Amazon Rules the World, But Not The World of CBD
I know, I know… Amazon rules the world and Jeff Bezos is a lizard (all hail the lizard king). But I also know a thing or two about CBD, and what is being sold on Amazon right now, simply isn’t CBD.
Amazon doesn’t even allow CBD to be sold on their platform which is why I want to break down why the false advertising on there is so dangerous and why you should stay away from it.
Amazon’s Terms and Conditions on Hemp Products
First and foremost, we need to take a look at Amazon’s own stance on CBD products. According to their own terms and conditions, the sale of products containing CBD, is strictly prohibited. Listings for products containing CBD get flagged and taken down as soon as they are manually inspected.
However, and this is where people get tricked, products made from hemp seed oil ARE ALLOWED.
The problem is that 99% of people don’t know the difference between hemp seed oil and CBD oil. It’s super confusing for consumers who are used to buying everything on Amazon already.
Fake CBD on Amazon
So, despite Amazon’s T&C policy, a search for “CBD oil” on Amazon comes up with a bunch of seemingly accurate listings.
Unfortunately, the products that show up are 99 times out of 100, fake CBD oils that don’t contain any CBD at all.
We’ve written a whole article on the dangers of fake CBD oil that you can read below.
If I can’t buy CBD on Amazon, where should I buy it?
I’m glad you asked!
There are thousands of fantastic CBD brands that you can order from online. I will drop some of my favorites below along with full brand reviews that you can read to see which brand and product you would like.
If you want to do your own research to find a good online CBD vendor, please consider the points below before you make a purchase. All reputable websites need to have all the points below π
1. Check for lab reports
All reputable CBD brands will provide third-party testing that verify the purity and potency of their products. If a brandβs website doesnβt show lab results (sometimes called COAβs or certificate of analysis), itβs safe to say that they are running a shady business. All CBD brands need to show their lab results in order to get banking and credit card processing.
2. Investigate the brand
Google the company to see if they have media coverage, and a solid online presence. Check their social media channels to see if they are active or at least get tagged in posts by customers. You can also check Reddit to see what people are saying about them (take some of Reddit with a pinch of salt).
3. Contact the company
Legit brands will have responsive customer service and will get back to you. In some cases, this strategy has scored me great discount codes and contacts with owners of reputable companies!
4. Read reviews
Look for genuine customer reviews and industry expertsβ opinions on sites like CBD Incubator. If the reviews seem too good to be true or non-existent, proceed with caution. That being said, new brands will always start out with zero reviews so be open to trying the product if all of the above are OK.
5. Are they making medical claims?
CBD brands are not allowed to make any medical claims regarding CBD or other cannabinoids. Legit brands do not make medical claims because they would stand to lose their business.