I’ve bought from roughly 6 vendors so far, a few of them shipping from US warehouses and the rest from overseas. Every order has shown up when it was supposed to. I don’t send anything off for testing, so for all I know I could be pinning junk—though the results I’m seeing suggest otherwise. When it comes to vendors, I’ve always figured I’m just plain lucky. For transparency: Reta, Tesa and HGH are the only things I’ve ordered.
I Don’t Think I’ve Ever Been Scammed—Anyone Else This Lucky?
- Thread starter Retaguy
- Start date
plant_lady
Explorer
I've been fortunate up to now, though I haven't spent much time in the gray space yet. My approach is to treat every dollar spent as money I'd be fine losing.
Troposphere
Explorer
That's the rule I stick to. The one time a purchase of mine went wrong was with a Group Vendor Discount Purchasing and Testing Organization
(or whatever the term is around here).Every kit contained no peptides at all — only filler. The CN vendor took the money and disappeared, leaving us stranded.
My loss was just a couple hundred, though some guys were down thousands.
Still, in time the Organizer managed to make people whole by buying replacements from a new vendor and shipping them to those who had been burned.
PurpleSage
Explorer
Count me in the same boat. Everything has gone off without a hitch.
I almost don't want to put this in writing, since saying it feels like asking for trouble. Still, after more than 2 years in the grey space, I have not been scammed (yet). Every order has shown up, and each one tested as it should. Honestly, the one real scam I can point to happened before I ever went grey — paying thousands to a well known compounding company for Sema. So perhaps that evens things out.
5byfive
Explorer
I haven't been scammed at all, and every product except one tested fine. That one bad item was eventually refunded. I lost money on shipping and testing, but I went in knowing it might be too good to be true and figuring the vendor would probably make it right.
Mayostardayonnaise
Explorer
I honestly can't say I have. Not once have I been scammed. The way I keep it safe is by never spending more than 300 bucks in a single order — that's the amount I could personally lose without shutting down haha
high-tide
Explorer
reta-stacker
Explorer
Same here. Everything has gone smoothly for me. I've done a handful of retail purchases with quick shipping and helpful service. After that I ordered from two factories, and both turned out fine. One shipment, though, was a genuine headache. The package reached my city in 8 to 10 days, but it stalled on the final leg. Over roughly 6 weeks I phoned the carrier 18 times and heard the same thing every time: we've got it, it's coming soon. Supervisors and the warehouse manager never called me back despite promising to more than once. In the end the Chinese vendor told me to write it off and offered a free replacement without me even asking. I then went online, found the names and home addresses of the carrier's officers and directors, and mailed them detailed letters about my frustration. A week later the package showed up. I got in touch with the factory in China to cancel the free replacement, but it had already shipped. I offered to pay them for it, expecting we'd land around half the original price, yet all he initially offered was a 15% discount. We haggled and agreed I'd pay once the parcel arrived. I tracked it constantly, but it never came. In the end we found out Canadian customs in BC had seized it.
Early on, like a lot of people, I went with Nexaph and paid by credit card since I didn't know any better. Two separate cards got used on their site, weeks apart, and neither card had been used at the same store or with the same online seller. The only thing the two cards had in common was Nexaph. Both ended up with fraudulent charges during the same week.
Since then I've moved to crypto for peptides, and for everything else I use single-use card numbers (Capital One offers one-time virtual numbers). So in a way I have been scammed, but it didn't cost me anything, and it didn't come from the usual Chinese peptide vendor.
Since then I've moved to crypto for peptides, and for everything else I use single-use card numbers (Capital One offers one-time virtual numbers). So in a way I have been scammed, but it didn't cost me anything, and it didn't come from the usual Chinese peptide vendor.
Happy1971
Explorer
Once testing was done, it turned out the vials had a few mg less than they should have. We got money back for the percentage that was short, though, so I'm fine with how it turned out. My worst move was letting myself get "order happy" and buying peptides that I later learned, after digging deeper, I'd never actually use.
BNLFL
Explorer
Like me, you make sure to check where you're purchasing from.
Jayman1988
Explorer
I've placed orders with 2 resellers and 3 direct China connections. Every one of them worked out well. To me, the whole scam warning feels like a scare tactic. Stay careful, do your research, and you'll be fine.
There's a group I came across that handles group testing. It costs a bit extra, but I'd rather have peace of mind knowing everything's tested. Even so, it ends up far cheaper than paying to test everything on your own.
There's a group I came across that handles group testing. It costs a bit extra, but I'd rather have peace of mind knowing everything's tested. Even so, it ends up far cheaper than paying to test everything on your own.
A big part of it is simply slowing down and learning what deserves your attention. Situational awareness carries over into every part of life. Watch for red flags, dig into both the vendor and the market, and give yourself time instead of letting anyone pressure you into a quick decision. Trust your instincts as well. When an offer seems too good to be true, or something just feels off, that's usually a sign it is.
Luck and timing play a role too. I once pointed a friend toward a vendor—one I'd dealt with for years, and every issue I ever had got resolved. But right after they placed their order, that vendor ended up with bad raws from a supplier they had only just switched to. She'd never had a problem before. Now he's out a fair amount of money, and I feel bad for making the recommendation—which is exactly why I usually avoid giving them. It seems she's trying to make it right, so there's still hope.
So maybe it's only a matter of time until everyone gets scammed, and my clean record is nothing but luck. So far.
BNLFL
Explorer
I won't get into the exact count of orders I've placed — so far every one has worked out fine. There's a single order from 10/23 where I'm still waiting on the EZ reply. The items were GHK-Cu and KPV, and I've already sent the Group Promotion Vendor my payment proof. Fingers crossed it all goes through.