How organizer reputation works (and why you can trust ratings)
Organizer ratings on FindA.Sale come from real shoppers who held or purchased items at that sale. Here is what those numbers mean and how to read a profile before you drive out.
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Where the star rating comes from
After a sale closes, FindA.Sale sends shoppers a short review prompt. Ratings are only collected from people who made a purchase or confirmed a hold at that sale. Anonymous drive-bys cannot rate. The star average you see is the rolling score across all of that organizer's completed sales on the platform.
What the review count tells you
More reviews mean a longer track record. An organizer with 3 stars and 4 reviews is newer to the platform — that is not automatically a red flag, but it is less data. An organizer with 4.7 stars and 60 reviews has run a lot of sales and shoppers consistently had good experiences.
Look at recency too. A cluster of recent reviews matters more than a high average built on reviews from two years ago.
What the badges mean
**Verified Organizer** — the organizer has connected a payout account and completed at least one sale on FindA.Sale. Basic identity confirmed.
**Founding Organizer** — an early adopter who has been running sales on the platform since the early days. Not a quality rating, just tenure.
Badges do not replace the star rating. Read both.
How to read a profile before you drive out
Before you make the trip, check three things:
- **Completed sales count.** A higher number means more experience running sales through the platform.
- **Review recency.** Scroll past the average and look at the most recent 3–5 reviews. If the most recent reviews are positive, that is a good sign.
- **Organizer responses.** Some organizers reply to reviews — good or bad. A thoughtful response to a negative review tells you more about how they operate than the review itself does.
What organizers can and cannot do with their rating
Organizers can reply to any review publicly. They cannot delete reviews, hide reviews, or alter the star score. FindA.Sale does not remove reviews unless they violate platform rules (spam, hate speech, unrelated content).
This means the rating you see is the real one.
What to do if you had a bad experience
Leave an honest review. Describe what happened — item condition, pickup process, communication. Your review helps other shoppers decide whether to make the trip. It also gives the organizer a chance to respond and, if they are serious about their reputation, to do better next time.
If the issue involves a disputed item or a refund, see [How disputes and refunds work](/guides/disputes-and-refunds).
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Common questions
**Can an organizer pay to boost their rating?** No. Ratings come only from verified post-sale reviews. There is no paid placement for star scores.
**What if I see a fake-looking review?** Use the flag option on the review. FindA.Sale reviews flagged content and removes it if it violates platform rules.
**Do organizers know who left a review?** Reviews are linked to a shopper account but display only the shopper's first name and last initial. Organizers can see who reviewed them in their dashboard, but they cannot contact reviewers through the platform to dispute a rating.
**Is a new organizer with no reviews safe to buy from?** There is no guarantee either way. Check whether they have a verified profile, read their sale description carefully, and message them with any questions before you commit to a hold.
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Related guides
- [Build your reputation as an organizer](/guides/build-organizer-reputation)
- [How disputes and refunds work](/guides/disputes-and-refunds)
- [Find sales near you](/guides/find-sales-near-you)