Test Groups for Dummies?

[spanky2026]

Yeah, I did search first — maybe there's a post out there with this covered and I just haven't come across it. But earlier today I saw a comment saying "joining a test group is easy," and I nearly choked on my coffee. My own experience has been the exact opposite. So could somebody please take pity on an old woman and spell it out for me like I'm 5 — how do you actually get into test groups? Can you lay it out as steps I can follow? My understanding (guess?) is that most of this happens on TG and DS, but I tried poking around Discord too and I'm still completely lost. Anybody willing to help?

 

[Turbo-Farmer]

On the stairway to gray site, there's a walkthrough covering the process of getting into testing groups. A TG group is available there too.

Within TG, you'll find many vendor groups plus a few that focus solely on 3rd party testing.

After tracking a few groups, I place an order only when a tested product shows up that I'm able to obtain.

 

[Skidude]

Turbo-Farmer said:

On the stairway to gray site, there's a walkthrough covering the process of getting into testing groups. A TG group is available there too.

Within TG, you'll find many vendor groups plus a few that focus solely on 3rd party testing.

After tracking a few groups, I place an order only when a tested product shows up that I'm able to obtain.

Turbo nailed it.

STG (stairway to gray) has a ton of results posted.

A lot of vendors link their TG sites right in their posts, and 3rd party testing usually shows up there too. So if you've already got a vendor, their groups are there for you to use.

Beyond that, there are some other forums worth checking out to get yourself going

Peppy's is one that a lot of people use

 

[spanky2026]

Turbo-Farmer said:

On the stairway to gray site, there's a walkthrough covering the process of getting into testing groups. A TG group is available there too.

Within TG, you'll find many vendor groups plus a few that focus solely on 3rd party testing.

After tracking a few groups, I place an order only when a tested product shows up that I'm able to obtain.

STG completely slipped my mind! I checked it out ages ago back when I was just getting started, and after that I pretty much just stayed here. Appreciate it, I'll head over and give it a proper look

 

[BNLFL]

Turbo-Farmer said:

On the stairway to gray site, there's a walkthrough covering the process of getting into testing groups. A TG group is available there too.

Within TG, you'll find many vendor groups plus a few that focus solely on 3rd party testing.

After tracking a few groups, I place an order only when a tested product shows up that I'm able to obtain.

TG removed STG. They've moved over to Loqa now.

 

[px1984]

At first, test groups felt like some kind of legendary creature to me too.

But after you settle into one particular use case, it turned out to be pretty straightforward.

Take this scenario: you purchase a pep from a vendor. That gives you the vendor's name and, ideally, some sort of batch number. Begin by digging through that vendor's TG or Discord, and search for the batch number. Chances are you'll come across folks seeking test groups, and from there you'll probably see links to outside test servers where group testing happens. After that, it's a matter of timing and landing a spot in groups that are active.

All of this becomes vastly simpler with vendors that are more popular, simply because a larger number of people rely on them. I've found it's somewhat easier to go the other direction too: locate the test groups first. If you're aware a test group is about to begin, you can reach out to the supplier to check whether that same batch number is still circulating, and buy it with the knowledge that testing will start soon.

Hope it helps

 

[Rosco P. Coltrane]

BNLFL said:

Turbo-Farmer said:

On the stairway to gray site, there's a walkthrough covering the process of getting into testing groups. A TG group is available there too.

Within TG, you'll find many vendor groups plus a few that focus solely on 3rd party testing.

After tracking a few groups, I place an order only when a tested product shows up that I'm able to obtain.

TG removed STG. They've moved over to Loqa now.

For the time being, they've returned on tg. Loqa is something I can't stand at all lol So if they end up getting kicked off tg, that's likely the end for me.

 

[Rdg1970]

px1984 said:

At first, test groups felt like some kind of legendary creature to me too.

But after you settle into one particular use case, it turned out to be pretty straightforward.

Take this scenario: you purchase a pep from a vendor. That gives you the vendor's name and, ideally, some sort of batch number. Begin by digging through that vendor's TG or Discord, and search for the batch number. Chances are you'll come across folks seeking test groups, and from there you'll probably see links to outside test servers where group testing happens. After that, it's a matter of timing and landing a spot in groups that are active.

All of this becomes vastly simpler with vendors that are more popular, simply because a larger number of people rely on them. I've found it's somewhat easier to go the other direction too: locate the test groups first. If you're aware a test group is about to begin, you can reach out to the supplier to check whether that same batch number is still circulating, and buy it with the knowledge that testing will start soon.

