Peptide Vendor Didn't Deliver? Chargebacks, FTC Reports and State AG Complaints

The short answer

If a peptide vendor didn't deliver, sent the wrong product, or backed it with a COA that turns out to be fake, start by contacting the seller in writing with a specific request and deadline. If that fails and you paid by credit card, file a billing dispute with your card issuer; under the Fair Credit Billing Act, the FTC says your dispute letter must reach the issuer within 60 days after the first bill with the error was sent to you. Then report the seller to the FTC at ReportFraud.ftc.gov and to your state attorney general's consumer protection office.

Payment method matters more than anything else. Credit cards carry federal dispute rights; crypto payments, according to the FTC, typically aren't reversible and come with no legal protections.

Step 1: Build your evidence file

Before you contact anyone, gather everything in one folder. Sellers sometimes delete chats or close stores once complaints start.

Our arrival inspection checklist covers what to photograph when a box arrives; if you followed it, you already have most of this.

Step 2: Contact the seller in writing

Send one clear message by email or the seller's support form, not just a chat. Include your order number, what went wrong, the evidence, and the remedy you want: refund, replacement, or a lot-matched COA. Give a reasonable deadline. Keep the tone factual.

For a suspected fake COA, contact the laboratory named on the report and ask whether it issued that report for that sample. A lab's written answer that it has no record of the report is strong evidence. Our COA guide explains how to spot common fakes, and our supplier evaluation framework covers what a legitimate supplier should provide without being asked.

A simple structure for your written demand

A short, specific message works better than a long one. Fill in the brackets:

Keep a copy and note the date and time you sent it. If the seller replies, keep the conversation in writing. If they offer store credit instead of a refund, you can decline; a credit is only as good as the seller's willingness to ship.

Step 3: Dispute the charge

Credit cards

The FTC's guide to disputing credit card charges explains the Fair Credit Billing Act process:

• Deadline: your letter must reach the issuer within 60 days after the first bill with the error was sent to you. Certified mail with return receipt gives you proof.
• Address: send it to the issuer's address for billing inquiries, not the payment address. Include your name, address, account number and a description of the problem, plus copies (not originals) of supporting documents.
• Issuer's obligations: the issuer must acknowledge your complaint in writing within 30 days, unless it's already resolved, and resolve the dispute within 90 days.
• While it's investigated: you can withhold payment on the disputed amount and related charges, but you must pay the rest. The issuer can't report the disputed amount as delinquent.

Billing errors under the law include charges for goods that weren't delivered as agreed, which covers non-delivery and, often, the wrong product. Many issuers also let you start a dispute online or by phone; if you do, follow up in writing to protect your rights under the statute.

For disputes about the quality of goods rather than billing errors, the FTC notes extra conditions, including that you tried to resolve the problem with the seller first and limits tied to where you bought it.

Debit cards, bank transfers and payment apps

These follow different rules from credit cards. Contact your bank or app provider as soon as you spot the problem and ask what dispute options exist. Payments sent as "friends and family" may have few or no protections.

Crypto

The FTC says crypto payments typically are not reversible. It recommends reporting to ReportFraud.ftc.gov, the CFTC, the SEC, the FBI's Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3), and the exchange you used to send the money.

Be wary of anyone who contacts you offering to recover lost crypto or a scammed payment for an upfront fee. Recovery offers that arrive after a loss are a common follow-on scam.

Step 4: File reports

• FTC: ReportFraud.ftc.gov. Reports go into a database law enforcement agencies use to spot patterns.
• Your state attorney general: state attorneys general run consumer protection offices that take complaints, usually through an online form. Search your state's name plus "attorney general consumer complaint." If the seller is in another state, you can also file with that state's AG.
• CFPB: consumerfinance.gov/complaint, if your card issuer or bank mishandles a dispute.
• IdentityTheft.gov, if your card was later used for charges you didn't make.
• FDA, if the product made you sick or appears contaminated. Our guide to reporting a side effect through MedWatch covers that.
• The platform, if you bought through Instagram, Telegram, Discord or a marketplace. Report the account so others see fewer of its listings.

A note on honesty

Describe your purchase accurately in every dispute and report. Don't relabel a research chemical as something else to improve your odds. Card issuers decide disputes on the evidence, and an inaccurate description can undermine an otherwise valid claim. Reporting accurately also gives regulators a true picture of what is being sold.

Avoiding a repeat

The best protection is choosing sellers before problems happen: an identifiable business, card payments through a standard processor, lot-matched COAs from a lab you can contact, and written shipping and replacement policies. Our list of red flags when buying peptides online covers the warning signs, and our piece on "Made in USA" supplier claims explains how to read origin language.

For laboratory buyers, these are suppliers we compare on published COAs and policies; we do not lab-test products.

This page is general consumer information, not legal advice. For large losses, a consumer attorney or your state's legal aid office can tell you about options such as small claims court.