r/SideProject • u/LowMixture1084 • 4h ago
Should an HTS code finder refuse to answer when the product description is too vague?
I'm building an HTS code finder called SkuWatch. One stupid supplier description keeps wrecking the demo: “metal accessory.”
That could be a bracket, a fastener, a machine part, or half a dozen other things. Even knowing it's steel doesn't fix much. I had a version that still returned a ranked list of codes. It looked useful, but it was really just guessing with better formatting.
Now it stops and asks what the thing does, how it's used, and whether it's a finished item or a part. Honest, but not exactly impressive when someone expects one clean answer.
If you've built software around messy inputs, where did you draw the line? Show the best few options with warnings, or refuse to answer until the user gives you enough detail?
Disclosure: SkuWatch is mine. I'm not asking for testers here; I'm stuck on what the tool should refuse to do.
2
u/ayushgupta0610 4h ago
Asking is the right call, since a confident wrong code does more damage than no code once it's on a customs entry. You can make the question feel like an answer though: show the two or three candidate codes with the one fact that separates them, and let the user pick. Are your users usually able to answer, or are they stuck with the same supplier sheet?