Hope it helps

Batch numbers aren't something most vendors provide. From what I've heard, the majority of samples do get submitted along with batch numbers, but the numbers that show up on COAs come from the lab itself. Because vendors don't rely on those numbers, you can't use them to track down any particular batch.

 

[Herkimer P Shagnasty]

Rdg1970 said:

px1984 said:

At first, test groups felt like some kind of legendary creature to me too.

But after you settle into one particular use case, it turned out to be pretty straightforward.

Take this scenario: you purchase a pep from a vendor. That gives you the vendor's name and, ideally, some sort of batch number. Begin by digging through that vendor's TG or Discord, and search for the batch number. Chances are you'll come across folks seeking test groups, and from there you'll probably see links to outside test servers where group testing happens. After that, it's a matter of timing and landing a spot in groups that are active.

All of this becomes vastly simpler with vendors that are more popular, simply because a larger number of people rely on them. I've found it's somewhat easier to go the other direction too: locate the test groups first. If you're aware a test group is about to begin, you can reach out to the supplier to check whether that same batch number is still circulating, and buy it with the knowledge that testing will start soon.

Hope it helps

Batch numbers aren't something most vendors provide. From what I've heard, the majority of samples do get submitted along with batch numbers, but the numbers that show up on COAs come from the lab itself. Because vendors don't rely on those numbers, you can't use them to track down any particular batch.

On my boxes, there's just a single sticker up top. The digits beneath the barcode are all you've got to go on. From what I've been told, those aren't actually batch numbers. It's closer to something like "blue cap T60 from XYZ vendor bought in July".

 

[Shittersfull]

I'm also just getting into this gb stuff. As I see it, the confusion splits into a few separate pieces. Group buys throw me off, the apps throw me off, and on top of that there's a trust problem. Platforms like telegram work differently, so there's a learning curve. Two imposters from 2 separate channels scammed me. So right now my focus is getting a better handle on that app. I set up a second account on it so I could message myself. My hope is that once the app makes sense to me, I'll feel more at ease using it for the gb found there

 

[spanky2026]

Shittersfull said:

I'm also just getting into this gb stuff. As I see it, the confusion splits into a few separate pieces. Group buys throw me off, the apps throw me off, and on top of that there's a trust problem. Platforms like telegram work differently, so there's a learning curve. Two imposters from 2 separate channels scammed me. So right now my focus is getting a better handle on that app. I set up a second account on it so I could message myself. My hope is that once the app makes sense to me, I'll feel more at ease using it for the gb found there

I'm starting to think the whole thing is more trouble than it's worth. I've already got a decade's supply of Tirz, and if I decide to bring Reta into the mix, I'll simply purchase some. Much respect to the people who navigate all of that to reach the group buys and the savings and confidence they give you—honestly, that's a level of dedication I can only admire. But I'm getting too old for this shit...

 

[Shittersfull]

spanky2026 said:

Shittersfull said:

I'm also just getting into this gb stuff. As I see it, the confusion splits into a few separate pieces. Group buys throw me off, the apps throw me off, and on top of that there's a trust problem. Platforms like telegram work differently, so there's a learning curve. Two imposters from 2 separate channels scammed me. So right now my focus is getting a better handle on that app. I set up a second account on it so I could message myself. My hope is that once the app makes sense to me, I'll feel more at ease using it for the gb found there

I'm starting to think the whole thing is more trouble than it's worth. I've already got a decade's supply of Tirz, and if I decide to bring Reta into the mix, I'll simply purchase some. Much respect to the people who navigate all of that to reach the group buys and the savings and confidence they give you—honestly, that's a level of dedication I can only admire. But I'm getting too old for this shit...

I get it.

 

[px1984]

Rdg1970 said:

px1984 said:

At first, test groups felt like some kind of legendary creature to me too.

But after you settle into one particular use case, it turned out to be pretty straightforward.

Take this scenario: you purchase a pep from a vendor. That gives you the vendor's name and, ideally, some sort of batch number. Begin by digging through that vendor's TG or Discord, and search for the batch number. Chances are you'll come across folks seeking test groups, and from there you'll probably see links to outside test servers where group testing happens. After that, it's a matter of timing and landing a spot in groups that are active.

All of this becomes vastly simpler with vendors that are more popular, simply because a larger number of people rely on them. I've found it's somewhat easier to go the other direction too: locate the test groups first. If you're aware a test group is about to begin, you can reach out to the supplier to check whether that same batch number is still circulating, and buy it with the knowledge that testing will start soon.

