DISCLAIMER: I do NOT condone the consumption of research chemicals under any circumstances and neither does Real Chems. This article has been created strictly for educational purposes only (and perhaps a laugh or two). Read with caution and be mindful. Thank you.
The research chemical industry; a niche market that goes far down the rabbit hole of experimentation and research possibilities. A welcoming community to many fellow chemistry nerds across the globe, and for good reason, too!
In this article, I am going to let you in on the functions of the research chemical industry. I will go over multiple aspects of the industry, starting with the basics.
What are research chemicals?
Essentially, ‘research chemicals’ is a blanket term for the collection of categories that contain countless intriguing compounds. From tryptamines to lysergamides, from blotters to pellets, from freebase to hydrochloride! Research chemicals cover a wide spectrum of compounds in various forms, offering a selection of research possibilities.
These chemical compounds are available for legal purchase and possession in a surprising amount of countries. However, the deal-breaker for law enforcement is consumption. That being said, all of these chemicals are strictly sold for research purposes only. You will always see a label stating ‘NOT FOR HUMAN CONSUMPTION’ on your researching goods. To clarify, legal when sold and possessed, but not legal after consumption! So, do not consume your research!
This concept seems to be very difficult for most people to grasp. Don’t consume your research or else you will be breaking the law and ‘‘might go crazy and jump off a roof’’ like the old tale created by the government goes. Remember that good ol’ fear tactic? Anyway, enough about that. If you can remember that these are not to be consumed and that they are for research ONLY, you will be fine.
Let’s move on and talk about how to buy research chemicals online and what you can expect.
How to buy research chemicals online: what to expect
Since these chemicals are legal in many countries, you don’t have to go to the dark web to make a purchase. You will find many options from different vendors with different selections of research materials. Just make sure that you check the legal status of any research you are looking to purchase before creating an order!
Online research chemical vendors trypically offer bank transfers and cryptocurrency as payment options. However, go easy on these vendors when there are payment provider issues and/or limits. Although this is a legal industry, banks do not like to work with research chemical vendors, believe it or not! How surprising.
That being said, there are often issues with payment on these sites, despite the admins doing their best to provide convenient payment methods. This is an uphill battle for vendors, so don’t be a dick (which we talk more about below) when you find out the options are limited! Cut us some slack, I promise we are doing are best!
Due to the competitive nature of this industry (like most industries), each company works hard to provide fast shipping methods. Why is this (usually) easy system so difficult for research chemical vendors to implement? Yup, you guessed it! It is because couriers do not like working with research vendors either, just like banks!
Either way, you can usually expect to receive your package pretty fast if there are no delays at customs, which is (unsurprisingly) an occurrence from time to time when ordering such controversial materials online, despite their legal status! Give your vendor some leeway on this. If they could help it, your order would fly through customs and arrive with you in a timely matter.
Unfortunately, that is not the case and some custom workers are assholes and will hold packages without any given reason. Just be patient as they almost always get released with some time and remember that this is out of your vendors hands.
You can expect your package to come in a discreet (ish) package. The physical packing style of your order varies from company to company. Sometimes extra stealth can be provided upon request.
However, this is not always an option for larger-scale companies that have x amount of orders going out each day and have trouble keeping up with the inflow of orders as is. It always works asking, but do not expect this to be a sure thing with all vendors.
Additionally, most vendors do make sure your order is packaged somewhat stealthily. Most small retail orders are usually packed flat enough to be registered as a letter, which usually helps when your package passes through customs.
TIP: When you have found a research chemical vendor that aligns with you and your research needs, make sure you sign up for their newsletter. Most vendors have frequent emails that offer amazing discounts that are exclusively given via their newsletters!
If you are conducting a lot of research at your at-home lab, you can save a ton of money in the long run by subscribing to their newsletter.
Being a member of the research community
As a member of the research community and someone who has worked for various vendors and truly understands the ins and outs of the industry, here are 3 rules I would advise following if you are a member of the community.
Rule 1. Don’t be a dick! There are enough dicks in the world and there is no space for lame behaviour in this community. So, don’t be a dick! Nuff’ said.
Rule 2. Not everyone is trying to scam you! While there will always be some scammers out there, the majority of functioning research vendors are not scammers! Do not immediately assume you are being scammed when your order hasn’t been shipped after placing payment 10 hours ago… Also, sending multiple rude emails at once doesn’t do anything in regards to getting a faster response. As stated above, don’t be a dick about it!
Rule 3. Do not consume these chemicals! Do not talk about consuming them, either. In fact, do not even THINK about it! Okay, I guess you can think about it… But thats it! Do not do anything more than that or else you are crossing the line! When individuals openly discuss the possibility of consuming these chemicals, it jeopardises the entire industry and becomes a threat to the law. We can only keep the industry alive and well if everyone agrees on this rule: DO NOT CONSUME! We all know that these are for research purposes only and nothing more! Got it? Good.
These are very simple guidelines that I wish more people would follow.
Closing thoughts
Like all industries, there are a lot of ups and downs. Many of the vendors work around the clock trying to improve shipping/payment methods, chasing up packages stuck in customs, dealing with dicks, laboratory expansions, and so many other obstacles that go on behind the scenes. It is without a doubt a difficult market to maintain and keep alive with the constant threat of legal bans but it is 100% worth it at the end of the day.
The right to research should be a given to all. Those running the industry work hard to make sure the right is still a given. Do your best to be a helpful member of society and remember the 3 rules: Don’t be a dick, don’t be so quick to make accusations and most importantly of them all-do not consume your research!
Shout out to all my fellow researchers, braving long nights in the lab and being chemical pioneers!
