Certain patterns repeat across bad sourcing outcomes, and most of them are visible before money changes hands.
- Certificates that name a different model or factory, or that carry an expired date
- Reluctance to allow a live video tour or a third-party audit
- Irradiance figures quoted without a stated distance or measurement method
- Willingness to print any certification mark or medical claim you request
- Quotations that change materially between the first and second round without a specification change
- No spare parts policy and no answer on post-warranty support
- Pressure to pay in full upfront or to route payment outside normal business channels
The willingness to make an unsupported claim is particularly telling. A red light therapy bed supplier that will print a medical benefit it cannot document will also ship a unit that does not match its specification.