How we score
Our Methodology
Best Peptide Stores scores vendors using public-data desk research only. We do not perform in-house testing, and we do not place test orders with any vendor. Every score traces to a publicly checkable source.
We may earn a commission when readers buy through links on this page, at no extra cost to you. Commissions never affect a vendor's score — every vendor is graded on the same public rubric built from published lab documentation, live catalog pricing, and community sentiment. How we score →
What "desk research" means here
Every score on this site is built from information any researcher could find and verify themselves: published certificates of analysis, live vendor catalogs and pricing pages, posted shipping and refund policies, business registration and longevity signals, and structured sweeps of public community sentiment on forums like r/Peptides, Trustpilot, and the Better Business Bureau.
We do not perform in-house lab testing, we do not place test orders, and we do not claim first-hand experience with any vendor's product. Where our language could be read as implying hands-on testing, that's an error — flag it to us and we'll fix it.
For COA authenticity specifically, we check whether the issuing lab is named and independent (some labs, like Janoshik, offer public report-verification portals that make authenticity desk-checkable), whether the batch/lot referenced matches what's sold, and whether testing covers identity and purity rather than purity alone.
Scoring weights
Six factors, each scored 0–10 in increments of 0.5, combined into a weighted overall score. "Best for X" lists on this site use the identical six scores with different weights applied — never a separate, hand-picked dataset.
| Factor | Default weight | What it measures |
|---|---|---|
| COA transparency | 30% | Whether COAs are published, from a named third-party lab, and dated recently. |
| Reputation | 20% | Structured sweep of public sentiment — Reddit, Trustpilot, BBB — with astroturf filtering. |
| Pricing | 15% | Price per mg against category benchmarks, sourced from live catalog listings. |
| Policies | 15% | Clarity of posted shipping, refund, and payment-method terms. |
| Shipping | 10% | Stated shipping speed, carrier, and packaging practices as published by the vendor. |
| Catalog | 10% | Breadth of the peptide/blend catalog and depth of per-SKU documentation. |
Re-review cadence
Published COAs and community sentiment are re-reviewed on a quarterly cycle. Pricing and catalog data are checked against live vendor storefronts more frequently, since those change faster than reputational signals. A vendor showing sustained red flags — a shutdown, an enforcement action, a pattern of unverifiable COAs — is delisted or flagged as "caution"/"closed" as soon as we confirm it through public sources.
On affiliate relationships
This site earns referral commissions when readers buy through some of the vendor links on this site, including One Tap Peptides. Those commissions exist independently of ownership — this site and the vendors it links to are separately owned, with no shared stake and no guaranteed placement for any vendor. A commission relationship never adjusts a vendor's weighting or score, and no vendor can pay for a higher score, a featured placement, or a better rank — see the comparison table on the flagship rankings page for how every vendor actually performs category by category.
Frequently asked questions
Do you place test orders with the vendors you review?+
No. We do not place test orders, perform in-house lab testing, or claim first-hand experience with any vendor's product anywhere on this site.
Can a vendor pay to improve its score?+
No. Scores are derived only from the weighted factors described above. Commission relationships (including with vendors we earn a referral fee from) do not influence scoring inputs.
How do I report an outdated or incorrect score?+
Contact the editorial team via the About page. We prioritize corrections to published COA status and vendor operating status.