Imported from brockventures/Zero-Agent (.agents/skills/shopping-advisor/SKILL.md). Install upstream with npx skills add brockventures/Zero-Agent --skill shopping-advisor. Copyright stays with the author.

🛍️ Product Research & Shopping Advisor Skill

This skill orchestrates end-to-end product research across three simultaneous intelligence pillars: Reddit Enthusiast Consensus, Editorial Lab Testing (Wirecutter / RTINGS), and Live Amazon Retail Intelligence.

🎯 Core Research & Recommendation Philosophy

Three-Pillar Parallel Research Protocol: • 💬 Pillar 1: Reddit Consensus (reddit-research skill) ──► Real-world longevity, repairability, and known defect patterns. • 🗞️ Pillar 2: Editorial Lab Testing (Wirecutter & RTINGS) ──► Standardized test rankings (Top Pick, Budget Pick). • 📦 Pillar 3: Retail & Fulfillment Intelligence (Amazon SerpApi, Warehouse Clubs & Big Box) ──► Live pricing, seller vetting, defect inspection, and freight vs. local pickup trade-offs.

1. The Multi-Pillar Research Protocol

When handling evaluative product requests ("best X", "what should I buy for Y"), execute three tracks concurrently:

Pillar 1: Community Consensus (Directly invokes reddit-research):
- Run /workspace/tools/reddit_extractor.py or use gemini-3.5-flash-low with search grounding.
- Target subreddits like r/BuyItForLife, r/espresso, r/HomeImprovement, or domain-specific hubs.
- Extracts true long-term durability, motor/gear failures, customer support ease, and repairability.
Pillar 2: Editorial & Lab Testing (Wirecutter & RTINGS):
- Formulate targeted search queries against Wirecutter and RTINGS:
  - site:nytimes.com/wirecutter best <product category>
  - site:rtings.com <product category> review
- Ingest lab testing rankings: Top Pick, Budget Pick, Upgrade Pick.
- Compares lab results against real-world Reddit wear-and-tear reports.
Pillar 3: Retail, Big-Box & Fulfillment Intelligence (amazon_serpapi.py & Canonical Search Generators):
- Queries Amazon SerpApi for candidate models, reviews, and defects.
- Evaluates warehouse clubs (Costco) and big-box retailers (Home Depot, Best Buy, Lowe's) when freight damage, bulky transit, or member warranties make warehouse pickup superior to parcel delivery.
- Enforces Seller & Fulfillment Hierarchy:
  - Tier 1 (Required Default): Ships from & sold by Amazon.com (1P), Verified Brand Official Storefront, or Authorized Big-Box / Warehouse Club (Costco, Home Depot, Best Buy).
  - Tier 2 (Fallback): High-volume Prime-eligible (FBA) 3rd party in New condition.
  - Tier 3 (Avoid): Non-Prime or unverified 3rd party sellers.

2. Multi-Source Conflict Resolution

When external sources disagree, explicitly highlight the tension:

Wirecutter vs. Reddit Divergence: (e.g. Wirecutter picks an appliance for modern convenience/UI, but Reddit reports high electronic board failure after 2 years). Surface both: explain why Wirecutter loves the feature set and why Reddit warns about longevity.
Enthusiast Consensus vs. Amazon Bestsellers: Highlight why the enthusiast pick (e.g. all-metal commercial gears) outperforms the Amazon sales-volume leader (e.g. high-margin sponsored plastic build).

