Greedy bastards... here we go (again)

[WotAnAtti2d]

I just heard that Gaia upped their kilos to $150. They're not accepting coupons any more either. I don't buy from them, never have, but I thought I'd just point out that the fear-mongering and greed has begun ... again.

https://gaiaethnobotanical.com/product/green-malay/

[BrockLee]

Yeah, sure it's $150/kilo. But with every kilo you Earn 7.5 Reward Points!

Purchase this Product and Earn 7.5 Reward Points ($0.38)

[herbalhippie]

Yeah, sure it's $150/kilo. But with every kilo you Earn 7.5 Reward Points!

Purchase this Product and Earn 7.5 Reward Points ($0.38)

[Brad frerichs]

What’s funny is Caleb’s concentrates orders directly from Gaia and have not changed there prices! There kilos are still 90 dollars! Ya I agree greedy pigs!

[Brad frerichs]

On there Facebook page there claiming 600 tons of Kratom was seized.

[WotAnAtti2d]

Tons? Or kilos? There's a vast difference between the two.

[Brad frerichs]

600 hundred tons

[Brad frerichs]

Gaia ofcourse deleted my comments and sent me a message, saying that Caleb’s still selling from last shipment so sounds like Caleb’s will be raising there price as well. Who knows

[beathappening]

Gaia, the headshop of online vendors.
Why does anyone still use them again?

[Brad frerichs]

I’ve bought 2 kilos from them in the last year and each one they were running a sell. I got each kilo for 75 dollars each.

[pray4peace4]

Well RVA's prices haven't changed. Gaia's quality & high prices will likely have a very negative effect on their profits. And it may send a lot of customers to other vendors.

[BallzDeep9]

the fear-mongering and greed has begun ... again.

thats funny, Wot I saw bubbles post the HHS news at top of page & thought.. here goes the fear-mongering again. About Time right?

IT was last year exactly, Mid November 2017 when a sudden "panic" wiped out all USA online vendors.. within like 3 days. No kidding.

So... Summer 2017 leaf got cleaned out in November. Add to that a BIG surge in demand from "n00bs" a year ago... Indo's had US vendors wanting to buy TONS, and tons and tons of kratom .. ASAP. That's what happened in December last year. OK fine! We're happy to provide you with our rainy season, poor quality kratom.... and by January ALL vendors including DG.. everybody.. were stocking bunk leaf.

It took, oh, around 6 months to recover from the November 2017 panic. And... here we go again? I sure hope not

[whiffypants]

I gotta agree with you on this one, Ballz: the timing of all these incidents makes them extremely suspect.

We went all spring and summer with nothing more than the usual legality hassles, and it seems like the very week that harvest began we started getting crises left and right.

Many of which, in the end, turned out to be rumors and either partially or completely unsubstantiated, like the guy who was posting on the sub the other day that kratom is about to be made illegal in Indonesia -- an announcement that neatly coincided with his own desperate need to offload some bunk leaf.

Speaking of which, I was unaware people were still buying from Gaia...

[herbalhippie]

Many of which, in the end, turned out to be rumors and either partially or completely unsubstantiated, like the guy who was posting on the sub the other day that kratom is about to be made illegal in Indonesia -- an announcement that neatly coincided with his own desperate need to offload some bunk leaf.

How did I miss THIS?!?!

[DrPsilocybong]

Gaia was the first vendor I ever ordered from. It was 80 % bunk...

[whiffypants]

How did I miss THIS?!?!

Dude was doing weird things.

Not kidding, actually: the OP has like twenty-some 32 posts on the one thread. But he took it down himself after some persuasive, educational discussion with Ballz (thanks man!!!!) so it's no longer on the front page of the sub. Here's the link.

[herbalhippie]

How did I miss THIS?!?!

Dude was doing weird things.

Not kidding, actually: the OP has like twenty-some 32 posts on the one thread. But he took it down himself after some persuasive, educational discussion with Ballz (thanks man!!!!) so it's no longer on the front page of the sub. Here's the link.

Sounds weird as hell! I'll look at the link when I have a chance, thank you!

[Zeniotuten]

Im sorry. I dont know how many shipping screens youve looked at today..or yesterday. But when ive personally seen the confiscated status of over 1000kg between 3 different major vendors, its not as hard to fathom that you have to raise your prices to get back money youve spent and lost.. I feel sorry for every vendor that has to do this to stay above water. A vendor cannot always give the lowest prices available. Nobody complains when hippo charges 300+ for a kilo continuously year round. Ive personally tried summmer leaf 2018 from gaia and it was pretty great. Yes, i remember last years fiasco with the quality drop..but they are not the only vendors raising prices.. This was something known. Actually, being gaia is the largest retailer, this should be a time to pay more attention to this problem as it will affect all of us even more in the days coming.

[Devil_Dog21]

.... Ive personally tried summmer leaf 2018 from gaia and it was pretty great. Yes, i remember last years fiasco with the quality drop..but they are not the only vendors raising prices.. This was something known. Actually, being gaia is the largest retailer, this should be a time to pay more attention to this problem as it will affect all of us even more in the days coming.

No Thank you...been there done that with Gaia...there are some really good quality vendors at reasonable prices on Ballz's vendor list.

[herbalhippie]

How did I miss THIS?!?!

Dude was doing weird things.

