More US-based vendors moving toward Crypto-based payment?

[Retazempic]

Below is an excerpt of an email I received from a US-based peptide website/vendor. (I deleted items that I believe would be promotion-oriented, and all ellipses are mine).

A Difficult—and Urgent—Update

I’m not going to hide behind corporate-speak. I'm writing to you today because we have a serious problem, and I need to be 100% transparent with you.

As of yesterday, our ability to process credit cards has been abruptly paused.

We received a BRAM (Business Risk Assessment and Mitigation) Notice from Mastercard. This isn't a random event. This is a targeted, industry-wide action.

For years, "other industries" have been pressuring payment processors to cut off independent research companies. Their goal is simple: to control the market, limit your access, and shut down anyone who offers fair, independent pricing.

They are trying to squeeze us—and you—out of the picture.

We’ve always known this day might come. And we are 100% prepared.

We are NOT shutting down. We are 100% operational.

But to move forward, we need to bypass these gatekeepers. This means until we can get this cleared (if we even can..), we can no longer accept credit cards.

From now on, we will be accepting P2P (Peer-to-Peer) payments. The options are now live at checkout:
Cash App
Zelle

I know this is an inconvenience. I know it’s not as simple as typing in a credit card number. But using these methods is how we fight back. It’s how we declare our independence from a system that wants to control us.

A New Idea. A Better Future?

This fight has given me a new, powerful idea.

The 10% credit card fees were never the real issue. The real issue is the control.

What if we cut them out for good?

I am seriously considering building a second, completely separate website. This new site would ONLY accept Bitcoin, ….

This is a massive project, and I will only do it if you are interested. This is where I need your help.

Please, just hit "Reply" to this email and let me know:

1. A simple "YES" if you would use a Bitcoin-only site …..

2. A simple "NO" if you would not.

Your vote will determine our next move.

Thank you for your support and understanding as we navigate this. We are in this together, and we will not let them win.

Sincerely,

 

[Mr. Blonde]

Outrageous! It's outrageous that this "mom and pop" peptide place is trying to make big pharma, and their bottomless pockets, to look like the bad guy. It's clear to all of us on our health journeys that big pharma only has our best interest in mind.

I mean why else would they work so hard with insurance companies, politicians, boards of health, etc. to ensure that we can only source from them, who happen to make the best products that we are fortunate enough to stay and pay on for life!

BigPharma: 1 Mom&Pop: 0

 

[cheaperseeker]

I hope they decide to accept a more stable crypto than Bitcoin. Whoever this is.

 

[Airborne Daddy]

Outrageous! It's outrageous that this "mom and pop" peptide place is trying to make big pharma, and their bottomless pockets, to look like the bad guy. It's clear to all of us on our health journeys that big pharma only has our best interest in mind.

I mean why else would they work so hard with insurance companies, politicians, boards of health, etc. to ensure that we can only source from them, who happen to make the best products that we are fortunate enough to stay and pay on for life!

BigPharma: 1 Mom&Pop: 0

They love us and want us safe. They go above and beyond to protect us from unscrupulous dealers who sell us plaster and Epsom salt to inject. They spend their own money to eradicate posoined knock offs whether you and I are pharma customers or not. That's admirable and I for one feel grateful and blessed. Keep fighting the good fight Eli Lilly and Norvo! It's just coincidental that these "Somali Pirates" and their witches brew have less endotoxins and higher purity than their official product. Likely due to constant/consistent testing by the junkies that use it to save a few bucks in exchange for often fatal results.....

 

[Airborne Daddy]

I hope they decide to accept a more stable crypto than Bitcoin. Whoever this is.

Not a big issue if you buy btc and pay within a day or 2.... well for the 300ish order not 4k.... u can absolutely lose 3 or 5 percent in a few days.

 

[ZippityDooDah]

I have been predicting and warning about card payments becoming increasingly unavailable for at least 2 years, and have been encouraging everyone to become more comfortable and familiar with alternatives like crypto.

Most peptide vendors face this issue periodically (some, regularly depending on their sales), and are forced to find a new payment processor.

