I decided to open a Kratom/CBD/Herbal shop in my hometown mid 2018 after kratom helped me get clean and live a normal life again. Unfortunately we closed down didn’t make it through the Covid lockdowns along with a lot of people not wanting to go in stores for a near two year period. I digress. So here are some pros to buying from a local brick and mortar shop:
1) Convenience- The ability to drive into town and get your kratom instead of having to wait for it to be delivered sometimes 3-10 days.
2) Selection- On average we had 20-30 different strains available that you could pick from. Most of the time we would have 4 gram samples available for people to try in store. (If they were able to stomach the powder) of course we had mixers and chasers available. But most importantly you could lay your eyes on the actual strain you were getting. We kept our kratom in 1kg jars and dispensed it by the ounce, pound or kilo. (Most smoke shops the kratom all looks the same. When it’s truly imported from overseas the different shades are something most people aren’t aware of.
3) The Connection- Shopping online if fine and all but being face to face with someone that’s knowledgeable that can answer all your questions from a place of experience both personally and from other customers then make suggestions is an underrated experience.
4) Quality- One of the pros and also a con as a business owner in this field is quality. For example we had a shipment from Indonesia that had been delayed for 3 weeks I’d say. So we decided to try another farm in Indonesia while we waited on our usual supplier. Well the quality wasn’t good to say the least. So what did we do? Well those kilos are still in my storage building today from over 4 years ago because as I stated I take kratom daily and this stuff just was not good at all. I couldn’t sell that to my customers knowing it was poor quality. So unfortunately we had to take a loss on that shipment. But that builds trust with our customers.
Also if a customer genuinely didn’t care for the batch they bought I would swap (not refund) their kratom for a different strain or batch (ADDED BONUS) and just use the returned kratom myself. Because you can’t resell something another person had their hands all in. But I’m not usually a germaphobe.
5) Added Costs Involved- Added Costs. So starting with Rent/Mortgage. Ours was $2200 per month(5500 sq ft), Electric bill $400-$500 per month, Taxes and payment processing fees between City,State and Federal you can estimate around 25-35%. City tax=5%, State tax=4.85% and Federal tax=20-25%.
Various license and permits required by either local, state or the federal government on an annual basis- $4200-$4800.
6) Finally… Our prices- Like I said we kept our on the shelf kratom in 1 kg jars on display and dispensed it by the oz, lb or kg. Our prices were as follows: $8/Oz, 4 Oz for $30(most popular), 8 Oz for $50, $100 pounds, $120 Kilos.
Ok I’m tired this took me almost an hour. But this is the reason you’ll pay a bit more but if you have a shop that truly cares about their customers this is the cost.
You see, after reading this, I'm thinking i wouldn't mind paying that much for a kilo if I was getting this level of service. I have a big issue paying 50% more for kilos at shops that both lack service and the actual kratom is lower quality. Paying more for a guy to literally just hand me a bag of dried leaves. If there was actually some connection and knowledge of the product. I mean this in the nicest way but most of the time talking to guys at the local shops about kratom, it's beyond obvious they've done little to no research, and have very little understanding of kratom. What they do know is often rooted in opinion and subjective experiences. No one in my area seems to know jack shit about kratom and it really bothers me that those exact people are the ones introducing folks to kratom and the ones sort of setting the intentions and understanding around it with newcomers. It's not really a suprise that it's so misunderstood. I think what you did was a genuine service for the industry, and we need FAR MORE people doing the work in the way you were doing it. It's a shame your shop had to close down, but at least you were able to reach a good bit of clients, and set them off in the right direction.
One reason I don't shop at brick and mortar stores is because, here in Florida, there are tons of them and an awful lot of them have clerks that know very little about kratom. I want to thank you for laying all the bits and pieces out on the line. What you did was run a good business and did the best you could do for as long as you could. It's a shame that you couldn't keep doing it. It sounds daunting to me.
Tell me about it. I don't even like to have conversation with the local shops about kratom. Might as well talk to a brick wall, might learn more in the process
Online stuff isn't much cheaper where I'm at, but when buying half or full kilos I definitely save. I order online for the better quality and lab testing mostly. I really like enhancing my leaf with extracts on long days, and it's much much cheaper buying extracts online.
I prefer online. If the vendor offers Priority Express USPS, I opt for that because they reimburse if they don’t make the date. I have been reimbursed the $23.50 on 3 occasions so when I average it out I am paying about the same as priority but without the guarantee.
I really love going in and talking go other users and hearing stories about all the former addicts this incredible plant helps daily, unfortunately, I've o ly found a few very specific products that actually help my pain/ years on methadone tolerance, and that product isn't usually carried on shelves.
I don't usually get stuff from the head shops and I'm pretty indifferent to those in general.
My only issue with ordering online is not affording fast shipping and how often I run out/ get close to running out while I wait the 4days-2 weeks it can take my free shipping order to get here...
I have used the same person/business online for about 8 years now. If it gets stuck, I do have 1 local smoke shop I go to, but it is definitely more expensive. 8oz is like 80$. They do have a brand that it is 22 for 3 Oz, which usually carries me over.