Not kidding, actually: the OP has like twenty-some 32 posts on the one thread. But he took it down himself after some persuasive, educational discussion with Ballz (thanks man!!!!) so it's no longer on the front page of the sub. Here's the link.

I just don't know what to say.



Ballz, love you guy.

The thread was beyond weird.

[Zeniotuten]

In no way am i advocating for gaia price hike or anything..im just saying..its coming across the board.. For the vendors that cannot afford to buy 500 kg and the extra cargo shipping fee.

[BallzDeep9]

I've personally seen the confiscated status of over 1000kg between 3 different major vendors, its not as hard to fathom that you have to raise your prices to get back money you've spent and lost...

Alright. Anybody would have to be an ostrich, head in the sand, not to notice.. we're going through some changes. Coming from Indo, not simply US vendors pulling BS, or fear of legal status in US.

Yes, the shipping situation has been uncertain. Many un-answered questions. Since the Oct 1st letter from POS Indo.. over the last 40 days, we've seen a failure of UPS, DHL, etc as replacement for Small Package mail shipments. Is that a fair observation? Apparently a large number of UPS packages are getting held up/ turned over to FDA/ seized.

Air Cargo is the solution, however only works for large shipments... Meaning what? In that case, large US vendors like Gaia, will be the only ones getting re-stock? Minimum order, like 200 kilos? Hmm.. Power Grab by big suppliers/ large US vendors?

Wow. I guess I wouldn't be surprised.. Again.. it's back to Indo - Kratom is booming there, with popup suppliers, just like backpackers here in USA - Is there a move by Indo authorities, to pick winners & losers? Consolidate business for BIG distributors ( maybe payola?) and cut-out the little guys? The kind of BS you hear about in 3rd world countries. That would be very bad news, for kratom - WE need small, independent, craft growers and distributors of quality leaf.

Given the FACT there's uncertainty in the market.. AND the known shipping changes.. I agree with Zenio. Supply and Demand. Prices always go UP.. when supply chain goes down. What I don't like - Is the idea that Indo ( and US head-shop vendors?) MAY be causing a disruption in order to manipulate the market !!

[Kunlong]

I'm thinking indo can still hardly believe the sales they're making, especially here and they will let every little indo running have thier piece just because of the sheer export volume. I think it will take a bit for the "sort, cull and consolidate" phase because they were selling us tons.....then the fda took it mainstream to boot.
They will let em all bring that green gold in, at least until some crony of dictator wants to be the only exporter, so to speak. I think they're still in "US money! For LEAVES!!!" mode and people have the kids out raking those branches down.

[herbalhippie]

I think they're still in "US money! For LEAVES!!!" mode and people have the kids out raking those branches down.

We're going to be responsible for the deforestation of Indonesia, aren't we.

[Kunlong]

I think they're still in "US money! For LEAVES!!!" mode and people have the kids out raking those branches down.

We're going to be responsible for the deforestation of Indonesia, aren't we.

Maybe some.....but what it has mostly done is cause kratom plantations. The little guys only have so much "destroy" power. Its the palm oil people that are dozing indo down. They have big goons with big machines

[Zeniotuten]

That says alot. Look at what the leaves in Colombia does to the world.. Somethimg as simple as a leaf can change everything.. Once again , the usa has adopted something from abroad and made it viable and put a monetary value on it... Again. This time.and at this time, its a leaf that is at the forefront of a deadly business of medications that are killing our people. Let us have this plant. Let us fix ourselves.. Let us choose how to change our own lives.. The country was built on that principal.. Imagine for a second. When the first buildimgs were erected in this country.. The smokehouse.. The liquor still... It could of been the kratom barn as well..i love the idea of fair enterprise across the board.. Let it be and let us have our life changing leaf.

[WotAnAtti2d]

How much profit do you think Gaia made off of its customers, when you pay $15 for a kilo and sell it for what? $70? I don't know personally because I never bought from Gaia. Anyhow, I'm sure they've made a pretty penny and there's some uncertainty that you have to assume when you're ordering kratom, especially in these times. If you get a shipment seized, you shouldn't shoulder a great burden on your customers. It's not their fault that your shipment got seized and they are the ones that helped your business be successful. As for 600 tons, I call bullshit. That's 1,200,000 pounds! That equates to eight adult blue whales or almost 38 adult elephants. Can you imagine how many trees that would take?

I looked at the FB page and it was ridiculous! People asking why they were charged more and he was giving snarky answers like, "the world isn't going to end" and "that's just the way it is". All I can say is, "Wow!" There's no way I would put up with all of the things that I just mentioned.

[herbalhippie]

I looked at the FB page and it was ridiculous! People asking why they were charged more and he was giving snarky answers like, "the world isn't going to end" and "that's just the way it is". All I can say is, "Wow!" There's no way I would put up with all of the things that I just mentioned.

I wouldn't buy from them anyway but especially not after answers like that.

[whiffypants]

...its a leaf that is at the forefront of a deadly business of medications that are killing our people. Let us have this plant. Let us fix ourselves.. Let us choose how to change our own lives.. Let it be and let us have our life changing leaf.

Agreed 100%. Well said, Zenio.

I wouldn't buy from them anyway but especially not after answers like that.

You and me both. It's not just about leaf quality, it's about vendor quality. And we have some awesome vendors around here, many of whom participate in the community as well as, and on top of, offering great leaf and great service. NO WAY would I take my business from the good ones and give it to someone like that.