However, this unnamed vendor is substantially over-dramatizing their situation, and will likely be posting again in the near future about how CashApp and Zelle have cancelled them as well. While the peptide business is under heavy scrutiny from the entire payment processing cartel, chances are an underwriter at one of the banks was simply performing routine audits and yesterday was the day their website came up for review.

Most vendors who still accept cards usually have 2, 3 or more backup payment processing accounts ready to go in anticipation of being shut down. It's good business in their industry, and anyone who isn't prepared.

No matter what, peptide consumers need to be prepared to broaden their payment method horizons and comfort level if they intend to continue purchasing these products. Eventually the day is going to come where any mention of the word 'peptide' is going to result in instant denial for any merchant trying to accept card payments.

 

[randompersonrandom]

The py-to-SOL guide that @peptideusername posted a little while back really is wonderful, and very easy. and best of all, Paypal holds my stuff for a few days because I buy it through my bank, which stops me from being bored and sad one night and buying peptides to pass the time, and instead I have to go for a walk or make a bracelet or do something besides hoard compulsively.

 

[IshimaruKenta]

The py-to-SOL guide that @peptideusername posted a little while back really is wonderful, and very easy. and best of all, Paypal holds my stuff for a few days because I buy it through my bank, which stops me from being bored and sad one night and buying peptides to pass the time, and instead I have to go for a walk or make a bracelet or do something besides hoard compulsively.

I bought some SOL last night from PayPal, accidentally chose bank and told it's being held for 3-5 days. And during this time, it's already lost $23. 😒🙄

I wish PayPal would just let me buy USDT/USDC.

 

[Retazempic]

After Exodus’s MoonPay disabled my account (no reason given, even after my request for one), I, too, bought PYUSD in PayPal with bank funds and they held mine, too. And that bothered me (bc I’m an adult, and it’s my money) so I immediately opened an account on Kraken and purchased crypto …. and THEY made me wait, TOO!

It took me about a week to deposit the crypto I needed into my Exodus wallet, but it got there. And I do agree (in hindsight) that making we wait wasn’t a bad thing.

(Hat tip and thank you to many in this forum who warned that the crypto process could be plagued by delays. I planned ahead and bought a few vials of Reta from a US website - on sale of course 😉

As for PayPal, it do think it sucks that you have to swap for another coin (at least my vendor wouldn’t accept PYUSD), and that means doing research to find an exchange that would swap PYUSD for the coin I needed.

And of course, at every new, unexpected step, there was an additional concern that I’d screw up something and cause more delay and/or needlessly lose money.

(Again, thanks to the collective wisdom of this place, I prepped myself for the unexpected.)

 

[Airborne Daddy]

I have been predicting and warning about card payments becoming increasingly unavailable for at least 2 years, and have been encouraging everyone to become more comfortable and familiar with alternatives like crypto.

Most peptide vendors face this issue periodically (some, regularly depending on their sales), and are forced to find a new payment processor.

However, this unnamed vendor is substantially over-dramatizing their situation, and will likely be posting again in the near future about how CashApp and Zelle have cancelled them as well. While the peptide business is under heavy scrutiny from the entire payment processing cartel, chances are an underwriter at one of the banks was simply performing routine audits and yesterday was the day their website came up for review.

Most vendors who still accept cards usually have 2, 3 or more backup payment processing accounts ready to go in anticipation of being shut down. It's good business in their industry, and anyone who isn't prepared.

No matter what, peptide consumers need to be prepared to broaden their payment method horizons and comfort level if they intend to continue purchasing these products. Eventually the day is going to come where any mention of the word 'peptide' is going to result in instant denial for any merchant trying to accept card payments.

Excellent point.

 

[randompersonrandom]

I bought some SOL last night from PayPal, accidentally chose bank and told it's being held for 3-5 days. And during this time, it's already lost $23. 😒🙄

I wish PayPal would just let me buy USDT/USDC.

I never even go to sol directly--his guide is Pyusd, send to Exodus, convert to USDT or another sol network thing with jupiter, keep ten bucks at a time of sol for the tiny fee. It works great.

 

[Retazempic]

I never even go to sol directly--his guide is Pyusd, send to Exodus, convert to USDT or another sol network thing with jupiter, keep ten bucks at a time of sol for the tiny fee. It works great.

Did you do the swap in Exodus on your phone or on desktop?