It’s a bit of a dream come true. We’ve reached a point in time where we can buy cannabis online legally–for the most part. And soon enough, it’ll be as common as purchasing groceries from the comfort of your home.
However, buying cannabis online is still an amateur concept. There are lots of operational details to iron out with e-commerce cannabis.
If you are looking to buy cannabis products online, here are some tips you should keep in mind when shopping. We’ll teach you how to sort out the real deal from the duds.
1. Check Their Website
27.2% of the world’s population shops online. It is a no-brainer for business owners who sell physical products, to create a website for online users to browse their products. However, not all websites are created equal.
One of the first dead giveaways that a site is not a legitimate and licensed cannabis source in Canada, is that their site is poorly designed.
Almost anyone can design a website overnight with big-name e-commerce website-building tools like Shopify or WooCommerce, but it’s not unique or personal to the business. It doesn’t stand out. It also tends to have typos or errors in its website language.
A trusted online cannabis store will invest proper funds in the design of its website. They know that their website is a crucial asset that helps build trust in potential customers, and it is definitely not a corner to cut.
2. Check the Fine Print
On top of previewing their website for a professional design, put on your inspector goggles and check the website’s fine print. This is another tell-tale sign of a potential shoddy online cannabis store.
In Canada, private cannabis retailers must hold a license from their provincial government to sell recreational cannabis either in-person or online. The rules for distribution and sale of cannabis differs per province, but you can generally count on province borders to determine whether the sale is legal or not.
If you buy cannabis online and their shipping policy says that they can ship all throughout Canada, you can bet that you’ve landed on an unlicensed cannabis store. Licensed vendors know the law for selling cannabis in Canada. They don’t bend it to make a little more profit.
3. Be Cautious About Low Prices
Most people who shop online know how to find a good deal. However, when it comes to buying cannabis online, you have to be extra cautious. Finding a good deal that sounds too good to be true should have you stopping in your tracks.
What you should do instead is price-compare.
Shop around to see how much online cannabis stores are usually selling their cannabis products. This helps you to identify the outlier that tries to lure unquestioning customers with their low costs. Whether you want to buy cannabis oil online or you want to buy cannabis tea online, be wary of the large discrepancies of costs.
A good deal can sometimes be too good to be true. Buy only from sources you find are reputable.
4. Check Out Their Physical Store
This tip may counteract the point of buying cannabis online but, if this is your first purchase from the company, it doesn’t hurt to do some extra research.
If you’ve found yourself an online cannabis store that seems well and dandy, check to see if they have a physical location. Read their Google and Yelp reviews for further confirmation of whether this store is legitimate.
Go check out their physical location and interact with the staff to see whether you feel comfortable buying from this company. The good thing about finding a store near your home is that deliveries will cost much less and you will get your cannabis purchase much quicker.
5. Look for Lab Tests
While this step is more applicable to those online cannabis stores that sell CBD, it is still worth checking if the company has provided lab results of their products.
Usually, these lab results prove the quality and purity of a product. In particular, a company that advertises their CBD products as a CBD isolate product will have to prove that there is 0% THC in their products. This goes for any other claims in their product advertisement.
While cannabis is a different product from CBD, the fact that a company provides proof of lab results and test analyses of their products shows a sense of transparency with their consumers. This may be a sign of a good source to buy cannabis online.
6. Read Strain Reviews
So, you’ve vetted this online cannabis company and now, it’s time to make your purchase. Whether you’re looking to buy cannabis gum online or buy cannabis seeds online or, you’re looking to buy good ol’ cannabis flower, you need to do one thing: check out the reviews.
Not all cannabis stores will sell the same strain by the same brand, but you can try to look up reviews for the brand you’re interested in.
Don’t know where to go to find these awesome reviews?
Check out Cannibros top cannabis strains reviews. They have reviews on a bunch of well-known cannabis strains that your store likely carries, and they have even more coming. Follow them for more updates!
7. Use Your Credit Card
If you are unsure about the reputation of an online cannabis store, it might be a good idea to choose another more reputable vendor. However, in the case that you do take a risk on an online cannabis store, purchasing with a credit card can be a last measure of protection.
Why?
With a credit card, you can dispute the charge if you have a complaint against the quality of the product that you received. This is all thanks to Fair Credit Billing Act (FCBA). Making a cannabis purchase with anything other than a credit card does not afford you the same benefits of protection.
Exercise Caution When You Buy Cannabis Online
We get it. We’re excited too. You can now buy cannabis online from the comforts of your home. Oh, how the times have changed!
While this is all new and exciting, you must be careful about where you source your cannabis. With these tips, you can better sort out the shoddy ones from the real deal.
For more tips on buying and using cannabis and CBD products, follow our health and lifestyle sections!
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