FrogScout
How to interpret FrogScout research
Product data is evidence to investigate, not a forecast of orders. This page explains the current scoring model and the limits to keep in mind when comparing candidates.
Last reviewed: .
Sources and coverage
FrogScout’s sourcing integrations include CJ Dropshipping, eBay, Zendrop, AliExpress and Amazon listings via Canopy. Availability depends on the integration and the product. Listings and seller observations are not independently audited sales records.
Search, advertising and social signals can supplement a product record when available. Coverage, access limits and cached results can leave gaps. Check the source link and observation date where provided; confirm the exact variant, stock, shipping destination and current price with the supplier.
Demand, trends and competition
Demand and trend indicators help compare available evidence. Search interest and social engagement are not confirmed purchases. Google Trends normalizes interest to a 0–100 scale; 100 is a relative peak within the selected comparison, not 100 searches or 100 sales. See Google’s explanation of Trends data.
Competition and advertising observations describe the offers or ads the source can observe. They do not represent every seller, establish a competitor’s revenue, or prove that an ad is profitable. No tracked stores means no tracked evidence, not a competition-free market.
How the opportunity score is calculated
The pipeline combines available numeric scores on a 0–100 scale. With all supplier-product inputs present, the weights are demand 35%, trend 25%, profit component 25%, and inverse competition 15%. Inverse competition is 100 minus the competition score.
| Signal | Weight |
|---|---|
| Demand | 35% |
| Trend | 25% |
| Profit component before fees and ads | 25% |
| Inverse competition | 15% |
The profit component is the percentage left from the suggested selling price after product cost and shipping, clamped to 0–100. It does not deduct advertising, payment fees, refunds, fixed overhead or taxes.
For eBay and Amazon via Canopy marketplace records, the profit component is excluded: the listing price is not assumed to be a supplier acquisition cost. The remaining available weights are normalized.
Missing scores are excluded rather than filled with zero. The weighted average is then adjusted by a completeness factor: 0.5 + 0.5 × (available weight ÷ expected weight). Expected weight is 100 for supplier products and 75 for those marketplace records. The final score is rounded and limited to 0–100. A score is a prioritization aid, not a probability of success; records with different coverage are not perfectly comparable.
Costs and profit estimates
Check which costs a displayed estimate includes. The opportunity score’s profit component is not net profit. For a launch decision, calculate contribution after item cost, shipping, applicable handling or import costs, payment fees, expected refunds and acquisition cost. Account separately for fixed overhead and taxes that apply to your business.
Article calculations use stated hypothetical assumptions. They are not live supplier quotations or guaranteed returns. See the profit margin guide and break-even CPA and ROAS guide.
Research and editorial limits
Public guides use short answers, worked examples, related reading and primary references where relevant. An editorial update date records a change to the guide, not a fresh verification of every marketplace listing or a new supplier quote.
Before spending money, verify the evidence for your market and test a specific offer within a budget you can afford to lose. Read about our editorial byline or report a correction through support after signing in.