5 Things To Do Before You Buy CBD Online

Posted on by TJ
A bottle of CBD oil. Text that reads "5 Things to do before you buy CBD online"

Everyone and their mother seems to be selling CBD online nowadays. Why not? CBD hemp flower is easy to grow, but hard to grow well. The variance in quality and consistency can make buying CBD online a real challenge for some. Luckily, there’s a lot of information out there. You just have to know where to look and what to look for.

By the end of this post, you’ll know,

  • How to find reputable online CBD retailers
  • What to look for on a retailer’s website
  • How to buy high-quality CBD online

1. Buy CBD online… (From that website?)

You’ve found a CBD vendor or farm that you’re interested in. Great! Take a look at their website and make sure everything is on the up and up.

The first question you should ask yourself is: Would I buy CBD in a store that hasn’t been cleaned up since the late ’90s? If not, then it’s not a good idea to buy CBD online from one either.

You know what vibe we’re talking about here: excessive popups, slow-loading images, and an unresponsive user interface. Trust your gut on this one. A website is like a salesperson: if you get a weird feeling then walk away.

Related: Where Should You Buy CBN Online?

2. Are They Social?

Once you think you’ve found a farm you want to buy CBD online from, do yourself a favor and look up their social media channels. The main indicators you’ll want to keep an eye out for are:

Do They Have Social Media?

If not, that’s a problem. Most farms and retailers worth their salt will maintain active social media channels, if not to keep open lines of communication, then to at least advertise their products.

Are They Active?

Have they gone dark all of a sudden? Do they respond to your messages in a timely manner? A long period of radio silence may be an indication that the farm is no longer open.

Do They Engage?

The above indicator is more of a vibe check than anything. Does the CBD online retailer maintain a healthy ecosystem and answer questions thoughtfully?

A yes on all counts is a good sign that you’re dealing with a reputable retailer.

3. The Reviews

There are two types of reviews to consider when you buy CBD online. Internal reviews on the retailer’s site and external reviews on pages like Google and Facebook.

Internal reviews

  • Does the website feature any customer reviews? Are they quality reviews?

  • Larger retailer websites that carry/host different brands should feature a good number of reviews on their respective product pages. For smaller vendors or vertically integrated farms like Sunset Lake CBD, there may be fewer total reviews.

  • Do the vendors respond to the positive and not-so-positive reviews? It’s a good sign if a farm or online store takes time to respond to all feedback.

External reviews

After you’ve checked out your vendor’s social media pages and internal reviews, hop on Google and search the name of the vendor and “product reviews.” You’ll want to look out for a few things:

  • Find out what online CBD communities are saying about your prospective vendor.

  • What is their Google rating?

  • Do the reviews on the vendor’s website match the tone and ratings of reviews found on third-party sites?

If it feels like your vendor isn’t being transparent about their products and are suppressing bad reviews on their website, or if the community has nothing but bad things to say, it may be wise to find another place to buy CBD online.

4. Don’t Buy Any CBD Online Before You See A Certificate of Analysis

Are third-party certificates of analysis prominently featured or on their website? If not, that might be a red flag. Certificates of analysis are documents that tell you:

  • The name and type of product. Flower, oil, topical, or edible CBD.

  • What cannabinoids are present in a product;

  • When the CBD product was tested;

  • If the tests were conducted by a reputable third-party

Read more: How to Read a Certificate of Analysis

5. Drop A Line

Does the company or farm prominently display their contact information? Can you email or call in? If you’re still on the fence about a vendor it may be worth sending a quick email with a product question to see how long it takes the company to respond.

Getting back to you in a timely fashion with a detailed answer is a good sign. Ignoring your question or a dead phone line is not. Time to look for another vendor to buy CBD online from.

While you’re here, follow Sunset Lake CBD on Instagram!