Hope it helps

Batch numbers aren't something most vendors provide. From what I've heard, the majority of samples do get submitted along with batch numbers, but the numbers that show up on COAs come from the lab itself. Because vendors don't rely on those numbers, you can't use them to track down any particular batch.

I suppose it varies from one vendor to another. Every order I've received came with batch numbers, which give you a reference point for tracking down other people who bought from the same batch.

 

[HouseCat]

spanky2026 said:

Shittersfull said:

I'm also just getting into this gb stuff. As I see it, the confusion splits into a few separate pieces. Group buys throw me off, the apps throw me off, and on top of that there's a trust problem. Platforms like telegram work differently, so there's a learning curve. Two imposters from 2 separate channels scammed me. So right now my focus is getting a better handle on that app. I set up a second account on it so I could message myself. My hope is that once the app makes sense to me, I'll feel more at ease using it for the gb found there

I'm starting to think the whole thing is more trouble than it's worth. I've already got a decade's supply of Tirz, and if I decide to bring Reta into the mix, I'll simply purchase some. Much respect to the people who navigate all of that to reach the group buys and the savings and confidence they give you—honestly, that's a level of dedication I can only admire. But I'm getting too old for this shit...

I get where you're coming from — and that goes double for group testing, which in my experience takes far more effort and creates far more confusion than GBs do. Scoping out which vendor is supplying what's being tested, placing the order, then herding a bunch of wildebeests through the coordination — I simply don't have the patience for any of it. On top of that, I'm way too impulsive. When something catches my eye, I want to buy it right this second! (Waiting for delivery is fine — I just need to know it's out there somewhere with my name on it.)

 

[Mr. B]

Shittersfull said:

I'm also just getting into this gb stuff. As I see it, the confusion splits into a few separate pieces. Group buys throw me off, the apps throw me off, and on top of that there's a trust problem. Platforms like telegram work differently, so there's a learning curve. Two imposters from 2 separate channels scammed me. So right now my focus is getting a better handle on that app. I set up a second account on it so I could message myself. My hope is that once the app makes sense to me, I'll feel more at ease using it for the gb found there

I've begun poking around the GB side of things and checking out what's out there. Until you land on a solid one, it feels a lot like jumping in blind. I made a small jump myself not long ago, so fingers crossed it works out (LOL)

 

[BNLFL]

Rosco P. Coltrane said:


They're back on tg for now. I absolutely hate Loqa lol So once they get booted from tg im probably done.

Click to expand...

I noticed that too, and I'm happy to see them return.

Shittersfull said:

I'm also just getting into this gb stuff. As I see it, the confusion splits into a few separate pieces. Group buys throw me off, the apps throw me off, and on top of that there's a trust problem. Platforms like telegram work differently, so there's a learning curve. Two imposters from 2 separate channels scammed me. So right now my focus is getting a better handle on that app. I set up a second account on it so I could message myself. My hope is that once the app makes sense to me, I'll feel more at ease using it for the gb found there

It's essential to go through the reviews for these groups, check out the GBs they're running, and read the entire thread. Around 80% of my supplies have come through TG GBs without any problems, and that's a huge amount of Reta. You should identify a few you trust and remain loyal to them. I'm in a lot of groups, but I only purchase from 4. The only downside is that delivery times can vary.

spanky2026 said:

Shittersfull said:

I'm also just getting into this gb stuff. As I see it, the confusion splits into a few separate pieces. Group buys throw me off, the apps throw me off, and on top of that there's a trust problem. Platforms like telegram work differently, so there's a learning curve. Two imposters from 2 separate channels scammed me. So right now my focus is getting a better handle on that app. I set up a second account on it so I could message myself. My hope is that once the app makes sense to me, I'll feel more at ease using it for the gb found there

I'm starting to think the whole thing is more trouble than it's worth. I've already got a decade's supply of Tirz, and if I decide to bring Reta into the mix, I'll simply purchase some. Much respect to the people who navigate all of that to reach the group buys and the savings and confidence they give you—honestly, that's a level of dedication I can only admire. But I'm getting too old for this shit...

I'm probably older, and it's not difficult, as mentioned above.

HouseCat said:


I hear you, especially re: group testing (which for me, is way more laborious and confusing than GBs). I don’t have the patience to scope what’s going to be tested from which particular vendor, order it, coordinate with a bunch of wildebeests…and I’m too damn impulsive. If I want to buy something, I wanna do it NOW! (I can wait for it to arrive, but I just wanna know it’s in the ether for me.)

Click to expand...

Testing is now set up by all the group buy organizers, Endo included. Wildebeests, huh. Yummy.