The Atop Legal Trust Score is a 0–100 rating that measures how trustworthy an online marketplace is. Each platform is scored across five equally weighted dimensions — infrastructure security, business legitimacy, user feedback, data protection, and marketplace safeguards — with every point backed by verifiable, documented evidence. This page explains exactly how the score is calculated so you can audit our conclusions yourself.
How We Calculate Trust Scores
Every platform reviewed on Atop Legal receives a Trust Score from 0 to 100, calculated across five weighted dimensions. Our methodology is fully transparent — we show our work so you can evaluate our conclusions independently.
The Five Trust Dimensions
1. Infrastructure & Technical Security (0–20 points)
We assess the platform’s technical foundations: domain age and registration history (WHOIS), SSL certificate type and configuration, branded email usage, server security, and blacklist/reputation status across major threat databases.
2. Business Legitimacy (0–20 points)
We verify whether the business behind the platform is real and accountable: registered company/entity, verifiable physical address, real contact information (phone, email, live chat), transparent terms of service, and clear pricing with no hidden fees.
3. User Trust & Feedback (0–20 points)
We aggregate and analyze user sentiment across multiple sources: review volume and sentiment on Trustpilot, BBB, Reddit, and forums; complaint patterns (shipping, refunds, product quality); dispute resolution track record; and social media presence quality.
4. Data Protection & Compliance (0–20 points)
We evaluate how platforms handle your data: HTTPS implementation, privacy policy comprehensiveness, GDPR/CCPA compliance signals, payment security (PCI DSS), known data breach history, and cookie consent practices.
5. Marketplace-Specific Factors (0–20 points)
For e-commerce and marketplace platforms, we assess: buyer protection policies, return/refund process clarity and speed, seller verification systems, product authenticity measures, shipping reliability, and customer service responsiveness — drawing on each platform’s published policies and aggregated user-reported experiences.
Score Interpretation
| Score | Grade | Rating | What it means |
|---|---|---|---|
| 80–100 | A | Highly Trustworthy | Strong track record, verified business, robust protections |
| 60–79 | B | Trustworthy | Generally reliable with minor concerns noted |
| 40–59 | C | Caution Advised | Mixed signals; proceed with awareness |
| 20–39 | D | Suspicious | Significant red flags identified |
| 0–19 | F | High Risk | Strong evidence of fraud, deception, or unsafe practices |
How We Assess Each Platform
For every platform we review, our team gathers evidence across all five dimensions: checking technical signals (WHOIS, SSL, blacklist status), verifying business registration and contact details, aggregating user feedback from sources like Trustpilot, BBB, Reddit and app stores, and reviewing published privacy, payment and buyer-protection policies. Where possible we also carry out hands-on checks of the signup, browsing and support experience. We document our sources and disclose the assessment scope and date in each review.
Limitations & Corrections
No review methodology is perfect. We cannot verify every claim a platform makes, and our testing represents a snapshot in time. Platforms evolve — scores are updated when new evidence emerges. If you believe we’ve made an error, please contact us with supporting evidence. Corrections are published transparently.
Last updated: June 2026
Authoritative Sources & References
Our assessments draw on, and we encourage readers to consult, recognized consumer-protection and security resources:
- U.S. Federal Trade Commission (FTC) — online shopping and scam-avoidance guidance; report fraud at reportfraud.ftc.gov.
- Better Business Bureau (BBB) — business profiles, ratings and complaint histories.
- econsumer.gov — cross-border complaint portal run by the ICPEN network of consumer agencies.
- Your Europe (European Commission) — EU consumer rights for online purchases.
- Google Safe Browsing — site safety/blacklist status.
- ICANN Lookup (WHOIS) — domain registration and age verification.
For a consumer-facing walkthrough of these checks, see our guide: How to Check If an Online Store Is Legit.