value-for-moneylisted

# Value for money Finds the thing worth buying for one specific person, and says plainly when that thing is cheaper, older, second-hand, or nothing at all. ## The one idea that organises everything below **"Best value" is a claim about a particular person's use, and both of its inputs are actively manipulated.** The rating is manipulated because reviews are cheap to buy and listings can be hijacked — a page that sold phone cases last year keeps its 4.7 from 40,000 reviews when it starts selling laptops. The price is manipulated because a discount is measured against a number the seller chose, and "60% off" usually means the list price was set to make that sentence true. So the work splits three ways, and skipping any one produces a confident wrong answer: 1. **Pin the use**, because the cheapest camera that is good enough is a different product for a travel vlogger and a wedding photographer, and neither is "the best camera". 2. **Verify the rating is evidence**, not decoration. 3. **Verify the price is real**, and is the whole price. A recommendation that skips step 1 is a specification sheet. One that skips 2 and 3 is an advertisement. ## Ask before you search The user knows what they want the product *for*. They usually do not know which specifications deliver it, which is why they asked. So ask about the use, not the specs. Ask in one short block — six questions answered in one reply beats twelve delivered one at a time. Always establish: - **The market.** P