Unlike platforms with hidden “points” systems, Shipgrid's ranking is fully transparent. Here's exactly how it works.
trendingScore = (votes + avgRating × 10 × ratingCount + commentCount × 3) ÷ (hoursOld + 2)^1.5
Votes (Vibes)
Each vibe adds 1 point. Suspicious votes from brand-new accounts are weighted at 0.3×.
Ratings
1–10 star ratings are weighted 10× per rating × the number of raters. Quality over volume.
Comments
Each approved comment adds 3× to the score — real conversations matter more than passive votes.
Time Decay
Score is divided by age in hours raised to 1.5 — recent activity is boosted, but strong older products fade slowly.
Every newly approved product gets a 48-hour featured window— guaranteed placement in the “Fresh Launches” shelf. This means no product disappears instantly the way they do on platforms with single daily leaderboards.
Suspicious votes — votes cast by accounts less than 7 days old with fewer than 3 total votes are weighted at 0.3× in the trending formula. They still count, just not as much.
Coordinated voting detection — if more than 10 brand-new accounts vote on the same product within an hour, it gets flagged for admin review.
What "established account" means — an account that is at least 7 days old and has voted on at least 3 different products.
Comment quality scoring — comments shorter than 8 words with no question are collapsed by default. Maker responses (from the product owner) are always shown and pinned to the top.