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What underwriters look for on a peptide merchant's website
Eight things an acquiring bank checks before it approves a high-risk merchant account. Having them in place before you apply is the single biggest thing you can do to get approved faster. Print this page and tick them off.
- Clear product descriptions with intended use stated plainly
Every product page says what the item is and who it is for. For research-use-only compounds, the research-use statement sits on the product page itself, not only in the footer.
- Visible refund, return, and shipping policies
Linked from the footer and from checkout. Underwriters read them to estimate chargeback risk; a missing refund policy is one of the most common reasons a file stalls.
- Terms of service and privacy policy pages
Real pages on your domain, dated, naming your legal entity.
- A working customer service phone number and email
On a domain address, answered within a business day. Underwriters sometimes call it.
- Business name on the site matches your legal entity or DBA
The name in the footer, the name on the bank account and the billing descriptor should match or be clearly linked ("Brand, a DBA of Legal Entity LLC").
- No unsupported medical or treatment claims on research products
Card brands and banks screen marketing copy. Research products are described as research products; no dosing, no outcomes, no testimonials about effects.
- Age verification if you sell direct to consumers
A checkbox or gate at checkout is enough for most banks; the point is that it exists.
- SSL certificate and a checkout that shows the billing descriptor
The customer should see on the order page the same name that will appear on their card statement. Mismatched descriptors are the leading cause of "I don't recognise this charge" chargebacks.
Documents to have ready
Underwriting asks for documents only after you are matched with a bank, but gathering them now shortens the two-to-five-day review:
- Government ID for each owner with 25% or more of the business
- Articles of incorporation or LLC formation documents
- Three months of business bank statements
- Three to six months of prior processing statements, if you have processed before, plus any closure notice
- A voided check or bank letter for the settlement account
- Licences, where the category requires them (pharmacy, prescriber, state registrations)
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