Notes
RUO Website Checklist: What Underwriters Look For on a Peptide Site
A page-by-page checklist for research-use-only peptide websites, written from the underwriter's side of the desk, so a merchant account application is reviewed on the business, not on avoidable copy problems.
By David Ruderman ·
Why the website matters more than the application form
For a research-use-only (RUO) peptide business, the website is the main piece of evidence in a merchant account review. The application says what the business intends to do; the website shows what it actually does. When the two disagree, underwriters believe the website.
This checklist follows the order an underwriter tends to read a site in: homepage, product pages, checkout, policies, then everything else that is linked. It is a practical guide, not legal advice, and banks differ in what they require.
Homepage and brand
- The homepage states plainly that products are sold for research use only.
- Imagery fits a lab supplier: products, vials, packaging, lab settings. No lifestyle, fitness or before-and-after imagery.
- The business name, physical address and contact details are visible and match the application.
- Navigation, banners and pop-ups contain no outcome language (results, transformations, recovery and similar).
Product pages
- An RUO statement appears on every product page, near the price and add-to-cart button.
- Descriptions stick to identity and specification: name, sequence or CAS number where applicable, purity, form, quantity, storage.
- No instructions for human or animal use, and no reconstitution or administration guidance written for people.
- A certificate of analysis is linked for the product, preferably for the specific batch being shipped, from a named lab.
- Product names describe the compound rather than implying an effect.
- Customer reviews are moderated so they do not reintroduce human-use claims.
Checkout
- The buyer confirms the research-only terms with an unchecked checkbox before paying.
- An age confirmation is present where the bank requests it.
- The order summary shows the business name that will appear on the card statement.
- Shipping cost and delivery expectations are shown before payment.
Policies
| Page | What an underwriter checks |
|---|---|
| Terms of sale | Research-only restriction, buyer responsibilities, governing law |
| Refund and returns | A clear, findable process; refusing all refunds tends to raise dispute risk |
| Shipping | Where the business ships, typical timelines, tracking |
| Privacy | Present and specific to the business |
| Contact | Email, phone or form that actually gets answered |
Everything else that is linked
Underwriters follow links. Blog posts, FAQs, social profiles, affiliate pages and email sign-up flows are part of the picture. A compliant product page next to a blog post about personal use undoes the work. Audit old content, influencer copy and coupon pages as carefully as the catalog.
If the business runs more than one domain, every domain that takes payment should be disclosed and held to the same standard.
Common reasons an RUO site gets flagged
- Research-only labeling that appears only in the footer.
- Product descriptions copied from sources written for human use.
- Missing or generic certificates of analysis.
- Links to communities or content that discuss personal use.
- A business address or entity name that does not match the application.
- A catalog that mixes research products with consumer health products.
Retail versus wholesale sites
Wholesale (B2B) suppliers selling to labs, institutions and resellers are reviewed against the same principles, plus a closer look at who the buyers are: account-based ordering, buyer verification and invoices all help. Retail (B2C) sites selling to individual researchers draw more attention to labeling and checkout acknowledgments, because the buyer is less easy to verify.
How to use this checklist
Go through it with the live site open, page by page, and fix gaps before applying or before a processor's periodic review. Keep a dated record of changes. If an underwriter asks why something changed, a clear answer helps.