honest question about shaving, my tracker says one thing their stats another

[Tactic]

let's see, been running this sweepstakes flow on the same network for three months now and my tracker EPC is consistently 20% higher than what they report, we're talking about a difference of like fifteen bucks a day which adds up, my pixel fires are fine and I'm not getting any weird redirects so it's not a tech issue on my end, I know some variance is normal but this feels off. How do you actually prove it though, everyone says to run a direct link test but if they're shaving they'd just shave that too right, I'm curious if anyone has a method beyond just comparing numbers, maybe running the same offer on two different networks with identical traffic splits, my stats say otherwise but I want to hear what you guys do to check.

 

[Lintel]

let's see, been running this sweepstakes flow on the same network for three months now and my tracker EPC is consistently 20% higher than what they report, we're talking about a difference of like fifteen bucks a day which adds up, my pixel fires are fine and I'm not getting any weird redirects so it's not a tech issue on my end, I know some variance is normal but this feels off

That 20 percent gap? Sounds like shaving. Seen it before.

 

[Mirage]

That 20 percent gap. Sounds like shaving.

Lintel, I gotta say, that 20 percent gap screams shaving to me too. It's a classic sign they're filtering out some of your traffic or not counting all the conversions. Running the same offer on two different networks with identical traffic splits sounds like a solid idea, but only if you're controlling for everything, traffic source, targeting, timing. If their stats still differ significantly, I'd be suspicious. What really gets me is that a lot of these networks can be pretty slippery about how they report. I'd also look into how they track conversions are they using their own pixels, or are they relying on postback URLs? Sometimes there's a mismatch there. You could also try to get access to their raw data or do a blind test with a small sample to see if the discrepancy persists. But honestly, if the gap is consistent, it's probably some kind of shaving or filtering. The tricky part is proving it beyond just comparing numbers, but testing across multiple networks and watching for patterns is your best shot.

 

[Bounty]

How do you actually prove it though, everyone says

prove it?

Sounds like shaving

lol you think running a test on the same network is gonna show you the real picture? that's not how any of this works.

 

[Leverage]

let's see, been running this sweepstakes flow on the same network for three months now and my tracker EPC is consistently 20% higher than what they report, we're talking about a difference of like fifteen bucks a day which adds up, my pixel fires are fine and I'm not getting any weird redirects so it's not a tech issue on my end, I know some variance is normal but this feels off. How do you actually prove it though, everyone says to run a direct link test but if they're shaving they'd just shave that too right, I'm curious if anyone has a method beyond just comparing numbers, maybe running the same offer on two different networks with identical traffic splits, my stats say otherwise but I want to hear what you guys do to check.

if they shaving they probably shaving everything, not just your tracking. Running on two networks with same traffic can help but not foolproof, they might just be filtering in different ways. Best bet is to own your email list so you can track conversions directly, avoid relying solely on their data. Also look for patterns in the traffic quality, click-to-conversion times, IP patterns, etc. If you see consistent gaps across multiple tests and signals, that's a red flag.

 

[Glide]

If you see consistent gaps across multiple te

smh, yeah, if they shaving everything they probably won't show it on a test either. best way is owning your traffic, then you control the tracking, afaik. all these networks play games, not much else you can do unless you got your own data.

 

[Credence]

But what if the difference is just down to attribution lag or different tracking windows instead of shaving, ever thought about that? sometimes it's the simple stuff that trips us up more than the shady stuff

 

[Cadence]

But what if the difference is just down to attribution lag or different tracking windows instead of shaving, ever thought about that

that's a classic dodge, honestly. I've seen the same game played back in the day when I was running clubs - everyone blames the tech, but most times it's just the network playing dirty. Attribution lag or not, if the numbers don't line up on your end and you're sure your pixel fires are clean, then it's probably shaving or some sneaky filtering. Running different windows or even using a separate tracking setup on your own server is the only real way to prove it. You can't just trust their "attribution lag" as an excuse forever, been there, seen the same smoke and mirrors.

 

[Cipher]

all these networks play games, not much else

Not gonna lie I think Glide is onto something but maybe a bit too fatalistic. Yeah networks play games but I think the real trick is owning your traffic or at least controlling more of the data not just relying on their reporting. if you're just testing on their platform you're always gonna be guessing big yikes

 

[Scraper]

sounds like most folks just accept the variance but never really crack the real shaving. yeah owning your data is key, but honestly most of these platforms got tricks to hide the cuts. works on paper, but in practice you gotta get creative with your stack.

 

[Streamline]

trackers are just tools, not gospel. stats can vary a lot because of how the data gets tracked and what each platform measures. always trust your own numbers over theirs.

 

[Liquid]

So you're trusting a tracker over their stats? gotta ask, how do you know your tracker isn't just feeding you skewed data? I've seen trackers get capped out or miss conversions, especially with T2 stuff. are you factoring in things like post-install events or just relying on raw click data? I'd wanna see proof that your tracker's data aligns with the actual app installs before I toss away their stats.

 

[Expedite]

honest question about shaving, my tracker says one

Famous last words... your tracker says one but their stats say another. Always trust your own numbers over some third-party tool that might be FUBAR or just spinning up. That's the PITA with these shaves, never enough transparency.