How we score boring products
The boringness score is four criteria worth 25 points each, applied the same way to every product in the catalog.
The score tries to measure one thing: how completely a purchase is decided by need and specification rather than preference. It is deliberately narrow. A product can be excellent and still score low, because excellence is not what is being measured here.
The rubric
| Criterion | Points | Question asked | Low score | High score |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Repeat purchase | 25 | Does the same buyer purchase this again on a predictable schedule? | One-off purchase, bought once for the life of the object. | Used up or worn out within months and reordered routinely. |
| Brand indifference | 25 | How little does the brand influence the choice? | Buyers ask for a named brand and will wait for it. | Any brand that matches the specification is acceptable. |
| Specification dependence | 25 | How completely is the purchase decided by a measurement or part number? | Interchangeable, generic, sold in one size. | A near miss is useless; fitment is the whole decision. |
| Attention deficit | 25 | How little attention does the product attract before purchase? | Reviewed, compared, discussed and recommended. | Bought without reading anything, noticed only when it fails. |
What the total means
| Score | Band | Reading |
|---|---|---|
| 80–100 | Deeply boring | The textbook case: specification, repeat, no brand. |
| 60–79 | Boring | Meets the test, with at least one criterion weaker than the rest. |
| 40–59 | Borderline | Some buyers shop around; the pattern is not consistent. |
| 0–39 | Not boring | Belongs in a different catalog. |
What the score is not
- Not a quality rating. Cheap and expensive versions of the same product score alike.
- Not a popularity measure. Search volume is tracked separately and is never part of the score.
- Not a price signal. Nothing on this site is sold, so price plays no part.
- Not a judgement of buyers. Choosing on specification is usually correct.
Marks versus score
Two different things appear on product pages. The marks (bought repeatedly, low brand loyalty, easy to ship) are descriptive: they record the buying pattern and the practical side of shipping. The score is a single number built from the rubric above. A product can carry all three marks and still score in the sixties.
Status
The rubric is published and fixed. Scores are being applied one cluster at a time: currently 0 of 248 published products carry a score, so a missing number means "not scored yet", not "scored zero". Scores will not be filled in from another site's opinions; each one is assigned against the criteria above.
Browse the categories
| Category | Products | Scored |
|---|---|---|
| Oddly Specific | 38 | 0 |
| Appliance Replacement Parts | 10 | 0 |
| Automotive Maintenance | 10 | 0 |
| Batteries & Lighting | 10 | 0 |
| Cleaning Supplies | 10 | 0 |
| Electrical Supplies | 10 | 0 |
| Filters | 10 | 0 |
| First Aid Consumables | 10 | 0 |
| Funeral & Memorial | 10 | 0 |
| Garden & Lawn | 10 | 0 |
| Hardware & Fasteners | 10 | 0 |
| Janitorial & Restroom | 10 | 0 |
| Kitchen Basics | 10 | 0 |
| Office Supplies | 10 | 0 |
| Packaging | 10 | 0 |
| Pest Control | 10 | 0 |
| Plumbing Supplies | 10 | 0 |
| Printer Consumables | 10 | 0 |
| Safety Gear | 10 | 0 |
| Senior Care | 10 | 0 |
| Storage & Organization | 10 | 0 |
| Workwear & Uniforms | 10 | 0 |
What makes a product boring explains the test the rubric is built on.