Editorial Policy

Last updated: April 8, 2026

VINdow Sticker is an independent research tool that tracks new car dealer inventory across the United States. This Editorial Policy describes how we collect data, how we write and review our content, how we use AI in our workflow, and how we handle corrections and conflicts of interest. We believe transparency is the whole point of what we do — so we apply that same standard to ourselves.

Our Mission

VINdow Sticker tracks new car dealer inventory across the US to give shoppers transparent pricing data they can use to negotiate better deals. Every day we collect, verify, and publish real markup data from 252,000+ vehicles at 1,969+ dealers. Our goal is simple: close the information gap between dealers and buyers so that car shoppers walk onto the lot with the same pricing intelligence the dealer already has.

Sources & Data Collection

We collect publicly available dealer inventory data directly from Toyota, Lexus, Hyundai, and Cadillac manufacturer inventory APIs and dealer websites. Data is refreshed daily. Pricing we track and publish includes:

• Factory MSRP as listed by the manufacturer
• Dealer asking price (the number a dealer publicly advertises)
• Dealer-installed accessories (DIA) and dealer add-ons
• Changes to selling_price over time, including price cuts and hikes
• VIN, trim, options, exterior/interior colors, and dealer location

We do not collect personal information about shoppers or buyers. The data we publish is about vehicles and dealers, not individuals.

Editorial Process

Our daily production pipeline looks like this:

• Automated daily scrape of manufacturer inventory APIs (5 AM ET)
• Data validation against a strict schema — this catches silent API changes early
• Markup calculation against factory MSRP (not dealer-marked-up MSRP + DIA, which would understate the real markup)
• Database write with full change history, so prior snapshots are never overwritten
• Manual review of statistical outliers and anomalies by an editor
• Buyer guides, market analysis, and rankings written by editors using verified inventory data

If a data point looks wrong — a $2 Camry, a dealer with 11,000 vehicles overnight — it gets flagged, investigated, and either corrected or withheld until we understand what happened.

Data Accuracy

Pricing data on VINdow Sticker may not reflect actual final transaction prices. Dealers frequently negotiate below their advertised price, and incentives, rebates, and financing terms can change the final number a buyer pays. What we track is the advertised price — what the dealer publicly lists — and we document how that number changes over time.

Always confirm pricing, availability, and vehicle details directly with the dealer before making any purchase decision. Our data is a starting point for negotiation, not a substitute for it.

Use of AI in Our Workflow

We use AI tools — including Claude by Anthropic — to assist with parsing inventory data, drafting buyer guides, and writing market analysis. AI helps us move faster and cover more vehicles than a small team otherwise could.

Every piece of editorial content is reviewed and edited by a human before publication. Statistical claims (markup percentages, dealer rankings, inventory counts) are verified against the source database, not trusted to an AI summary. If you see a number on VINdow Sticker, a human checked it against the underlying data.

Corrections Policy

If you spot an error in any of our buyer guides, market analysis, or vehicle data, please email editorial@vindowsticker.com. We take corrections seriously. Minor fixes (typos, formatting) are made silently. Significant corrections — anything that changes a factual claim, a ranking, or a price figure — are noted at the top of the affected article with the correction date and a brief description of what was changed.

Affiliate & Advertising Disclosure

We display advertising through Google AdSense. Ad content is automated by Google and does not reflect our editorial opinions or endorsements. The ads you see are chosen by Google based on the page content and, where permitted, your browsing context — we do not hand-pick advertisers.

We do not accept payment for editorial content, dealer placements, or favorable coverage. No dealer, manufacturer, or advertiser can buy their way into our rankings, buyer guides, or markup data. If we ever add affiliate links (for example, to third-party services), we will disclose them clearly on the page where they appear.

Independence

VINdow Sticker is an independent inventory tracker. We are not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by Toyota Motor Corporation, Lexus, Hyundai Motor America, General Motors, Cadillac, or any dealer. Toyota®, Lexus®, Hyundai®, Cadillac®, and related marks are property of their respective owners and are used only for identification.

We may publish data and analysis that reflects negatively on a manufacturer or dealer — high markups, slow sales, unfavorable comparisons, mandatory accessory packages — and we will do so objectively when supported by the data. We will also publish favorable findings when the data supports them. The data is what it is.

Contact

Questions about our editorial process, or want to report an error? Email editorial@vindowsticker.com.