17 Jul CBD Near Me: Buying CBD Locally Vs Online

There is a lot of talk surrounding CBD.  Especially in a place like Florida!  Despite the restrictive system Florida has on medical marijuana, Florida is “cannabis & hemp crazy”. As soon as Floridians figured out that we can legally sell CBD as long as it is derived from hemp, overnight CBD was sold in every head shop, smoke shop, gas station, bodega, and corner store.  Although we were the first in the Tampa Bay area, CBD stores started popping up on every corner of every neighborhood. It was very easy to find “CBD near me”!  Almost so easy that it got kind of scary and confusing. 

In addition to CBD “brick and mortar stores” and in addition to being able to find CBD stores in most retail stores, you can also buy CBD online!

Ok! This is getting to be too much!

Not to mention the fact that CBD isn’t regulated by the FDA!  How do I know any of these CBD salespeople are telling the truth?  How do I know they are a reputable company? And how do I know the product is even what they say it is?  In this article, we’ll discuss everything situation you can come across buying CBD both online and in a store also we will discuss the pros and cons of buying CBD, no matter where you are buying it from.

Looking for “CBD Near Me”?

There are a bunch of CBD companies at this point! Way to many to count! Unfortunately, as mentioned above, the FDA doesn’t regulate CBD.  Being the first CBD store in Tampa, we saw the explosion happen within the doors of our store.  At one point we would see maybe 3 or 4 sales reps walk through our door a day, all of them with their own line of CBD products they were looking to sell.  Chillum was once the only CBD store in the area and, soon after, we saw CBD become a saturated market.

How to Find the Right CBD Store?

So, how do you navigate the marketplace? I can make a long list of things that you can look for but it all boils down to one thing:

RESEARCH!!!!

Instead of walking into the first CBD store you see, asking a few questions, and making a purchase. Walk into several CBD stores and ask them all a bunch of questions.  Take a look at the several products they have and ask a bunch of questions about those products.

Before walking into these CBD stores, check the reviews of the store.

• How long have they been around?
  • If they have been around for a while, that is a good thing.  The CBD retail world has been over saturated for a bit now.  What does that mean? Well, it means that many of the people who opened a CBD store just because it sounds cool are probably out of business by now.  This industry has gotten to the point where stores have been able to make a name for themselves.
• How many reviews have they had?
  • If they have been around for a while, then customers have probably talked about their experience with them. 
• How many of those reviews were positive?
  • Have the customers experience been good or bad? 
• Do the negative reviews seem justified?
  • Some of these stores have to operate off of different rules than other stores.  Some places are required by law to kick someone out of the store if they say the word “bong”, sometimes that pisses some people off.  Also, in over saturated markets competitors will leave poor reviews for their competing stores.  It is important not to just check for the reviews but to read them.
• Did they try to rectify the negative reviews, or did they just ignore them?
  • This is a big indicator of whether or not the store cares about their customers.  Everyone makes mistakes but if they try to fix them… chances are you are going to have a good experience.

How to Find the Right CBD Product

There is a lot of them!  It is hard to find the right one!  We have made it a top priority to find the best and safest product for our customers. We have been receiving CBD samples in the mail for two and a half years now and we have seen almost everything….. from a CBD pillow to CBD tampons.  It isn’t far fetched to think that a company can just slap the letters CBD on the side of their product’s packaging, in hopes of increasing sales, and the company knowingly leaves CBD out of their product.  Actually, it happens more often than you think.

So, What Do I Look For?

Just like finding the right CBD store. Finding the right CBD product is going to require research.  Don’t just take the store owners word for it.  Here are some easy ways to make sure you are finding the right CBD product. Many people will tell you to look for certain things on the label.  Although this is useful…. Your job doesn’t end there!  The information displayed on the label is put there by the company.  You will have to make sure the company is honest and trustworthy too!

What to Look For When Researching a CBD Company?

• How long has the product been around?
• Check the product reviews
  • Make sure to look at product reviews from a 3^rd party site. Many products will post positive testimonials on their site and call them reviews!
• How does the company handle negative reviews?!
  • The company is not going to be able to please everyone.  If they have a negative reviews how does the company try to rectify their mistakes?
• Check to see if the company has any pending lawsuits against them or see if they have had lawsuits in the past.
  • We already mentioned that the FDA doesn’t regulate CBD. Many companies that have taken advantage of this and mislabeled their products have been found out by now and people have opened lawsuits against them!

