newbie q: how do you evaluate / choose vendors?

ga7805

ga7805

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Short version - was on branded Zepbound, moved to compound in January due to insurance changes. Been on tirz for a bit over a year and I've lost 50 pounds but still have another 50-70 to go, so I'm thinking of adding ret. I read over STG and a bunch of threads here and on Reddit, and I feel like I have a general handle on the process, but I'm nervous to choose a vendor for my first buy. I've never used crypto and my budget is tight.

I'm NOT asking for you to tell me your favorite vendor, I know that's against the rules and for good reasons. What I am asking for is help with my decision making process.

Here's what I'm looking for:
  • Direct buy from supplier / not paying US concierge middleman prices
  • Easy payment option (I'd prefer PayPal but I think I can figure out PYUSD)
  • I want to buy one box / kit of ret10 or ret15.
  • Prefer US warehouse so I'm not worrying about customs
  • Prefer lower shipping price since paying $60 to ship a single box seems like a lot
  • Customer service that doesn't seem too shady
  • Ideally a vendor that a lot of people are using so I can get in on a group test ..?
That's a lot of factors to keep track of when I'm looking over the postings in the forums here and elsewhere. Is my list unrealistic? Am I asking for too much? Is there something else I should be adding to my list of vendor wants?

In a crowded field of possible suppliers, how did you all decide on a vendor? Should I make a spreadsheet...? Should I make myself a list of a few that seem good from the vendors list and then message them a few questions? How did you decide?
 
Buying direct from the supplier will come from China. US vendors get theirs from China. I have two I buy from, one is reasonable, but shipping is high unless you order $680, and it's free. The other is free shipping, but getting pretty expensive. I buy 80% of my stuff from GB on TG with all the testing, but it's a waiting game that's 6-12 weeks. I only buy from vendors I've dealt with before. A tried doing the spreadsheet deal, but trashed it. PITA with all the price changes. Good luck.
What the hell are you doing up at 3AM?
 
ga7805 said:
Short version - was on branded Zepbound, moved to compound in January due to insurance changes. Been on tirz for a bit over a year and I've lost 50 pounds but still have another 50-70 to go, so I'm thinking of adding ret. I read over STG and a bunch of threads here and on Reddit, and I feel like I have a general handle on the process, but I'm nervous to choose a vendor for my first buy. I've never used crypto and my budget is tight.

I'm NOT asking for you to tell me your favorite vendor, I know that's against the rules and for good reasons. What I am asking for is help with my decision making process.

Here's what I'm looking for:
  • Direct buy from supplier / not paying US concierge middleman prices
  • Easy payment option (I'd prefer PayPal but I think I can figure out PYUSD)
  • I want to buy one box / kit of ret10 or ret15.
  • Prefer US warehouse so I'm not worrying about customs
  • Prefer lower shipping price since paying $60 to ship a single box seems like a lot
  • Customer service that doesn't seem too shady
  • Ideally a vendor that a lot of people are using so I can get in on a group test ..?
That's a lot of factors to keep track of when I'm looking over the postings in the forums here and elsewhere. Is my list unrealistic? Am I asking for too much? Is there something else I should be adding to my list of vendor wants?

In a crowded field of possible suppliers, how did you all decide on a vendor? Should I make a spreadsheet...? Should I make myself a list of a few that seem good from the vendors list and then message them a few questions? How did you decide?
Click to expand...
In answer to part of your question, yes your list is unrealistic. Spend some time learning how to use crypto while you're researching vendors and doing your due diligence. You're massively limiting your options by wanting to use PayPal.
 
ga7805 said:
Short version - was on branded Zepbound, moved to compound in January due to insurance changes. Been on tirz for a bit over a year and I've lost 50 pounds but still have another 50-70 to go, so I'm thinking of adding ret. I read over STG and a bunch of threads here and on Reddit, and I feel like I have a general handle on the process, but I'm nervous to choose a vendor for my first buy. I've never used crypto and my budget is tight.

I'm NOT asking for you to tell me your favorite vendor, I know that's against the rules and for good reasons. What I am asking for is help with my decision making process.

Here's what I'm looking for:
  • Direct buy from supplier / not paying US concierge middleman prices
  • Easy payment option (I'd prefer PayPal but I think I can figure out PYUSD)
  • I want to buy one box / kit of ret10 or ret15.
  • Prefer US warehouse so I'm not worrying about customs
  • Prefer lower shipping price since paying $60 to ship a single box seems like a lot
  • Customer service that doesn't seem too shadyI
  • Ideally a vendor that a lot of people are using so I can get in on a group test ..?
That's a lot of factors to keep track of when I'm looking over the postings in the forums here and elsewhere. Is my list unrealistic? Am I asking for too much? Is there something else I should be adding to my list of vendor wants?

