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How to Document Source Pricing

A price without its listing is an assertion. A price with the listing attached is evidence — but only if the product behind the link is actually the thing being replaced.

Kevin Godfrey, KevinLast updated 5 October 2026

What makes a replacement-cost source defensible?

That it leads to the specific product used for the price, at the right quantity, from a seller appropriate to the item — and that the relationship between that product and the damaged one is visible on the line.

The failure this prevents is not a missing URL. It is a URL that opens on something other than what the line describes, which is worse than no source at all: it gives a reviewer a reason to check the next one.

What a source has to establish

A link is the delivery mechanism, not the evidence
ElementWhy it matters
The specific productA direct product page, not a search result or a category
Manufacturer and modelSo the comparable can be checked against the item
VariantSize, capacity, generation and finish, where they move the price
Quantity basisOne chair or a set of four; one battery or a two-pack
SellerWhether it is the retailer or a third-party marketplace listing
PriceThe figure the line actually used
Relationship to the itemExact, successor, same-brand or like-kind — and why

Match the source to the property

Different sources answer different questions
SourceGood forWatch for
Major retailerCurrent consumer property still sold newThird-party sellers on the same domain
ManufacturerSuccessor models and specificationsList price that nobody actually charges
Specialist retailerNiche or professional equipmentThin availability
Resale marketplaceDiscontinued, vintage and collectible propertyCondition, completeness and edition

Quantity is the quiet error

A source price has to represent the same quantity the line claims. One chair against a set of four, one drill against a five-piece kit, one plate against a twelve-piece service, one battery against a two-pack — each inflates or deflates the line by a clean multiple, which makes it both easy to spot in review and easy to miss while building.

Prices move, and that is fine

Replacement cost is what the item costs to replace now, so a product that goes on sale, sells out or is superseded changes the figure. A source documents the price it supported at the time it was used; treating it as a permanent historical fact is how a schedule ends up defending a number nobody can reproduce.

On a claim that runs for months the practical consequence is that lines sometimes need re-pricing — which is quick when the listing is on the row and slow when it is not.

Discontinued and collectible property

When the exact item is gone, the source has a second job: making the replacement path visible. A successor model from the manufacturer, or a comparable from the resale market where retail no longer represents the item, should be identifiable as that from the line rather than looking like an arbitrary substitution.

For a collectible, a single asking price is rarely the whole picture — edition, condition, packaging and completeness all move the value, and the comparable has to match on those before its price means anything.

How Kevin keeps it

Each engine-priced line is priced from a single listing rather than a blend of several, and that listing is stored on the row and printed into the export — so the chain runs from the damaged item to the identified property to the replacement, its source and the price, and then to RCV and ACV. A price you enter by hand carries your own source link instead, attached the same way.

Common questions

Is a source required for every item?
Requirements vary by carrier and by claim, so there is no universal rule. What is consistent is that a price with its listing attached is far easier to evaluate — and that the question "where did this come from" is the one that arrives most often, usually months later.
Is a screenshot better than a link?
They do different jobs. A screenshot preserves what was visible on a date; a link shows what the product costs now. For a claim that may run for months, having the link means the line can be re-priced rather than re-researched — which is why Kevin stores the link and the figure together.
Should the source always be a major retailer?
No. The source should fit the item: a major retailer for current consumer property, a manufacturer for a successor model or a specification, a specialist for niche equipment, and the resale market for discontinued, vintage or collectible property that ordinary retail no longer represents.
Can a source price change during the claim?
Yes, and that is normal rather than a problem. Replacement cost is what the item costs to replace now, so a product that goes on sale or increases in price moves the figure. A source documents the price it supported when it was used; it is not a permanent fact.
What makes a source weak even when the link works?
The product behind it. Wrong model, wrong size or capacity, a set where one item is claimed, a used listing where a new replacement is being priced, or a third-party seller whose price is not representative. The URL is the least important part of a source.
Does Kevin keep the source?
Yes. Each engine-priced line is priced from a single listing rather than a blend of several, and that listing is stored on the row and printed into the export. A price you type in yourself carries your own source link instead.

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