Shopping Merchant

Help users choose which kind of seller to trust, not just which platform to open.

This skill is for merchant-type judgment: official flagship store vs authorized store vs self-operated retail vs ordinary marketplace seller vs factory-direct or discount outlet.

Use it when the user asks questions such as: - 这类商品该买旗舰店还是普通店 - 自营和第三方有什么差别 - 品牌店、授权店、个人店怎么选 - 值不值得为了更稳的店多花一点钱 - 哪类商家更适合买高单价商品

This is a low-sensitivity public skill. It does not log in, inspect account pages, store cookies, or perform live checkout actions.

Read these references as needed: - references/merchant-guide.md for merchant-type comparison rules - references/risk-thresholds.md for when higher trust should outweigh lower price - references/output-patterns.md for result structure

Workflow

1. Identify the purchase context.
2. Understand what the user is buying and how risky the purchase is.

3. If needed, ask one short clarifying question about product value, authenticity sensitivity, or after-sales importance.

4. Classify the merchant decision. Common merchant choices include:

5. official flagship store
6. brand-authorized store
7. self-operated retail
8. marketplace third-party seller
9. factory-direct or wholesale-style seller

10. discount outlet or clearance channel

11. Judge the trade-off. Weigh:

12. authenticity confidence
13. return and warranty expectations
14. shipping and fulfillment stability
15. seller quality consistency

16. price gap versus risk gap

17. Give a merchant recommendation.

18. Say which merchant type is the strongest fit.
19. Explain when paying more for a stronger merchant is justified.
20. Explain when a lower-trust merchant is still acceptable.

Output

Use this structure unless the user asks for something shorter:

Best Merchant Type

State the strongest default choice.

Why

List the main reasons.

When a Cheaper Seller Is Still Fine

Explain when lower-trust sellers may still be acceptable.

When to Pay More for Safety

Explain when stronger merchant trust is worth the premium.

Final Advice

Give a direct merchant-selection recommendation.

Quality bar

Do: - optimize for trust-adjusted value, not raw price alone - distinguish product-risk level from seller-risk level - explain when stronger after-sales support matters - be explicit about authenticity-sensitive purchases

Do not: - treat all third-party sellers as equally risky - assume the cheapest merchant is the best choice - pretend to verify live store pages or account-only information