The term ‘Research Chemical’ is rapidly becoming one of the hottest keywords throughout the web. Originally gaining popularity via chemicals such as Mephedrone, Methylone, MDPV and a whole host of other powders and pills, it’s no surprise that the number of sites selling these RCs has more than tripled over the past 12 months. Now the latest batch of ‘legals’ has hit the market (Methoxetamine , Phenazepam, Methiopropamine etc.) and there are more scammers out there than ever. This guide will give you the top tips in how to avoid losing your money, receiving fake products and most importantly how to keep yourself out of harms way.
- Check SafeOrScam
Known as SoS, this should always be your first port of call when researching a new vendor. Customer reviews (both good and bad), a numerical rating system and an ‘invite-only’ member base make this a great place to weed out the bottom feeders.
- Contact the site
These days many sites are offering a phone number alongside the standard email form, don’t be afraid to get in touch!
While there are of course exceptions to this rule, it stands to reason that if a vendor takes weeks to reply to an email then there’s a good chance their shipping times may leave you frustrated.
- Check the product information
Fortunately we live in an age where limitless amounts of information is literally at our fingertips. Look up the chemical name (often called the ‘IUPAC’) of your intended purchase, does it match what the vendor has on their site?
Read through their product descriptions carefully, is the purity of the chemical OK? If possible try to find out how long ago the vendor purchased the stock and how they’re storing it; things like alpha-MethylTryptamine degrade very easily if not stored correctly, something you’d have no way of knowing until it was far too late.
- How is the product packaged
In an ideal world all vendors would double bag and clearly label all of their chemicals, but many still don’t follow this basic rule. All it takes is a slight tear and your order is emptied into an envelope, just waiting to be opened onto the floor. Double bagging completely removes this risk at almost no extra cost to the vendor.
- What payment methods do they accept
This one is a bit more difficult than the others, there are countless vendors that only accept ‘WU’ / MoneyGram and yet are as good as gold.All we can say for this one is things like ‘WU’, MoneyGram and Liberty Reserve don’t offer you any protection at all; if it turns out the vendor has scammed you there’s really not much that can be done. However payments via Credit Card, Bank Transfer or third party companies such as PayPal and AlertPay do at least offer you some sort of protection in the event of an order going wrong.
