Quick answer
Before asking a question, decide whether the catalog page identifies one product well enough to save. Record the URL, date, title, visible code, category, shown variant, useful evidence, and the single uncertainty that could change your decision.
A polished gallery is not automatically a strong candidate. Keep pages that support a clear next step; remove pages whose identity, variant, measurements, source, or terms remain too vague to compare.
Use a ninety-second first pass
- Identify the page. Is it an album, catalog result, marketplace listing, or general storefront?
- Find a stable anchor. Look for a code, exact title, distinctive variant, or consistent source link.
- Scan the photo sequence. Note whether product, color, setting, watermark, or packaging changes midway.
- Look for decision fields. Measurements, material, quantity, included items, price basis, and weight matter more than promotional adjectives.
- Choose a state. Save, hold for one answer, or remove.
Give every candidate a stable identity
Create a short record before opening more tabs: page type, exact URL, date checked, visible name, code as written, category, color or variant, and one screenshot reference when the page may change. Do not silently rewrite codes or combine two names into a cleaner title.
If no stable identifier exists, create a temporary research ID and describe the product neutrally. The temporary ID helps organize your own notes; it does not prove that two pages show the same item.
Separate evidence, claim, and question
Visible evidence
“The page shows front, back, inside label, and a 28 cm insole measurement.” This can be checked against the page.
Page claim
“The caption describes the material as leather.” Preserve the wording and source; do not silently turn it into an independently verified fact.
Your interpretation
“The finish appears matte.” Mark it as an observation that may be affected by lighting, editing, or display settings.
Open question
“Does the listed weight include the box?” A good question is narrow enough to produce a comparable answer.
Keep contradictions visible
Do not repair a page by choosing the most convenient value. If the title says one material and the caption says another, save both statements. If image watermarks change, record where. If two size charts appear, note which photos or variants surround each chart.
A contradiction can lead to a precise follow-up. A hidden contradiction becomes a false certainty in the spreadsheet and may contaminate later price, size, or shipping comparisons.
Normalize only after preserving the source
Keep the original currency, unit, quantity, and label before calculating a comparison value. Add normalized values in separate fields. For example, retain “¥120 for 2 pieces” and then calculate a per-piece reference; do not replace the source display with the calculation.
Use the same rule for dimensions and weight. Preserve centimeters, inches, grams, kilograms, and the stated packaging basis. A converted number without its original context can look more precise than the source supports.
Remove pages that cannot support a next decision
Remove or archive a result when it lacks a stable product identity, mixes several products without clear separation, provides no useful evidence for the category, or cannot support one answerable follow-up. Keeping fewer explainable candidates improves the experience more than an endless grid of links.
Next, use the inquiry guide for the strongest unresolved question or the size and variant guide when the product identity is stable but the option is not.