In a crowded field of possible suppliers, how did you all decide on a vendor? Should I make a spreadsheet...? Should I make myself a list of a few that seem good from the vendors list and then message them a few questions? How did you decide?
Click to expand...

Welcome to the forum. I don’t think that the list is totally unrealistic, I think you need to do more reading. There are one or two vendors that immediately come to mind that would meet all your requirements, except for the price. You can’t have China direct prices with all the rest.
 
Last edited:
Fostradamus said:
In answer to part of your question, yes your list is unrealistic. Spend some time learning how to use crypto while you're researching vendors and doing your due diligence. You're massively limiting your options by wanting to use PayPal.
Click to expand...
STG does have a good crypto tutorial, I'm just worried about screwing it up. Is PYUSD still too much of a limitation, should I actually figure out Coinbase or Solana or um .. whatever else?
 
ga7805 said:
STG does have a good crypto tutorial, I'm just worried about screwing it up. Is PYUSD still too much of a limitation, should I actually figure out Coinbase or Solana or um .. whatever else?
Click to expand...
It is quite daunting to be fair. I've only been around these parts for a few months myself, and the first time I used crypto to make a purchase I was crapping myself in case I messed it up. Happy to say I didn't mess it up and have since made 5 or 6 more successful orders.
I can't say anything about PYSUD as I know nothing about it. There will be others on here who can advise you though, I'm sure.
FWIW I use Coinbase to buy my crypto and then transfer it to my Exodus wallet before sending it to the vendor. Good luck, and happy researching.
 
It is still just barely possible to still buy peptides without using crypto, up to 9 purchases so far without using it. There really are not that many taking paypal, so just pick the most popular one with the most views on their ad, who has been around a while, it is as good a way to choose as any.
 
ga7805 said:
STG does have a good crypto tutorial, I'm just worried about screwing it up. Is PYUSD still too much of a limitation, should I actually figure out Coinbase or Solana or um .. whatever else?
Click to expand...
What I did was open a coinbase account. It's like opening a real bank account. They'll want ID, probably a photo, the whole bit...Then I funded coinbase with PayPal. The funds will auto-magically come into coinbase as USDC which is a stable crypto currency that most vendors will take. It takes about a week for the funds to 'clear' in coinbase...Once they have cleared, you are able to send out your crypto. You never want to send crypto directly from coinbase to a vendor because, like I said, coinbase is like a real bank. Sending crypto to a sketchy recipient will get your account closed and funds held...so you find a crypto wallet site to use. I use Exodus...when I do a deal with a vendor, I will send USDC to the wallet and from there send it to the vendor. You need to be careful about 'how' you send the crypto as there are several pipelines that are used and everything needs to match up...The first few times you are ready to send to a vendor, be sure and do a 'test' send of maybe $5 to make sure you have the right process down...Read more about the finer points in the "crypto' section of the site and ask questions...After the learning curve it becomes just rinse and repeat....GL!
 
lessthanhalf said:
It is still just barely possible to still buy peptides without using crypto, up to 9 purchases so far without using it. There really are not that many taking paypal, so just pick the most popular one with the most views on their ad, who has been around a while, it is as good a way to choose as any.
Click to expand...
I've never used crypto with all the stuff I have, and that's a bunch. Some still take PP, but that's getting smaller. Most of mine is Zelle, which is great depending on your bank. Mine would reject everything until I messaged them, and now it's easy.
 
I think if you are price conscious then I’d say it’s really worth getting comfortable with crypto. It’s so easy now with all the wallet apps. It’s also easy to set up multiple wallets and practice sending crypto between them and txnl costs are tiny these days. Also lots of wallets offer cross chain transfers if you have vendors preferring eth/sol.

In the first instance I would defo recommend putting a spreadsheet together with a column for all suppliers on here and then a column for each of your requirements then ultimately you will narrow that down to a few which actually offer them all.

Final point I do find that there are fewer test groups knocking around for the smaller vials like 5/10 but once you have decided on your main candidate vendors have a look on their disco/TG and see how active the test channels are.
 
BNLFL said:
Buying direct from the supplier will come from China. US vendors get theirs from China. I have two I buy from, one is reasonable, but shipping is high unless you order $680, and it's free. The other is free shipping, but getting pretty expensive. I buy 80% of my stuff from GB on TG with all the testing, but it's a waiting game that's 6-12 weeks. I only buy from vendors I've dealt with before. A tried doing the spreadsheet deal, but trashed it. PITA with all the price changes. Good luck.
What the hell are you doing up at 3AM?
Click to expand...
I like your advice but I’m still too new and looking for group testing vs group buys.

