Glossary

The words on a PepAssure vendor page mean specific things. This page defines each one once; the weights and caps quoted here are read from the scoring code, so they cannot drift from what the site does.

PVS (Peptide Vendor Score) #

PepAssure's 0–100 score for a research-peptide vendor, computed nightly from five weighted pillars: Purity Testing 35%, CoA Verification 25%, Community Sentiment 18%, Vendor Transparency 14%, Order Experience 8%. Published only when independent lab evidence exists. Bands: Exceptional (90+), Strong (80+), Average (70+), Below average (60+), Poor (0+). Methodology →

Pillar #

One of the five components of the PVS, each scored 0–100 and combined by weight. Purity Testing and CoA Verification come from lab evidence; Community Sentiment, Vendor Transparency and Order Experience from reviews, site signals and buyer reports. More →

Certificate of analysis (COA / CoA) #

A lab's report on one sample: compound, batch or lot, test date, method and result (usually purity %). A COA is evidence only if the issuing lab lets anyone holding the report confirm it is theirs. COA checker →

Blind buy / blind-tested #

A sample bought anonymously by a third party and tested by a lab that publishes the result, so the vendor neither chose the sample nor could withhold the result. Finnrick and Janoshik results read from their own public indexes are blind-tested and carry full weight (×1). Testing labs →

Independent result #

A blind-tested lab result. The only evidence class that creates a PVS on its own; a vendor with none is 'Not yet scored'. More →

Vendor-submitted certificate #

A certificate from a recognized lab that the vendor uploaded, or that PepAssure read from a lab's or catalogue's public index, with the purity figure confirmed from the document. Counts at half weight (×0.5) because the vendor chose the sample; a vendor with only this class is capped at 85. More →

Vendor-published certificate #

A COA posted on the vendor's own site whose lab has no public lookup. Stored and shown for transparency; never scores.

Recognized lab #

A lab that operates a public certificate lookup anyone holding a report can use to confirm the document is the lab's. That is the only test PepAssure applies — not accreditation, not accuracy. More →

Public certificate lookup #

A page on the lab's site where a report number, access code or lot number returns the lab's own copy of the certificate. The reader compares it with the copy they were given. More →

Not yet scored #

The status of a vendor with no independent lab result on file. PepAssure publishes no number for such a vendor and leaves it out of the ranked pool. It is a statement about evidence, not about the vendor. More →

Provisional score #

A PVS computed from the evidence available when a vendor claims its listing, recomputed nightly like any other and replaced by the standard computation as evidence lands. More →

Uploads-only cap #

The ceiling (85) on the two lab pillars for a vendor whose only lab evidence is vendor-submitted. Lifted the night a blind-tested result arrives. More →

Finnrick rating #

The composite 0–100 rating Finnrick publishes for a blind-bought vendor-and-product page, based on its lab results. PepAssure stores it as a score and never converts it into a purity percentage, because Finnrick does not publish one for most results. (Older Finnrick pages used A–E letters; those were mapped to fixed scores at import.) More →

Enforcement & Shutdown Watch #

PepAssure's dated list of vendors under FDA, DOJ or FTC action, reported shut down, or flagged as exit scams, each linked to its source. Enforcement labels require a government record. More →

Still trading #

An enforcement-listed vendor whose storefront was live when PepAssure last checked. A warning letter is a leading indicator, not a closure; this flag marks the highest-risk case for a buyer. More →

Reported shutdown #

A closure recorded from an industry or reference source rather than a government document. Labelled as a report; the source and check date are shown. More →

Wholesale / manufacturer segment #

A supplier classified from public signals (bulk pricing, manufacturer-style listing, no retail storefront) as selling to resellers rather than buyers. Shown with a banner and kept out of the retail ranking; the classification is evidence-based, not geographic. More →

Price per mg #

A vendor's listed price divided by the compound mass per vial, used to compare offers across vial sizes. Lower is not better on its own; PepAssure shows it beside purity evidence. More →

Claimed listing #

A vendor page whose owner has verified control of the vendor's domain. Claiming adds a badge, review replies and uploads; it never changes a score or a position. More →

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