Shopify regularly suspends UK stores selling research peptides — even when those stores are fully legal.
The reason? Most merchants fail to follow Shopify’s payment and compliance rules for high-risk or regulated categories.
If you sell peptides, SARMs, or similar research substances, the combination of incorrect disclaimers, restricted payment processors, and missing compliance pages can trigger an instant ban.
This guide explains exactly how to prevent it — from disclaimers and COAs to the only payment method that consistently works for peptide stores: Pay by Bank (Wallid).
TL;DR (Key Takeaways)
Shopify Payments and Stripe ban peptide and research-chemical stores.
Use “For research use only. Not for human consumption.” on all product pages and labels.
Use Pay by Bank (Wallid) for instant, compliant payments with no chargebacks.
Display lab reports (COAs) and avoid any medical or performance claims.
Why Shopify Peptide Stores Get Banned
Using Prohibited Payment Processors
Shopify Payments = Stripe = card network rules.
Peptides, SARMs, and research chemicals are on Stripe’s restricted list.
Even if legal in the UK, these products violate Shopify Payments’ internal risk filters.
When detected, Shopify immediately disables your payment method — or the entire store.
Fix:
Use Pay by Bank (Wallid) — an FCA-registered Open Banking solution approved for research products.
Missing Legal Policies and Business Info
Shopify’s compliance crawlers look for standard pages:
Refund Policy
Privacy Policy
Shipping Policy
Terms of Service
If they’re missing or incomplete, the store can be flagged as “unverified merchant.”
Fix:
Create detailed, peptide-specific policies (e.g., “Refunds unavailable for opened vials due to lab integrity rules”) and add your company name + UK address in the footer.
No “Research Use Only” Disclaimer
The single biggest reason peptide stores get banned is lack of a disclaimer.
If your product descriptions imply ingestion or performance effects, Shopify assumes you’re selling unlicensed supplements.
Fix:
Add this line — everywhere:
“For laboratory research use only. Not intended for human consumption.”
Include it in:
Product titles or footnotes
Packaging labels
Checkout confirmation emails
Making Health or Performance Claims
Phrases like “increases muscle growth,” “improves recovery,” “burns fat,” will trigger Shopify’s and Meta’s ad policy violations.
Fix:
Describe objectively:
“High-purity research peptide, HPLC-verified, sold for laboratory analysis.”
Keep marketing factual and scientific, never therapeutic.
Missing Lab Reports (COAs)
Shopify’s Trust & Safety team often checks if research products are traceable to legitimate labs.
Without certificates of analysis, they treat the store as unverified.
Fix:
Upload downloadable PDFs for each peptide SKU showing batch number, purity %, and testing method.
Lack of Age Verification
UK Online Safety regulations recommend 18+ verification for all research and restricted goods.
If you sell peptides without any gate, you risk removal for “unsafe marketing.”
Fix:
Add an age-verification popup or use Pay by Bank’s built-in age confirmation, which checks date of birth directly with the customer’s bank.
Safe Payment Alternatives for Research Peptide Stores (UK 2025)
Payment Gateway
Accepts Peptides?
Fees
Payout Speed
Chargebacks
Pay by Bank (Wallid)
✅ Yes (Research Use Only)
0.7%–1% + £0.25
⚡ Instant
🛡 None
Viva Wallet
⚠ Case-by-case
2.9% + £0.30
2–5 days
⚠ Medium
Stripe / Shopify Payments
❌ No (Prohibited)
N/A
N/A
❌ Yes
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Peptide Store Compliance Checklist
✅ Add “Not for human consumption” disclaimer
✅ Upload COAs for every product
✅ Publish refund, privacy, and shipping pages
✅ Add 18+ age gate or bank-verified age check
✅ Avoid medical claims
✅ Use Pay by Bank as your main payment method
✅ Register a UK entity (Companies House)
✅ Keep your domain and business email professional (info@yourbrand.co.uk)
Why Pay by Bank Prevents Peptide Store Bans
Pay by Bank connects your checkout directly to customers’ banks via UK Open Banking — no card processors, no Stripe, no chargeback risk.
Compliant for Research-Use Products
Instant payouts (funds in your account within seconds)
Zero chargebacks
Built-in age verification
Transparent fees: 1% + £0.25 (volume-based from 0.7%)
Keep Your Peptide Store Safe from Shopify Bans
Switch to Wallid Pay by Bank for compliant payments — instant payouts, no chargebacks, and full research-product support.
Because Shopify Payments and Stripe prohibit research chemicals and ingestible peptides.
Can I still sell peptides legally in the UK?
Yes — if they are sold strictly for research use only, not ingestion, and include proper disclaimers and COAs.
How do I take payments if Shopify Payments is disabled?
Use Pay by Bank — a compliant Open Banking alternative supporting peptide merchants.
How do I prove compliance to Shopify?
Provide your disclaimer, refund policy, business registration, and lab certificates when requested.
Will Pay by Bank lower my fees?
Yes — from 1% + £0.25 to 0.7% + £0.25 depending on monthly volume, with no chargebacks.
Speakable Summary
“Peptide stores are often banned from Shopify because Stripe and Shopify Payments block research chemicals. To stay compliant, merchants must use disclaimers, COAs, age verification, and a safe payment gateway like Pay by Bank that supports research-use products.”