As most shoppers on the web, you’re probably always on the lookout for the next best thing. Better deals, lower prices, better service, higher quality products, and cheaper shipping. In this case: the best online seed bank. There’s obviously nothing wrong with that – it is the smart thing to do.
Being a seasoned/repeat buyer of cannabis seeds, you’ll have one go-to place or a few select seed banks that have become favorites through experience. But what if this is your first time ordering cannabis seeds online?
Exciting!
Online Shopping for Cannabis Seeds
The sheer number of different places that offer cannabis seeds, as well as the different countries involved, can be overwhelming. Not to mention the ambiguous relationship marijuana has with the laws of various states and countries.
For argument’s sake, I’m going to assume that you are legally allowed to grow. Please also check our disclaimer, which can be found in the sidebar, or under every article on mobile devices.
Exploring the small print
So, if you’ve decided to get yourself some seeds, have worked out the kinks with your local cannabis laws, and are ready to place that first order, then comes the next question: where to buy from?
What is the best online seed bank?
Looking into marijuana seeds, it might come as a pleasant surprise that there is an impressively large amount of online seed banks. It’ll also be obvious that not all seed banks are created equal.
Some ship to select countries only, shipping costs can vary quite a bit, and accepted payment methods vary even more.
What makes for a great place to shop depends on where you live, specific strains you may be looking for, whether a seed bank runs special offers or sales, much you are looking to spend, accepted payment methods, and guarantees in regards to delivery or loss/confiscation.
USA State Laws vs Federal Law
Unfortunately, state laws in the USA are not in tune with federal laws, which leads to the rather absurd situation that you may be legally allowed to have cannabis seeds in your state, but still aren’t allowed to have those seeds cross the border of the country.
Legalized or Decriminalized Countries
Canada legalized cannabis completely in October of 2018, as the second country in the world to do so. The first was Uruguay, where it has been legal since 2013.
Contrarily to what you might think, since it has quite a reputation, in the Netherland marijuana is not fully legal. At the moment of writing, cannabis in the Netherlands is illegal, but decriminalised for personal use.
Spain is another country with an interesting and confusing relationship with the plant. The sale of cannabis is illegal, but consumption and cultivation by adults in a private space is legal.
Breeders versus retailers
Some marijuana seed banks are actually breeders, selling only their own creations. Others are retailers and have a large catalog filed with strains from all sorts of different breeders and developers.
Examples
For example, Crop King Seeds is a creator and retailer (online and offline), selling only their own strains. The same goes for the Netherlands-based company I Love Growing Marijuana.
Canadian seed bank True North on the other hand is a retailer of seeds from many different breeders.
Some breeders such as Dutch Passion and Greenhouse Seeds are famous for the creation of genetics and branding. Their merchandise can be found at the many (retailer) seed banks. Other seed banks keep to themselves, for example, I have not seen Crop King seeds available anywhere online besides through their own store.
One isn’t necessarily better than the other to buy from. Retailers tend to have a lot more strains in store, but there’s also something nice about getting seeds straight from the “source”. Since retailers depend on getting stock from breeders, there may be some “out of stock” signs (or even a lot!) at any given time.
Guarantees
The best online seed bank is one that offers certain guarantees when it comes to their products. Not all seed banks do though, so be sure to read the policies before placing an order. Preventing a less pleasant surprise is of the essence since cannabis seeds aren’t exactly cheap!
Guarantees can cover either the delivery of the order, the sprouting of seeds, or both.
Guaranteed delivery is huge. It usually involves a fee but is totally worth the expense. Buying marijuana seeds means you’re dropping some dollars – nothing more frustrating than gambling those funds away on a lost order.
Making an informed choice
This overview ultimately isn’t so much about which seed bank actually is the best one you’ll find online (although, in the end, I’ll throw in a few suggestions) as more about what to look for to determine the best online seed bank for you.
Distinguishing factors of seed banks in more detail
Have you ever spent a considerable amount of time browsing the selection of an online store, added some awesome looking products to your shopping cart, only to find out upon checkout that they don’t ship to your country?
Well, you aren’t the only one.
1. Does the seed bank ship worldwide, or to select countries only?
When looking for the best seed bank online, the first thing to check in order to not waste valuable time is whether they ship to your address.
Most Dutch seed banks tend to ship worldwide, or at least have the United States on their approved list.
The UK is another country with some great online seed banks and also often ship worldwide without much ado. British seed banks often display a disclaimer stating that their seeds are sold as souvenirs only.
Some European seed banks have interesting constructions in place. For example, they may be located in the Netherlands, but with a business address registered in Spain. (Spain is a bit more lenient regarding cannabis.)
Moving out of Europe towards the American continent, Canada is another country where you’ll find world-famous, breeders as well as some of the best online seed banks.
As for the United States, if you live in good ol’ America you may want to think twice before ordering your seeds from within those borders. Grow weed easy has written an interesting article on ordering cannabis seeds from other countries than the United States, and why.
2. The selection of strains
Made sure a seed bank does indeed ship to your country? Then it’s a perfect time to browse the selection a bit. None of the additional things matter all that much if the place doesn’t sell anything you want!
While some of the best online seed banks have huge selections of strains, others sell a mere twenty or thirty different ones.
A broad selection obviously means there are more options to choose from but don’t be put off immediately if a seed bank doesn’t quite carry as many strings. While some seed banks are like mega-stores with a bunch of different seeds from all kinds of breeders, others sell only their own creations, because they are breeders. They may not have as many different strains, but instead, offer some rather exclusive ones that you won’t find anywhere else.
3. Differences in price
As with any product, prices for the same marijuana strain vary across the different seed banks. I’ve shared my findings comparing five famous strains across ten great websites here if you’re interested.