OP is 80% of the way there’s
my journey has been.
1. Review vendors list here in GLP1 see who keeps getting talked about in the forum.
2. Joined STG’s telegram.
3. Checked vendor test report spreadsheet
4. Identified top tested vendors.
5. Confirmed what I found here based off their vendor contact sheet
6. Joined crypto channel in STG (read the guide) asked for help with conversion to correct chain and gas.
7. Placed order over $680 for free shipping (and they have a USA warehouse - just everything’s always on back order so I’m waiting.
 
Everything on your list is doable, except for the PayPal requirement. You'll need to use crypto to get any decent pricing/from a reliable/established company. Many vendors on this board have US-warehouses with $20ish shipping. (They basically ship in bulk from their china location to somewhere in the US, and re-ship from here).
 
ga7805 said:
STG does have a good crypto tutorial, I'm just worried about screwing it up. Is PYUSD still too much of a limitation, should I actually figure out Coinbase or Solana or um .. whatever else?
Click to expand...
Finding a good guide on using Coinbase + Exodus is the way to go. It seems intimidating until you do it and you're like 'shit that took like 10 minutes total and will take 2 minutes in the future'. STG is a good resource, specifically for new people; but they're also kind of snooty about their 'verified' vendors and tend to gatekeep.
 
@ga7805
I was all new to crypto and it took me weeks to figure out/feel comfortable with trying it. All of the advice made it more confusing and the brands or apps or whatever still fry my brain.
I ultimately found Exodus to be the easiest by far, and it was one stop/one app to get the crypto from my debit to sending or receiving directly with vendors, and it's also a private wallet so I don't have to worry about other issues with getting a seperate wallet from wherever I sourced the crypto and merging them etc.
I also went with USDC/USDT stablecoin (doesn't change in value after your purchase of it). I only transfer as much as I want to spend the day of purchase since I'm not interested in trading or anything. It was the least confusing and most painless of all the ways I started trying to figure out.
 
ga7805 said:
STG does have a good crypto tutorial, I'm just worried about screwing it up. Is PYUSD still too much of a limitation, should I actually figure out Coinbase or Solana or um .. whatever else?
Click to expand...
New here ! What is STG please ? If you're allowed to tell me of course ! Thank you
 
BNLFL said:
Because of your red banner of love likely, or?? lol BTW, they don't test if that's who it is.
View attachment 25534
Click to expand...
Would you look at that? They literally just removed my red banner. And yeah that’s exactly who.

I’m curious what you meant “they don’t test”
Like that vendor doesn’t test I know that that’s why I like. I’m getting into group test. Or I guess I will be once my batch comes in.
 
ga7805 said:
STG does have a good crypto tutorial, I'm just worried about screwing it up. Is PYUSD still too much of a limitation, should I actually figure out Coinbase or Solana or um .. whatever else?
Click to expand...
I use PayPal to buy pyusd. I send that to my exodus wallet. Swap my pyusd to usdc. I think i actually learned how to do this on a thread somewhere in this forum. The search tool is your friend. Also read the vender connection posts and vender reviews.
 
Every time I find a vendor that accepts Allibaba or PayPal, some buyer comes along and ruins it. Then I may resort to participating in a group buy since you can normally CashApp or Zelle the person that’s over the Group Buy. Now, I look for a vendor who has a Telegram or WhatsApp group. That’s kind of how you can monitor the quality of what they’re sending you. If others are getting things delivered and tested, you kind of gauge if you feel safe ordering from them. If their WhatsApp number gets hacked, you can find that out in the Group as well but if all you have is a phone number, you just really never know if you’re talking to the correct person. I used crypto once using CashApp and I just didn’t care it so….
 
tbaby said:
If their WhatsApp number gets hacked, you can find that out in the Group as well but if all you have is a phone number, you just really never know if you’re talking to the correct person.
Click to expand...
It is best to get vendor contact info from the Vendor Section on this forum. Email preferred.

I think most cases of WhatsApp numbers being incorrect are when buyers contact someone (spammer) from Telegram, rather than an actual number hack.
Use only numbers you find here, and never reply to someone who dm's you saying they are a vendor. (spammer)
 
minipepbeast said:
I use PayPal to buy pyusd. I send that to my exodus wallet. Swap my pyusd to usdc. I think i actually learned how to do this on a thread somewhere in this forum. The search tool is your friend. Also read the vender connection posts and vender reviews.
Click to expand...
I do it this way too. Just be prepared to wait a few days before you can transfer PYUSD to your external wallet. You will also need to verify information. The last time I did this, Paypal asked me more questions than in the past.
 
HistLady said:
I do it this way too. Just be prepared to wait a few days before you can transfer PYUSD to your external wallet. You will also need to verify information. The last time I did this, Paypal asked me more questions than in the past.
Click to expand...
I've never had to wait unless I tried to purchase pyusd and pay with my bank or debit card. I usually just put the cash on my PayPal balance then pay for pyusd with my balance. No waiting.
 
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