3. The Anti-Conceptual Trap & Product Replacement Invariant

Zero Purely Conceptual Responses: When the user asks for suggestions, recommendations, or alternatives for physical products—even conversationally without mentioning a store or asking for links explicitly (e.g., "Those shoes we ordered ended up being not quite right. Do you have other suggestions?", "What should I look into instead?", "Recommend a replacement"):
- NEVER stop at plain-text analysis, biomechanical essays, or bare brand names.
- Explaining the ergonomic, biomechanical, or engineering failure mode of a prior item is great context, but it MUST be immediately accompanied by verified direct product page links (/dp/<ASIN>) for candidate replacements.
Product Replacements & Post-Return Workflow:
1. Diagnose the failure mode: Pinpoint the mechanical or structural flaw of the returned product (e.g. rigid forefoot rocker, excessive stack height, unstable bevel).
2. Select targeted counter-models: Identify 3-4 specific models that resolve that exact defect (e.g., flexible forefoot, moderate stack, neutral styling).
3. Execute live retail retrieval: Run python3 /workspace/tools/amazon_serpapi.py search "<query>" --limit 5 to pull active 1P/Prime ASINs, live pricing, and reviews.
4. Verify links: Pre-flight check URLs via python3 /workspace/.agents/skills/shopping-advisor/scripts/verify_links.py.
5. Deliver standard recommendation cards: Present structured cards containing direct product detail links (https://www.amazon.com/dp/<ASIN>), live pricing, and defect/consensus audits.

🛠️ Tooling & Execution Runbook

Step 1: Run Reddit & Editorial Research Concurrently

# 1. Reddit Community Consensus (via reddit_extractor.py)
python3 /workspace/tools/reddit_extractor.py search "best drip coffee maker" --sub BuyItForLife -t year

# 2. Editorial Wirecutter & RTINGS Search (via Google search engine)
# Query: site:nytimes.com/wirecutter "best drip coffee maker" 2026

Step 2: Query Live Amazon Pricing & Seller Intelligence

# Search candidate products on Amazon
python3 /workspace/tools/amazon_serpapi.py search "Moccamaster KBGV Select" --limit 5

# Fetch verified customer reviews for critical defect auditing
python3 /workspace/tools/amazon_serpapi.py reviews "<ASIN>" --limit 10

Step 3: Verify Links & Output Canonical Cards

Verify that all retail links are live or adhere to verified canonical search formats via scripts/verify_links.py.
Strictly follow .agents/rules/ecommerce_links.md and .agents/rules/mobile_discord_formatting.md.

📋 Standard Multi-Source Recommendation Card

🏆 **1. [Product Name / Model]** — *Recommended: [e.g. Best Overall / Enthusiast Pick]*
- 💵 **Price:** `$XX.XX` (New, Prime / Retail)
- 🏷️ **Seller:** Ships from / Sold by `Amazon.com` (or `[Brand] Official Storefront` / `Costco` / `Home Depot`)
- ⭐ **Multi-Source Consensus:**
  - 🗞️ **Wirecutter:** *Top Pick* (Praised for temperature stability and brew speed)
  - 💬 **Reddit (r/BuyItForLife):** *Consensus Favorite* (5+ year longevity, replaceable parts)
  - 📦 **Retail / Amazon Rating:** 4.7 ★ (8,500+ reviews)
- 🔍 **Critical Takeaway & Defect Audit:** [Summary of verified user failure modes, transit hazards, or build notes]
- 🔗 **Link:** [Amazon Product Detail Page](https://www.amazon.com/dp/ASIN) | [Home Depot Search](https://www.homedepot.com/s/QUERY) | [Costco Search](https://www.costco.com/s?dept=All&keyword=QUERY)

🥈 **2. [Product Name / Model]** — *Alternative: [e.g. Best Value / Runner-Up]*
- 💵 **Price:** `$XX.XX` (New, Prime / Retail)
- 🏷️ **Seller:** Ships from / Sold by `Amazon.com` (or authorized retailer)
- ⭐ **Multi-Source Consensus:**
  - 🗞️ **Wirecutter:** *Budget Pick*
  - 💬 **Reddit:** *Solid Entry-Level Recommendation*
  - 📦 **Retail / Amazon Rating:** 4.5 ★ (22,000+ reviews)
- 🔍 **Critical Takeaway & Defect Audit:** [Summary of pros, cons, and why it differs from Pick #1]
- 🔗 **Link:** [Amazon Product Detail Page](https://www.amazon.com/dp/ASIN) (or [Retailer Search Link](canonical_url))

shopping-advisor

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