Buying kratom for the first time can be quite of a struggle. Because of the stigma created around it, it’s not as easy as buying a protein powder or a magnesium supplement for your diet.
You may even feel completely isolated or afraid to share your intention with others. As a result, you can waste quite a lot of money and time until you find the right product and vendor for you.
We absolutely understand you as we were in the same boat a few years back when we started off. Therefore, we’ve compiled a list of common mistakes that new buyers make.
7 Common Mistakes When Buying Kratom
1. Not Doing Proper Research
If you only recently found out about kratom, you likely googled “buy kratom online” to find a vendor. However, it’s easy to get confused if you have limited knowledge of what you should be looking for.
So, before you buy kratom online or at a local store, make sure to do plenty of online research. Look at things such as:
- kratom vein types,
- strains and their effects,
- best strains for the effects that you’d like to achieve,
- user reviews on the strains and vendors,
- information on the vendor,
- and more.
Make sure to look into a variety of sources. Since there are no regulations on kratom, there is also lots of misinformation on it. So, you need to be able to objectively assess the information available to you in order to make the most optimal decisions.
2. Not Seeking Support and Advice
Not everyone supports kratom. Some even state that it’s a deadly and dangerous drug and advocate a kratom ban. So, you may feel like you can’t speak to anyone about your decision to take kratom.
Yet, there are plenty of forums online where you can connect with other kratom users and seek help and advice.
As rare as it may sound, one of these forums is Reddit. There are several Reddit subgroups where kratom users discuss a variety of kratom-related topics. Keep in mind though that changes in regulations made in early 2018 do not allow reviewing or suggesting vendors.
Nonetheless, you can inquire about other users’ experience with different kratom veins and strains. You can also learn about different ways of taking kratom and other tricks that kratom users have.
There are, however, other forums such as I Love Kratom, where you can get feedback on some more popular kratom vendors.
3. Paying Too Much
People often believe that the more expensive products are the ones that also have the best quality. While this can be true, it’s not always like that.
We’ve mentioned before that there are no regulations on kratom as there is with plenty of other supplements. As a result, not every vendor follows ethical practices.
Some vendors do indeed have higher prices because they offer strong and high-quality kratom. The consistency of their quality also tends to be high. Because of that, you may pay more upfront, but you save money in the long run.
On the other hand, there are also plenty of vendors who purchase kratom from a distributor and then resell it for a higher price. This bumps up the price, but the quality of their product may not necessarily be worth it.
This is another reason why doing proper research before you buy kratom online is extremely important.
4. Paying Too Little
Kratom isn’t the cheapest supplement available on the market. We get it. You may want to save some money on a bargain purchase.
While expensive doesn’t necessarily mean good quality, cheap doesn’t always mean a good bargain.
There are many fake vendors online who take advantage of the fact that kratom is unregulated yet is gaining increasing popularity. They may sell kratom that is fake, old, or adulterated.
Cheaper vendors may also offer inconsistent quality. You may buy a very strong product once, but then get weak kratom the next time you order.
Cheap vendors may also not test their product or test it, but offer contaminated or adulterated kratom for sale anyway.
We’d also advise you to not buy directly from the source or from vendors in Southeast Asia where kratom is native. While often this may sound like an excellent deal, you won’t know exactly whom you’re dealing with.
We’ve heard of multiple instances of such scams. Even western kratom vendors who buy directly from the source go through lots of them before finding a supplier whom they can trust. Therefore, it’s best not to risk. Especially if you have little or no experience with kratom.
5. Not Looking Into Lab Test Results
The FDA has expressed its strong interest in banning kratom multiple times. They claim that kratom is a drug. They even compare it to heroin and other hard drugs.
Yet, the FDA is also the institution responsible for regulating dietary supplements and herbal medicines. Since they don’t do it for kratom, vendors are responsible for it.
Sadly, there have been several instances in the past when contaminated kratom was available for sale. After an incident in 2018 when salmonella-contaminated kratom affected about 200 people, many kratom vendors started paying stricter attention to lab-testing their product and publicly displaying the test results.
If kratom is contaminated, adulterated, fake, or otherwise unfit for sale, vendors should not be offering it for sale. In some instances, it may mean that they need to discard batches worth hundreds or even thousands of dollars.
This can be a massive loss to any business. So, some may be compelled to still sell it instead of losing such an amount of money. Especially is their profit margins are low.
So, make sure to look for kratom lab test results and critically assess them before you buy kratom online.
6. Falling for Marketing Gimmicks
Because of the sensitive situation that kratom is in, there are certain things that vendors can’t or at least shouldn’t do when marketing their product.
These include using certain vocabulary, such as “organic” or “safe” in their advertising. It is also not allowed to advertise kratom on platforms such as Facebook or Instagram.
Some vendors may even claim that “kratom will give you the best high of your life”. This is not only inaccurate but also spreading negative information about kratom.
When you give your money to a vendor, you not only get a product in exchange but also choose a side. This can be either one that complies with the rules and tries to keep kratom legal or one that is simply interested to jump on the bandwagon of kratom popularity in order to earn money.
Vendors who do the latter care neither about their customers nor the future of kratom. Following unethical marketing practices can spread negative information on kratom and ruin its reputation.
As a result, your purchase can determine whether kratom will or won’t be banned.
7. Buying Kratom in Bulk
Another mistake novice users can make is buying kratom in bulk. Buying in bulk is usually cheaper and it can be especially tempting when it comes to a pricier product such as kratom.
Yet, kratom is a natural substance and it may affect different people in different ways. You won’t know how your body will react to it until you actually try.
Therefore, it is possible that you invest your money in a large pack that you may not use or like.
In order to avoid that, we suggest that you start with samples or beginner packs. Some vendors offer these for symbolic prices. This way, you can get a variety of different strains and see which one suits your needs best.
Only once you know exactly what you like and what dose you need, you should buy kratom in bulk.
In Conclusion
It may seem that buying kratom is an incredibly hard task. Trust us, it’s not. But you need to do proper research and take different factors into consideration.
Take your time to inform yourself and experiment first. For many, the start of their kratom takes some trial and error. It may be inevitable for you as well. Yet, we hope that our tips will help make your kratom journey a bit less bumpy.
Feel free to reach out to us if you need any tips or advice on kratom. You can do it through our contact form or by leaving a comment below.
You may also be interested in our FREE kratom buying guide where we discuss our favorite tips when buying kratom and choosing a kratom vendor.
Have you made any mistakes when buying kratom? What were they and how did you deal with them? Are there any tips that you’d like to share as well?
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