The single criterion that matters most
Whether a vendor publishes a batch-specific Certificate of Analysis (COA) with HPLC + mass-spectrometry data from an independent analytical lab. Everything else — price, shipping, customer support, catalog breadth — is downstream of that single quality-control test.
Ask any prospective vendor for the COA matching the exact batch you would receive if you ordered today. A legitimate research supplier should be able to produce that document immediately. If they cannot, that is the single biggest sourcing red flag in this market.