Applicability protocol
Work out which entries apply to your order right now.
A desk with dozens of entries is only useful if a reader can tell which ones apply. Reading an edge-case remedy for a low-value order wastes time and can cost money.
Basis. Four fixed steps — order stage, problem type, order value, destination — score every filed entry and sort it into applies now, confirm one thing first, and not yet. Parameters last confirmed 2026-06-12.
Applicability protocol
1 entry apply to your situation right now. The rest are listed so you can see why they were held back.
| # | Step | Rule | Outcome for your input |
|---|---|---|---|
| 01 | 1 | Order stage decides which rung is even readable | The parcel is built and photographed, so QC, repack and shipping-method entries apply. |
| 02 | 2 | The problem you selected filters entries by the words they actually use | 6 matching terms applied across the desk. |
| 03 | 3 | Order value decides whether rare-path entries are worth the reading time | Mid value: rare-path entries kept in place. |
| 04 | 4 | Destination decides which figures are usable | Entries carrying UK figures were promoted. |
Applies now
- What does parcel insurance cover, and what does it exclude?score 8
- Filed at Working, which is the rung your order is actually on.
- Matches the problem you selected (damage).
Confirm one thing first
- What do QC photos actually show, and what do they miss?score 5.5
- One rung behind your situation — useful background, not the deciding page.
- Matches the problem you selected (qc).
- How do you ask the warehouse a question that gets a useful answer?score 5.5
- One rung behind your situation — useful background, not the deciding page.
- Matches the problem you selected (qc).
- What happens when QC rejects an item?score 5.5
- Adjacent rung: read it only after the entries at your own rung.
- Matches the problem you selected (qc, reject).
- What can you do when a seller refuses a return?score 4.5
- Adjacent rung: read it only after the entries at your own rung.
- Matches the problem you selected (defect).
Not yet
- How is chargeable weight calculated on a consolidated parcel?score 2.5
- Filed at Working, which is the rung your order is actually on.
- Held back: Does not touch the problem you selected.
- How do you read a per-kilo quote without being surprised later?score 2.5
- Filed at Working, which is the rung your order is actually on.
- Held back: Does not touch the problem you selected.
- When is it worth consolidating parcels, and when is it not?score 2.5
- Filed at Working, which is the rung your order is actually on.
- Held back: Does not touch the problem you selected.
- How many shipments does your order actually need?score 2.5
- Filed at Working, which is the rung your order is actually on.
- Held back: Does not touch the problem you selected.
Four fixed steps decide which entries are worth your time. The protocol is the product: it is the same sequence whether you run it here or by hand.
The protocol is the product
The four steps are fixed and published. Running them by hand gives the same answer as running them here, which is deliberate: a reader should be able to reproduce the desk’s reasoning rather than trust it.
| # | Step | Question | What it rules out |
|---|---|---|---|
| 01 | 1 | Where is the order? | Everything written for a stage you are not in |
| 02 | 2 | What is wrong? | Entries that never mention your problem |
| 03 | 3 | What is the order worth? | Rare-path remedies that cost more than the order |
| 04 | 4 | Where is it going? | Entries whose figures are for another destination |
Why entries get held back rather than hidden
A held-back entry is shown with the reason it was held back. Hiding it would make the desk look smaller than it is and would remove the one piece of information that explains why the answer changed when you changed an input.
Using it before you have a problem
Running the protocol with no problem selected is a legitimate use: it lists the entries worth reading at your stage, which is a better reading order than starting at the top of a list.
- Re-run it after the parcel is built; the stage input changes what applies.
- If nothing applies, loosen one input rather than reading everything.
- Use the held-back reasons as a checklist of things to confirm.
Questions this gauge gets asked
| # | Question | Answer |
|---|---|---|
| 01 | Does it need my order number? | No. It needs four facts about the order, none of which identify you or the order. |
| 02 | Why is order value a step? | Because a remedy that is worth pursuing on a 400 order is not worth pursuing on a 40 one, and the desk would rather say so than let a reader find out. |
| 03 | Can I see the scoring? | Yes. Every row shows its score and the reasons behind it, including the reasons an entry was held back. |
These are written as ordinary headings and paragraphs rather than as marked-up questions, because marked-up questions no longer produce a richer result in search.
Entries this gauge pairs with
- What is a CNFans spreadsheet, exactly?
It is a table of links, not a shop and not a file you download. Each row points at one listing on a domestic marketplace, with the few details that row needed to be useful. The buying itself happens on the agent platform, which is a separate object from the table you are reading.
- What does each column actually tell you?
Treat every header as a claim rather than a fact. Numeric columns with a stated method are worth the most, seller wording is worth the least, and a status column is only as good as its date. Where two columns disagree, the one with a method and a date wins.
- How do you tell a live link from a dead one before paying?
Open the address and check four things: the item appears with a title, the variant the row names still exists in the option list, the seller store shows recent activity, and the row carries a date you can compare with today. Any one of the four failing means the row is historical rather than current.
Other gauges on the bench
- Landed-cost ladder
Three ways to move the same parcel, priced side by side.
- Border cost bench
Duty and tax assessed on the landed value, as a band.
- Parcel weight bench
Which of volume and mass is actually paying for the flight.
- Slip cross-check bench
Compare what the slip claims against what you measured.