And then there is yield – the amount of actual cannabis flower one seed will result in. The strain’s profile should mention how much one plant is supposed to produce.
That isn’t necessarily accurate, though – too many variables come into play. Not to mention the cloning option, which means you can grow a bunch of plants from one “mother”.
Last but not least, certain cannabis strains just aren’t as widely available. For strains exclusively sold by one online seed bank/breeder, it boils down to what you find reasonable, and how badly you want it.
4. Shipping cost & options
Worldwide flat rates are very rare. I know of one place only doing free shipping to a relatively big chunk of the world. Most times, shipping costs are broken down into national and international shipping. There may be different zones for international shipping, covering different countries.
Guaranteed delivery could be included in the shipping costs, in which case they’re usually a bit higher. If guaranteed delivery is important to you, don’t shy away from higher shipping costs, until you’ve checked what the /additional/ cost for guaranteed delivery would be at a competing online seed bank with cheaper shipping rates. It may come out the same, or even higher.
For example this seed bank ships for … to the US, by default including guaranteed delivery. This one charges less for shipping but charges a fee for (optional) guaranteed delivery.
5. Stealth shipping
It has to be said that most online seed banks are totally hip to discrete packaging. I think you’d be hard-pressed to find one that doesn’t ship stealthily and/or completely anonymous.
Some put a random return address on the parcel, of a very neutral sounding company. Sometimes this company is located in a completely different country! You may find yourself wondering what the heck you just received, without right away realizing: /”Whoa! It’s/ /that order of seeds.”/
If seed banks ship without a return address entirely, that’s also good to know in advance, especially if for some reason your mail delivery isn’t always accurate. Without a sender to return the parcel to in case of non-delivery, the order will obviously be lost to both parties. Good idea, in this light, to double-check that guaranteed delivery policy and know in advance who carries such a risk.
6. Guaranteed delivery cost & options
Certain places offer guaranteed delivery at no extra cost. In my experience, there is rarely such a thing as something being totally free. Either the shipping or the merchandise is probably a little bit more, to cover such a “free” guarantee. It’s a common commercial tactic and a very good one.
Any self-respecting seed bank must have guaranteed delivery available, free or at a surcharge.
Some places will let you know that they have to take the seeds out of their original packaging. Sometimes also you are advised to add a piece of “merchandise”: something that is not seeds, such as a t-shirt, a canvas tote, or a mug.
7. Return policy
I have to admit that I’m not super hung-up on a return policy. But that’s just my personal take on things.
Why would I change my mind on even wanting the seeds, after having gone through the whole process of choosing them (reading the specs of a ton of strains), ordering and paying (maybe even the hassle of a money order [eyeroll]), waiting for them to get delivered, only to send them back? Nah.
But who knows… perhaps you’ve found other seeds you like better in the meantime and are for whatever reason opposed to putting those on your wish-list for the next time. Or perhaps you’re planning to place a huge order, and want to know in advance whether you can return some of it. Maybe it just makes you feel better to know that you can.
In preparation for all those scenario’s, and probably some other ones I’m not thinking of, you may want to check on a potential return policy.
8. Are the seeds guaranteed to sprout?
The “other” guarantee: sprouting. Even rarer than guaranteed delivery. So rare in fact, that after considerable hours of research, browsing, and digging, I’ve found a mere four.
This is a separate article devoted to the terms and conditions of sellers of marijuana seeds with a sprouting guarantee. Guaranteed germination deserves its own separate post because it’s an awesome service but there usually is some fine print to be aware of.
Because this is an exceptional piece of customer service, things aren’t as simple as give’em a hollar and get your moolah back.
Different seed banks have very different (sometimes even opposite!) rules for sprouting and the guarantee supposes you follow those guidelines to the T.
Top Seed Banks to Order Online {Editor’s Choice}
For their rock solid reputation and exceptional customer service, I mainly recommend these two seed banks:
I Love Growing Marijuana
- Based in the Netherlands
- Ships only to: European countries, the USA, Australia & New Zealand
- Offers guarantees on delivery and sprouting of seeds
Crop King Seeds
- Based in Canada
- Ships worldwide
- Offers guarantees on delivery and sprouting as well
Read more about where to find cannabis seeds with guaranteed germination and the fine print of different seed banks.
A word about reviews, good or bad
Here’s the thing. (And if you’ve gone down the rabbit hole of reading reviews online, you’ll most definitely have noticed this.) It’s hard to find a place that doesn’t have a single “bad” review.
For every so many enthusiastic customers, there are bound to be a few complaining ones. Of course, the less negative reviews the better. However, it can be quite telling to take a moment and go over what these reviews (especially negative ones) are really about.
Is it a complaint regarding the service or delivery? Or is it about how many seeds sprouted or how the plants turned out?
Personally, I’d be much more wary to order from a place with negative comments about the things considered customer service. That’s generally a bad sign.
Hiccups with the seeds are a bit more subject to interpretation. Let’s not forget this is a natural product, so small variations can hardly be avoided. On top of that, who knows whether someone has had their share of responsibility in the failing of a crop? It could be due to faulty seeds. Or their new owner may have screwed up. Hard to tell.
Other good online seed banks
Aren’t there other good seed banks?
Well, yes, of course – it’s a big world out there and there are a few more than just two decent ones. 🙂
In my experience, the ones mentioned above are the best, but below you’ll find some more places with a good reputation. Happy browsing!
- Ministry of Cannabis (Based out of Spain)
- MSNL (Marijuana Seeds NL) (Located in the Netherlands)
- True North Seed Bank (Another Canadian seed bank)
What is you favorite place to shop for marijuana seeds?