Okay… you’ve researched the CBD company and now it is time to take a look at their individual products.  Good CBD companies are as transparent as they possibly can. They especially let you know exactly what is in their product and that they are capable of offering a consistent product to their customers. 

The state of Florida has recently began regulating CBD products for sale in their state through the Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services (FDACS).  In doing so they have required that CBD products for sale provide certain info on their labels to ensure quality and consistency.  We feel that their requirements are more than suitable to ensure a CBD product is a quality product.  Also, if you are buying CBD in Florida without the following information on it, it is important to know that the person selling it to you is performing an illegal act and should not be trusted.

What Should Be on a CBD Products Label?

• Batch Number
• Website
• Expiration Date
• Statement explaining that there is less than .3% THC in the product
• QR Code
  • Scanning this code must bring up a Certificate of Analysis (COA) that matches the above information and shows that the product is high in CBD.

What Else Should You Look For?

• How much CBD is in the product?!
  • Is the product clearly labeled with how much CBD is in it? 
  • Does that information match the COA?
• What are the cutting agents used?
  • Many products will use a cutting agent to dilute their product.  Although that might be scary to hear it is fine to do as long as the cutting agent is safe for consumption. Look for products cut with vegetable glycerin or MCT oil.
• How recent is the COA?
  • Make sure the product was tested recently.  I don’t want to buy a product that was made yesterday when the information provided about the product is 2 years old.
• More than one COA
  • I like to make sure that the CBD company is consistently testing their product to prove the consistency of the product.  Many of the products we sell at Chillum CBD are tested by a third party lab once a month.  Not only do these companies prove that their product is a quality product but that they never deviate from that quality.
• Look at the company’s website. 
  • How much info do they provide about CBD?  The companies that try to spread the most info about CBD are normally the most passionate ones. 

Should You Buy Online?

It really is up to you!  Buying CBD oil online can be very convenient. It is equally likely that the website selling CBD is just as trustworthy as the CBD store owner.  On the other hand, they could be equally untrustworthy. The truth about the CBD business is that these companies all self-regulate.  The CBD store owner or the CBD website owner is the person that decides what the quality of their product will be.  Some are more trustworthy than others. 

Hopefully the theme of this article is that you need to do your research.  When deciding if you want to buy CBD at a store versus online it comes down to… How are you most comfortable doing your research? 

Do you prefer to do some of your research in person? 

If so, then visit as many CBD stores as you can.  Make sure to look them up before and after you are in the store and be sure to visit several before you make your purchase. Understand that you have to do as much research as possible.  If visiting the store it is important to research the store itself and the product you are interested in before actually exchanging money.

You Are Not Going to Avoid a Bad Product By Purchasing Online Vs in a Store

 Again!  You have to do your research! It is equally likely that the owner of the website is as untrustworthy as the CBD store owner! It might be easier to hide an untrustworthy product when the owner is hiding behind a computer, but that doesn’t mean that they aren’t transparent about their company. 

What Are the Advantages to Buying CBD Online?

• You can check where the company sources its hemp at your leisure.
• Might be easier to find the COAs the company provides when you are in front of the computer.
  • If you are in the store, they might not provide COAs for their product.  It might also be difficult to scan every products QR code.
  • Do not buy a product without looking at a COA
• Easier to see company reviews
• Prices online might be cheaper
• Package can be delivered to your door

What are the Advantages to Buying CBD at a Store?

• If the store is a good store then they will be able to provide a wealth of knowledge off hand.
  • CBD stores might have a training program to ensure the employees are knowledgeable.
    • There is nothing better for someone trying to learn something news to be able to rattle off a bunch of questions and get some quality answers.
    • We make sure our “Hemptenders” pass 4 tests before they can work on the floor. Buying CBD can be a big deal for some people and they need to be able to provide good info.
• Being able to compare and contrast products when they are sitting on the self.
  • You learn a lot about a product if you put it next to another product similar to it. 
    • How do these two products differ?
    • How are they similar?
  • It is much easier than pulling up 2 random web pages.
• Direction
  • Starting your CBD research online might begin with an empty search bar….. where do you go from there?
  • The “Hemptender” might be able to point you in the right direction or even educate you on a method of ingestion that you did not even know about!
  • It is possible that you are looking for a CBD oil, but vaping CBD or eating an edible might be more suitable for you.  Did you know you can even smoke a CBD joint?
• No shipping!
  • Buying CBD online might come with some extra costs! 
  • Even if shipping is free, you will still have to wait for it to be shipped to you.
  • Buying CBD in a store has no extra waiting involved

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