There are many things to consider when aspiring scientists or
students decide to take the step up from basic chemistry packs to
purchasing individually selected bespoke chemicals. I have compiled
these points from first hand experience of selling innovative
research chemicals online. I have listed 10 things to check when you
purchase chemicals for your home or laboratory research. Ignore them at
your peril…
1. The first thing to check is that the supplier is
knowledgeable in the field. Do they know their stuff? You need to be
able to contact the website for help and queries and you need to know
2.
Check that they can provide a product analysis. Any self respecting
chemical supplier should be able to provide a product analysis for all
of their catalogue of chemicals. One of the major dangers of purchasing
research chemicals online is that you obtain poor quality chemicals or
even worse you get the incorrect chemical formula which could end in
disaster.
3. Identify where the company is based. Many of the
cheapest manufacturers are based in India and China although shipping
charges are more expensive and there is often a minimum quantity which
may not be suitable for your experiments.
4. Do your research.
This one is applicable for any online purchase. Check if there’s any
negative reviews online about the company first. Make sure they are
trustworthy so you don’t put yourself in danger.
5. Don’t be
seduced by prices!!! This point is covered in a couple of the previous
points but it’s easy to simply opt for the most cost effective option
without taking other factors into consideration. Why are they cheaper?
How much is shipping? are they balancing the finances by charging a
fortune for the shipping?
6.
Check your countries laws on the chemicals you are purchasing. Although
it may be legal in some countries you may need a chemistry license to
acquire these chemicals in your country.
7. Do your research on
the chemicals you are purchasing. Popular chemicals such as 5-APB,
6-APB, Methoxetamine, Etizolam, MDAI, Methiopropamine etc may not be
suitable for everyone. There is no one size fits all!
wickr; seanpaxson
8. Speak to
your peers. If you are a keen chemistry scientist, chances are you are
member of a forum or read a chemistry related blog. Ask people who they
source their research chemicals from. Word of mouth is the best form of
advertising there is.
9. Contact the website before you purchase
any chemicals. This is a big one. Either send a quick email or give them
a call. Make sure you’re not dealing with a poorly run company. This
might also suggest a company who does not regulate their chemicals
tightly enough. You also want to check whether the phone number works (most for security reasons use wickr app instead of phone number)
and that if you have any problems you can get hold of somebody.
