Data Policy
Data Sources and Update Policy
Tattoo Machine Index uses multiple source types: official brand specifications, seller listings, public marketplace feedback signals, creator video evidence, and user-submitted corrections.
Reported Issue Signals are our own derived labels based on categorized public feedback themes. They should not be treated as verified defect rates, warranty decisions, or complete market samples.
Official brand specifications
Used for core specs such as stroke, weight, motor, voltage, battery, materials, warranty, and product URLs.
Seller listings
Used for availability, region, stock state, price range, seller type, and listing context.
Public reported issue signals
Used as categorized issue themes with source context and confidence labels.
Creator video evidence
Used as source pointers and practical context. We link or embed public videos instead of republishing their content.
User submissions
Used for corrections and missing sources after review against source URLs and confidence rules.
Reported Issue Source Types and Label Eligibility
Reported Issue Signals use source-type eligibility rules before any signal is counted. Discovery results are not labeled directly, and marketplace or creator data is never treated as a hands-on test by us.
| sourceType | Use | Issue labeling |
|---|---|---|
| youtube_comment | Video comment negative feedback and recurring product-use issues. | Eligible when summarized as a theme with a source link. |
| reddit_thread / reddit_comment | User discussions about faults, refunds, support, setup friction, and reliability. | Eligible when product-specific and labeled as public user feedback. |
| trustpilot_service_review | Brand or store-level service reviews. | Eligible for brand or seller context, usually not SKU-level scoring. |
| trustpilot_product_review | SKU-level product reviews. | Eligible when the review can be tied to the exact machine or variant. |
| amazon_customer_feedback_api | ASIN-level feedback insights, negative topics, and authorized review analytics. | Eligible only when seller or brand authorization exists. |
| amazon_creators_api | Product metadata, price, images, and creator commerce evidence. | Not used directly for reported issue scoring. |
| google_search_result | Discovery URLs used to find possible sources. | Discovery only; not labeled until the source page is reviewed. |
| manual_evidence | Human-verified corrections, support notes, or submitted source evidence. | Eligible when clearly labeled as manual source review. |
Marketplace and Creator Boundaries
Amazon customer feedback API signals are used only when seller or brand authorization exists. Public pages show derived issue labels and source context rather than marketplace review artifacts.
Amazon creators API data is treated as product or commerce metadata only, not as direct complaint-source data. Google search result rows are discovery records only until a human or script reviews the destination source.
YouTube creator videos and comments may be linked, embedded, or summarized as short source notes. We do not republish long transcripts, and creator video evidence is labeled separately from our own hands-on testing.
Correction Workflow
We prioritize corrections that include a primary source URL, the exact field that changed, and whether the update applies to a specific variant. Source Coverage may be lowered when sources conflict until the field can be verified.
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