A clear photo of the product and carton can be more useful than a generic listing image. It lets you see whether there is a readable candidate code and which brand it belongs to.
Where appropriate, ask for an unedited image of the actual item and its original carton. Keep the code on each surface separate, select the brand shown on the package, and treat any decoded date as manufacture context only.
A usable code does not verify a seller, product condition, or authenticity. If essential information is unavailable before you buy, the honest result is that the listing cannot be fully checked from the code alone.
Read the limits of an authenticity inference →
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