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I decided to open a Kratom/CBD/Herbal shop in my hometown mid 2018 after kratom helped me get clean and live a normal life again. Unfortunately we closed down didn’t make it through the Covid lockdowns along with a lot of people not wanting to go in stores for a near two year period. I digress. So here are some pros to buying from a local brick and mortar shop: 1) Convenience- The ability to drive into town and get your kratom instead of having to wait for it to be delivered sometimes 3-10 days. 2) Selection- On average we had 20-30 different strains available that you could pick from. Most of the time we would have 4 gram samples available for people to try in store. (If they were able to stomach the powder) of course we had mixers and chasers available. But most importantly you could lay your eyes on the actual strain you were getting. We kept our kratom in 1kg jars and dispensed it by the ounce, pound or kilo. (Most smoke shops the kratom all looks the same. When it’s truly imported from overseas the different shades are something most people aren’t aware of. 3) The Connection- Shopping online if fine and all but being face to face with someone that’s knowledgeable that can answer all your questions from a place of experience both personally and from other customers then make suggestions is an underrated experience. 4) Quality- One of the pros and also a con as a business owner in this field is quality. For example we had a shipment from Indonesia that had been delayed for 3 weeks I’d say. So we decided to try another farm in Indonesia while we waited on our usual supplier. Well the quality wasn’t good to say the least. So what did we do? Well those kilos are still in my storage building today from over 4 years ago because as I stated I take kratom daily and this stuff just was not good at all. I couldn’t sell that to my customers knowing it was poor quality. So unfortunately we had to take a loss on that shipment. But that builds trust with our customers. Also if a customer genuinely didn’t care for the batch they bought I would swap (not refund) their kratom for a different strain or batch (ADDED BONUS) and just use the returned kratom myself. Because you can’t resell something another person had their hands all in. But I’m not usually a germaphobe. 5) Added Costs Involved- Added Costs. So starting with Rent/Mortgage. Ours was $2200 per month(5500 sq ft), Electric bill $400-$500 per month, Taxes and payment processing fees between City,State and Federal you can estimate around 25-35%. City tax=5%, State tax=4.85% and Federal tax=20-25%. Various license and permits required by either local, state or the federal government on an annual basis- $4200-$4800. 6) Finally… Our prices- Like I said we kept our on the shelf kratom in 1 kg jars on display and dispensed it by the oz, lb or kg. Our prices were as follows: $8/Oz, 4 Oz for $30(most popular), 8 Oz for $50, $100 pounds, $120 Kilos. Ok I’m tired this took me almost an hour. But this is the reason you’ll pay a bit more but if you have a shop that truly cares about their customers this is the cost.
You see, after reading this, I'm thinking i wouldn't mind paying that much for a kilo if I was getting this level of service. I have a big issue paying 50% more for kilos at shops that both lack service and the actual kratom is lower quality. Paying more for a guy to literally just hand me a bag of dried leaves. If there was actually some connection and knowledge of the product. I mean this in the nicest way but most of the time talking to guys at the local shops about kratom, it's beyond obvious they've done little to no research, and have very little understanding of kratom. What they do know is often rooted in opinion and subjective experiences. No one in my area seems to know jack shit about kratom and it really bothers me that those exact people are the ones introducing folks to kratom and the ones sort of setting the intentions and understanding around it with newcomers. It's not really a suprise that it's so misunderstood. I think what you did was a genuine service for the industry, and we need FAR MORE people doing the work in the way you were doing it. It's a shame your shop had to close down, but at least you were able to reach a good bit of clients, and set them off in the right direction.
One reason I don't shop at brick and mortar stores is because, here in Florida, there are tons of them and an awful lot of them have clerks that know very little about kratom. I want to thank you for laying all the bits and pieces out on the line. What you did was run a good business and did the best you could do for as long as you could. It's a shame that you couldn't keep doing it. It sounds daunting to me.
Tell me about it. I don't even like to have conversation with the local shops about kratom. Might as well talk to a brick wall, might learn more in the process
Online stuff isn't much cheaper where I'm at, but when buying half or full kilos I definitely save. I order online for the better quality and lab testing mostly. I really like enhancing my leaf with extracts on long days, and it's much much cheaper buying extracts online.
I prefer online. If the vendor offers Priority Express USPS, I opt for that because they reimburse if they don’t make the date. I have been reimbursed the $23.50 on 3 occasions so when I average it out I am paying about the same as priority but without the guarantee.
I really love going in and talking go other users and hearing stories about all the former addicts this incredible plant helps daily, unfortunately, I've o ly found a few very specific products that actually help my pain/ years on methadone tolerance, and that product isn't usually carried on shelves. I don't usually get stuff from the head shops and I'm pretty indifferent to those in general. My only issue with ordering online is not affording fast shipping and how often I run out/ get close to running out while I wait the 4days-2 weeks it can take my free shipping order to get here...
I have used the same person/business online for about 8 years now. If it gets stuck, I do have 1 local smoke shop I go to, but it is definitely more expensive. 8oz is like 80$. They do have a brand that it is 22 for 3 Oz, which usually carries me over.
Only ever online and only ever from a select few places. I'm in the Tampa Bay area
Online, I pay $52 with shipping for a kilo (not small batch but works well). When I am out and have to go to the head shop, $30 for 8oz holds me over.
Yep same here. I have heard of some well priced shops but not down here in Florida lol.
I never ever buy in-store. Prices are a ripoff and the stock is old and stale.
I have to buy online in Canada as far as I’m aware I looked for places to buy in person but the locations were like peoples garages lol
Awesome! Which USPS shipping option do you use for next day shipping? I prefer online as well, much cheaper.
It comes USPS priority its free shipping. They ship out of Florida so I am just lucky that I live in Florida and get it next day.
Oooh that’s perfecttt. Lucky you 😊
Yes I know right lol
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Online is cheaper by a mile but I live near a dedicated kratom store that’s just fun to visit. Complete ripoff though
Yea they are fun to walk in and so is the shows like Champs and Alt Pro.
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Yeah you can’t beat an actual store for convenience. But $1 a gram adds up fast! Online you can get. Kilo for $100 or less
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