How to Avoid Getting Scammed When Purchasing CBD Online

The supply and demand principle is an economic theory where the demand for a product increases its price and the supply of that product to the market. Generally stated, if lots of people want a product, more and more suppliers will rush to provide that product to the marketplace. There is possibly a no better example of this principle than the CBD market of today.

An article by Consumer Reports in April of 2019 estimated that 64 million Americans had tried CBD in the prior 24 months, and one in seven used some form of CBD every day. This kind of demand encourages premium distributors like PharmaCBD to enter the market with an assortment of high-quality products. Unfortunately, this kind of demand also attracts to the market a lot of unscrupulous distributors who will happily scam you out of your hard-earned money. Here are some of the most common CBD scams today. By knowing what to look for, you will avoid getting scammed when purchasing your CBD online.

Common CBD Scams

The phrase, "There's a sucker born every minute," is associated with P.T. Barnum, although there is no real evidence to support that claim. However, the world of CBD marketing seems to be full of merchants who adhere to this idea. Here are some common examples of scams that take advantage of those looking to purchase CBD.

Claims That Are Too Good to Be True

There's an adage: If it seems too good to be true, it probably is. Some CBD suppliers make unrealistic and even false statements about their products. The Amazon marketplace is full of products that claim things like:

• 50,000 milligrams of CBD inside a 1oz bottle;
• 100% CBD absorption rate;
• Purest CBD in the world; and 
• CBD can cure diseases like cancer and diabetes.

Also, the labeling of these CBD products is often misleading or completely inaccurate. Some studies of products that claim to carry a large amount of CBD at a low price showed that the products contained much less CBD than claimed on their label. Some even contained no detectable CBD at all! The bottom line is, do your research and look for brands that make logical claims and offer their product at a reasonable price.

Fake CBD Companies

Many of these fake CBD companies will use a name that is close to another reputable CBD dispensary to confuse people. A slight misspelling may lead an unsuspecting buyer to a website that looks like the brand they were looking for but is not. These companies intentionally copycat the legitimate brand. Once the buyer makes their purchase, they will receive nothing at all or receive a far inferior product than what they thought they bought.

To avoid falling for these scams, make sure you double-check the URL address. Be sure that you spelled everything correctly, including dashes, dots, and whether it is a .com or .net, etc. Also, check the URL and be sure that you haven't been redirected to a completely different site, especially when giving your credit card information. And if the company only accepts cryptocurrencies or checks, they probably are not legitimate enough to process credit cards and should be avoided at all costs.

The Free Trial Scam

This scam offers to send you a free trial of their CBD product if you just pay for shipping. Yes, legitimate companies may offer a trial size for a price, but if the online retailer is offering a trial of their product for free, it is likely a scam.

Here is how this scam works. When you sign up for the free trial, they require you to give your basic information along with your credit card number. You are charged for shipping, just as the offer stated. However, if you look carefully, you will see the fine print. This hard-to-read caveat explains that after the free trial period is over, if you have not canceled, you will be charged so much each month—usually between $70 and $90. However, the quality of the CBD you receive for the subscription is poor. And when you attempt to cancel the subscription, it is nearly impossible to accomplish.

CBD-Infused Products

You may see ads for high-priced items such as pillows, clothing, and even mattresses that claim to be infused with CBD. The concept, of course, is completely ridiculous. The CBD would have to first penetrate any covering you put on the mattress or pillow and then penetrate your skin. Even if these products did work as advertised, the results would be short-lived and excessively costly. You are better off getting a high-quality, ingestible CBD product and keep your old mattress and pillow.

Multi-Level Marketing (MLM) Companies

While not necessarily a complete scam, these companies often over-promise and under-deliver. There are always registration fees to buy a "starter pack" of the product. Then you become obligated to purchase a certain amount of their products every month and recruit other people to sign up under you to do the same. The products are generally low quality, don't contain much CBD, and are quite overpriced. Most MLM companies lose steam after a few years and only those who sign up when they first open make any money.

Look For A Premium Quality CBD Distributor Like PharmaCBD

With all of the scams found on the internet and inferior CBD products on the market today, it is important to do your research. Look for a company that delivers the high-quality products it promises— like our selection of prepackaged Hemp Flower or our delicious assortment of edibles. You can always count on PharmaCBD because we:

• Boast a transparent website with lots of helpful and detailed information about our products;
• Carry only CBD products that are derived from hemp grown in America;
• Use only state-of-the-art technologies in our extraction process that eliminate residual toxins and chemicals from our final products; and 
• Ensure that our labels match what's in our products by subjecting the entire inventory to third-party laboratory testing and posting the results right on our website.

If the CBD retailer you are considering cannot make these claims, we invite you to our website. We are certain you will feel good buying your CBD from us!

Shop online or use our convenient contact form to get in touch with us today!