Vendors tend to take a bit of a beating for various situations, some more than others - I'm not going to go into whether that's fair or not as I don't have the full story and it doesn't really concern me.
But the general amount of shade being thrown isn't really helpful for anyone when there is no clarity. The notion that no one can or should be trusted is just silly... Sure, some vendors might do some shady shit... But the notion that all businesses are out to scam/trick/steal, is so flawed I don't have words... A business that wants to survive long term would need a good or at least a decent reputation, so the businesses goal would to some extent align with the interest of the customer, even it the business is there to make money at the end of the day.
Yes, a vendor can very easily test one product, then send from another batch claiming it to be the same...
A testing group could also test a bunk product on purpose and claim it to belong to a vendor... I don't know who they are or what their motivation is...
An admin can have a clear agenda against a vendor, and that could be to protect the public, or because he has conflicting monetary interests...
Since everyone is anonymous, it's all too easy to spread doubt about intentions and make someone look bad. And it's not really helpful in any way...
So instead of throwing accusations based on assumptions, how about we focus on setting standards and requirements towards vendors that could improve the buyers safety?
(I'm not saying that we should ignore bad/potentially bad behavior - It's perfectly cool to air a suspicion or assumption, but throwing a full on crusade without hard proof, seems a bit off to me).
The truth is that most buyers are probably just looking for a safe option where they can go ahead and order without worrying - And they don't want to spend hours reading or doing the necessary research.
It is a bit odd to tell those people to do research and not to be lazy, but at the same time care about which vendor they end up choosing - we all know that everyone does not want to or have the time to do all that research.
So back to the point, what efforts can vendors do to make the customers both feel, and actually be safer?
(Don't take this list too seriously, it's more like an open ended question - What's important to you?)
* Custom crimp and lid color per batch?
* Full log of tests ordered from Jano under the customer ID/email?
* Purity tests?
* Heavy metal tests?
* Sterility tests?
* Refund/reship guarantee if purity is under x?
* A video from the lab with a hand written note with the vendor name?
Personally I would like to see ewb and dionysos collaborate to do 3rd party tests on behalf of the community - then I'd be very confident there is no collusion.
Other than that, I do like the structure many forums has where there are vendors that sponsor the board - basically pay a monthly fee in order to support development, 3rd party tests etc. Could be something to consider
But the general amount of shade being thrown isn't really helpful for anyone when there is no clarity. The notion that no one can or should be trusted is just silly... Sure, some vendors might do some shady shit... But the notion that all businesses are out to scam/trick/steal, is so flawed I don't have words... A business that wants to survive long term would need a good or at least a decent reputation, so the businesses goal would to some extent align with the interest of the customer, even it the business is there to make money at the end of the day.
Yes, a vendor can very easily test one product, then send from another batch claiming it to be the same...
A testing group could also test a bunk product on purpose and claim it to belong to a vendor... I don't know who they are or what their motivation is...
An admin can have a clear agenda against a vendor, and that could be to protect the public, or because he has conflicting monetary interests...
Since everyone is anonymous, it's all too easy to spread doubt about intentions and make someone look bad. And it's not really helpful in any way...
So instead of throwing accusations based on assumptions, how about we focus on setting standards and requirements towards vendors that could improve the buyers safety?
(I'm not saying that we should ignore bad/potentially bad behavior - It's perfectly cool to air a suspicion or assumption, but throwing a full on crusade without hard proof, seems a bit off to me).
The truth is that most buyers are probably just looking for a safe option where they can go ahead and order without worrying - And they don't want to spend hours reading or doing the necessary research.
It is a bit odd to tell those people to do research and not to be lazy, but at the same time care about which vendor they end up choosing - we all know that everyone does not want to or have the time to do all that research.
So back to the point, what efforts can vendors do to make the customers both feel, and actually be safer?
(Don't take this list too seriously, it's more like an open ended question - What's important to you?)
* Custom crimp and lid color per batch?
* Full log of tests ordered from Jano under the customer ID/email?
* Purity tests?
* Heavy metal tests?
* Sterility tests?
* Refund/reship guarantee if purity is under x?
* A video from the lab with a hand written note with the vendor name?
Personally I would like to see ewb and dionysos collaborate to do 3rd party tests on behalf of the community - then I'd be very confident there is no collusion.
Other than that, I do like the structure many forums has where there are vendors that sponsor the board - basically pay a monthly fee in order to support development, 3rd party tests etc. Could be something to consider