Free tool · Research use only stores
Peptide Business Profit Calculator
See what a research peptide store actually keeps from each order and each month, after product, shipping, card processing, refunds and software. Put in your own numbers; everything updates as you type.
Where each $100 of revenue goes
The same store at different volumes
Keeps your prices and fixed costs the same. Volume rarely scales that neatly, so treat this as a guide to how fixed costs spread, not a plan.
Illustration based only on the numbers you enter. It is not a forecast, an income claim or financial advice. It covers running the store itself and leaves out marketing spend, income tax and any programme or consulting fees.
Research use only. This calculator is for businesses selling research peptides for laboratory use, not for human consumption. How you label, describe and market products matters a great deal; get your own legal advice for where you operate.
How to read your results
Most people looking at a peptide business work out one number: selling price minus wholesale cost. On a typical catalog that gross margin looks like 40 to 60%. It is real, but it is not what you keep.
Every order also pays for shipping, a card processing fee that is higher than in most retail, and a share of refunds and chargebacks. Take those out and you get the figure this calculator calls kept per order. That is the number that runs your business: every running cost, and whatever you choose to spend finding customers, has to come out of it.
Your monthly fixed costs (supplier membership, hosting, email and software) then have to come out of the total. The break-even orders figure shows how many orders a month it takes to cover them. Below that, every month costs you money; above it, each extra order adds roughly its kept amount to your profit.
Every cost in a research peptide store
| Cost | How it's charged | Typical range |
|---|---|---|
| Product | Per vial, at your supplier's wholesale price | $5 to $10 direct from overseas; about $20 to $100 from US dropship |
| Shipping and fulfillment | Per order, when the supplier ships direct to your customer | Often a flat $8 to $12 |
| Card processing | Percentage of each payment | About 6 to 10% |
| ACH bank payments | Percentage, sometimes plus a small fixed fee | About 4 to 8% |
| Rolling reserve | Share of each sale held back, then released | 5 to 10% for 90 to 180 days |
| Refunds and chargebacks | Lost revenue plus dispute fees | Varies with your policies |
| Supplier membership | Monthly, with some suppliers | Around $200 |
| Hosting, domain, email | Monthly and yearly subscriptions | About $20 to $60 a month to start |
Ranges reflect what we see in the market in 2026. Your providers set the real figures.
Why card processing costs more
Mainstream processors don't accept research peptides, so stores use high-risk processors that price for the risk of the category. Card fees of 6 to 10% are normal (ACH bank payments are often cheaper), and many card processors also hold a rolling reserve: a share of each sale kept back for 90 to 180 days as protection against chargebacks. The money comes back, but while the reserve builds you are funding it from your own cash. The calculator shows how much is held back each month and the most that is held at once.
Why per-order costs decide your margin
Shipping is charged per order, not per vial, and card fees often carry a fixed amount per payment too. A single $40 vial carries the same shipping as a three-vial order, so small orders keep far less of each sale. Raising your average order (bundles, add-ons like reconstitution water, free shipping above a threshold) often does more for profit than finding a cheaper supplier. Try changing vials per order in the calculator and watch the kept-per-order figure.
Dropship or buy direct: why margins vary so much
Two stores selling the same vial at the same price can have very different margins. A US dropship supplier holds the stock, tests it and ships each order for you, and you pay for that in the wholesale price: gross margins of 40 to 60% are typical. Buying direct from overseas manufacturers can bring a vial down to $5 to $10 and push gross margin to 80 to 90% or more.
The difference comes back as cost and risk elsewhere: minimum order quantities paid upfront, stock you have to store, independent testing of every batch, import delays or seizures at customs, and packing and shipping orders yourself. Many stores start on dropship to keep cash free, then move their best sellers to direct supply once volume justifies it. Put both wholesale costs into the calculator to see the gap for your own prices.
What it costs to start a research peptide business
The one-time costs are smaller than most people expect; the ongoing ones decide whether the business lasts.
| Starting cost | Typical figure |
|---|---|
| Company (for example a Wyoming LLC through a registered agent) | About $150, plus $75 to $250 for a tax ID |
| Starting stock or supplier deposit | About $1,000 with dropshipping, much more if you hold inventory |
| Domain | About $11 a year |
| Brand and website | $0 if you build it yourself; more if you hire help |
| Working capital | Enough to cover stock, software and reserves before sales cover them |
Working capital is where most new stores come unstuck. Between the rolling reserve, stock top-ups and the months before orders build, a store needs money behind it beyond the setup costs. Use the days to recover starting costs and reserve held back figures together to see how much.
Questions
How much does it cost to start a research peptide business?
The setup itself can be modest: a company for around $150 plus a tax ID, a domain for about $11 a year, roughly $1,000 of starting stock or supplier deposit if you dropship, and software from about $20 a month. The bigger number is working capital: card processor reserves, stock top-ups and marketing before sales cover the running costs. Hiring someone to build the brand and website adds to that.
What profit margin does a research peptide store make?
It depends mostly on where you buy. Buying from a US dropship supplier, gross margin on product (selling price minus wholesale cost) is commonly 40 to 60%. Buying direct from overseas manufacturers, where vials can cost $5 to $10, gross margin can run 80 to 90% or more, but you take on bulk minimums, holding stock, your own third-party testing, customs delays or seizures, and packing and shipping orders yourself. What a store keeps is lower once shipping, card processing of 6 to 10%, refunds and software come out, and it depends heavily on order size. There is no typical net margin we can honestly quote, which is why the calculator uses your own figures.
Why are card processing fees so high for peptide stores?
Mainstream processors do not accept research peptides, so stores use high-risk processors that price for the risk of the category. Card fees of 6 to 10% of each payment are normal, compared with roughly 3% in mainstream retail. ACH bank payments are often cheaper and usually settle within a few days.
What is a rolling reserve?
A share of each sale, often 5 to 10%, that the processor holds back for a set period, commonly 90 to 180 days, as protection against chargebacks. The money is released after the period, and the processor can reduce or remove the reserve at its discretion, but while it builds up it is cash you cannot use.
How many orders does a peptide store need to break even?
Work out what you keep per order after product, shipping, processing and refunds. Divide your monthly fixed costs by that figure. The calculator does this for you and shows the result as break-even orders per month.
Does this calculator include PeptiCEOs fees?
No. It covers the running of the store itself, whoever builds it. It leaves out marketing spend, any programme, consulting or agency fees, and income tax.
Is selling research peptides legal?
Research peptides are sold for laboratory research, not for people to take, and how a business labels, describes and markets them matters a great deal. A research-use-only label on its own is not enough, and the FDA has sent warning letters this year to sellers who treated it that way. We are not lawyers, so get your own legal advice for where you operate.
About this calculator. It does arithmetic on the numbers you enter. Results are illustrations, not forecasts or promises of income; real results depend on your products, prices, costs, demand, compliance and the companies you rely on. It is not financial, legal or tax advice.
Next step
Want Help Building It?
PeptiCEOs builds research peptide brands with founders: products and suppliers, brand, website and checkout, payment applications and the compliance setup, then six months of one-to-one support. If you'd like to look at your numbers with us and see whether we're a fit, book a call. You can also read the whole build, step by step, first.