buying the best product for your needs — one that’ll add to your life and make it easier — is a process that can be time-consuming and complex. It can take weeks, or even months, to make a confident purchase. Our mission on the Yahoo Life Shopping team is to help you feel good about every single one of your buys — and save you time and money in the process.
Our award-winning writers and editors live and breathe their subject matters, regularly reviewing products and consulting with experts for advice. We know that you want to hear from your peers too, so we dive deep into customer reviews, and ask folks across the nation for feedback on the goods we’re featuring.
We also know you like to save money and get the best products at the best prices, so we have a team of writers who scan deals every day, helping you find stellar sales on the products we review.
How we create product reviews
Our writers have deep experience in their categories.
We often interview experts to help us create the methodology and design the experience.
Our writers pore over the internet and various retailers, and talk to experts to research the products we should test for each category.
Once we’ve carefully researched the products we’d like to include in our reviews and guides, we may request test items from companies, or purchase them ourselves. Our reviews are independent of our means of sourcing each item.
The writers may also reach out to our group of testers across the country, choose a diverse and qualified panel and send the products to our testers for feedback.
We compile a list of questions that each tester answers for a fair comparison.
Our writers may test the products themselves, collect feedback from experts and other testers, and then create an in-depth Product Review or Buying Guide.
How we assess retailer/brand trust
We do our best to vet each seller we recommend to ensure that it is a reliable, trusted retailer or brand that’s consistently earned high ratings — and has a proven track record of offering quality products, with reasonable shipping costs, return policies and delivery times.
How we select the best deals
Our deal-hunting team of writers, editors, and testers around the country are all seasoned experts in their fields (tech, style, home, beauty), many with 20+ years of experience. With that much deal-chasing under their belts, they know a good sale when they see one. This team works diligently to bring you the best sales, deals and price drops — and even some exclusive discounts. Our unbiased experts maintain strict editorial integrity: We only feature deals we believe will save you money.
Not every deal is “the real deal": Note that just because something is “on sale,” it doesn’t necessarily mean you should buy it. When we evaluate a deal, we adhere to strict guidelines, based on research and testing. When we don’t think a deal is worth your while, we won’t cover it.
Price comparison: Our top priority is to offer you the very best options at the very best prices … but only from retailers we trust. If we see a price that looks too good to be true or a source we don’t feel is reputable, we move on.
First-person reviews: Our team of experts adheres to the strict testing criteria described above. When possible, we add first-person perspective to our deals content — this is something you’ll see much more of in the coming months.
Sellouts: Our team works around the clock to bring you up-to-date price and inventory information, meticulously checking deals to ensure items are still in stock at the time of publication.
Yahoo Life offers unbiased, thoroughly researched service journalism that you can trust. We take seriously our responsibility to give you the information you need to make smart buying decisions and feel good about your purchases.