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Vendor comparison4 min read

The smaller price is not always the cheaper one.

€40 looks cheaper than €45. Once quantity, pack size and delivery enter the calculation, the order can change. A common denominator makes the difference visible.

At a glance · Compare prices fairly

What you will take away

  • Match the product and pack before sorting prices.
  • Unknown shipping is not free shipping.
  • A price per milligram is not a quality rating.
01

Start with comparable offers

Record the product, declared amount per vial, vials per pack and pack price. A kit of ten vials cannot be treated as one vial. Different blends are not automatically comparable simply because their total amounts match.

Use declared quantities consistently for a listing comparison. A measurement from one laboratory sample cannot replace the stated contents of every listed pack without the relevant attribution. Mixing sources that way creates apparent precision without the supporting evidence.

02

One formula, a clear starting point

Total amount = milligrams per vial × vials per pack × number of packs. Divide the known total cost by that declared amount. The total cost includes the item subtotal and shipping costs included in this comparison.

Worked example: one 10 mg vial costs €40 with €8 shipping. The result is €48 ÷ 10 mg = €4.80 per mg. A second 10 mg vial costs €45 with free shipping: €4.50 per mg. These are arithmetic examples, not actual offers.

TRY THE NUMBERS

Two offers. One basis.

Worked example for one pack of the same product each. Item price plus shipping, divided by total declared amount. Other costs are not included.

Offer A€4.80 / mg€48.00 incl. shipping
Offer B€4.50 / mg€45.00 incl. shipping

B is €4.50 rather than €4.80 per mg in this example. This is not a quality rating.

03

Do not let missing costs disappear

If shipping is unknown, you can calculate an item price per milligram. You cannot calculate a complete price including shipping. Label that result as incomplete instead of silently inserting zero.

EU consumer information includes taxes and extra charges in transparent total-price information. Check the actual listing for the costs that apply. This calculator includes only the item subtotal and shipping you enter; it does not estimate extra duties, currency conversions or fees.

Further reading: Your Europe · Pricing and payments

04

Discounts and quantity change the question

A discount may be temporary or conditional. Record whether you are comparing a regular price or one available only under specific conditions. An unknown coupon value does not belong in a reproducible calculation.

Free shipping above a threshold changes the result only when the quantity actually being compared reaches it. Ordering more just to obtain a lower unit figure is not a conclusion from the arithmetic. Keep the comparison question consistent for every offer.

05

Read price beside evidence

A low price per milligram answers a cost question. It establishes neither the declared amount nor quality. Open the relevant reports alongside the price comparison and pay attention to missing evidence.

Check the date and availability too. A sold-out listing or old price may be useful historically but is not an equivalent current offer. PeptidScout keeps price level separate from its evidence rating. A discount does not increase the evidence score.

Further reading: Price comparisonMethodology 1.0

PUT IT INTO PRACTICE

Your checklist

For your own research. Ticks do not certify product quality and are not saved.

Review steps

One more question?

Can I calculate a price per pure milligram from purity?

A chromatographic area fraction is not automatically a mass fraction. That conversion may imply unsupported precision.

Why is there no final price when shipping is blank?

Unknown does not mean free. The known lower bound remains visible.

Sources & context

Technical background and further information. Worked examples are not vendor measurements. Scoring rules are our own editorial choices.

Revision date: 21 Oct 2026. No medical-use recommendation.

Continue with actual evidenceCompare actual listed prices