New seed banks open up all the time. Some are great, some are downright horrible.
With all the seed banks coming up, we sometimes forget that selling cannabis seeds is still in a very grey area, LEGALLY. At least in most parts of the world.
And because they are in a grey area, you can’t really move court or threaten litigation if they steal your money or send you something which doesn’t work as advertised.
Like I said earlier, there are great seed banks like ILGM or Seedsman, which get everything right and are established players in the industry.
Then there are mediocre seed banks, which get most things right but are still trying to find their footing.
Then there are the ones like True North Seed Bank, who have made a downright mess of things.
Now, I’ll admit that I might be biased in this review because I was already a little skeptical of them by reading tons of reviews on the net about how they were an outright scam.
Many people claim to have lost money, some say their credit card details were stolen, and most people say the seeds never sprouted.
Here’s my review of them.
About True North Seed Bank
True North Seed Bank is based out of Toronto, Canada and they opened their doors very recently in 2019 in the wake of the huge spate of seed banks which cropped up following marijuana’s legalization.
However, that’s about all the information we have on True North Seed Bank. Most online seed banks would prefer to have a section on their website about their beginnings and their origins.
But True North doesn’t. Maybe they think that the visitors don’t care enough or maybe they think it’s unnecessary. But I definitely think having no information about yourself is kinda shady.
My Experience With True North Seed bank
To put them to the test, I ordered 2 tins of 5 seeds each and waited for it to come. And then I kept on waiting. A whole three weeks later, I finally got my delivery. But was it worth the wait? Take a wild guess!
Quality [4/10]
Out of the 10 seeds I delivered and the 2 I got ‘free,’ a number of them were broken or bruised, and it didn’t look like any of them were going to germinate.
However, three out of all of them did sprout eventually, which was sort of a relief, I guess. And when I went on to their website to see if I could get a refund or replacements, wouldn’t you know it – they don’t offer any of that.
Now it is important to know that True North Seed Bank doesn’t breed any of its seeds. It simply resells seeds produced by other brands and manufacturers.
Which is why they claim zero responsibility when it comes to their seeds not germinating; simply because the seeds are made by someone else. All they’ve written on their website is some BS about how they give you freebies so that you get the best value for your money.
Needless to say, I was very disappointed and bummed out by this sorry state of things.
Variety [8/10]
There’s no shortage of variety on their website, and they have a huge catalog of different strains, and that list just keeps on increasing.
They are all categorized by the Seed manufacturers, like Sensi Seeds or World Of Seeds. I think if you choose from a reliable enough manufacturer, your seeds should be alright but then again, I can’t say for sure.
All the strains have quite a bit of information listed out about them, and you can sort by flowering type, germination time, indoors/outdoors, plant height and THC and CBD content in the seeds.
You can even sort their seeds by which ones are good for medical conditions or the effect they have on their user and also the ‘taste,’ which is something I can’t remember seeing elsewhere.
All these different sorting filters and the diversity in their seeds might seem like they’re legit, but I definitely saw a bunch of strains which I used to think were extinct. I mean, it’s possible that I’m wrong, but I really doubt it.
If everything is legit, then they have one of the most diverse seed banks out there. But like I said, they don’t breed anything and stock seeds from other manufacturers. And if you get poor quality seeds, they can always blame it on the manufacturer.
Payment methods [6/10]
They offer the usual payment methods – Credit and Debit cards, International Money Orders, Bank Transfer, Cash, and Bitcoin.
Now, I got spooked by reading a number of online reviews about how people claim their credit card details were stolen and then used to make purchases without their knowledge.
So, I was not going to do that. No sire! They also charge a Credit Card processing fee of 7.5%, so it was cheaper paying by cash. Apart from that, there was also a 10% discount if you pay by methods other than cards.
It seems like they really don’t want people using their cards. So, I just sent them an envelope full of cash, and I prayed that they wouldn’t rob me of that money like so many people claim to have been.
However, I’m glad that didn’t happen, but I hated being so paranoid.
Shipping [3/10]
Their shipping is expensive and is super unreliable if you have to go by reviews on the net. Their delivery options do include stealthy delivery and delivery insurance, but that comes at an extra fee.
I paid as much on delivery as I did on the seeds themselves. And that sucks because it’s not like they had to deliver a far-away land like Australia. I live right here, and it still cost me so much.
I chose the guaranteed delivery option because a lot of reviews say, they might rig their deliveries to get stuck in the mail, or they might not deliver at all unless you pay for the delivery insurance.
They’ll simply say, the product was lost in the mail or customs agents have it, but you didn’t pay for the insurance, so it’s not your responsibility. Thus I was sort of forced into paying for the delivery insurance.
I paid for their extra stealth shipping too as I always do. So my seeds came bubble wrapped under a T-shirt, which I guess was nice.
Customer Service [1/10]
Their customer service straight up sucks! For more than three weeks, I was calling them up every couple of days and not getting anybody on the phone.
I kept sending them emails as well but to no avail. Finally, I got someone on the phone, but they just said that it was on their way – no ETA, no nothing. It was infuriating. Even the tracking ID wasn’t working.
I had totally given up hope until it finally showed up. I don’t know if it got stuck at Customs or what, but it definitely shouldn’t have taken that long. I really feel that their customer service can be a lot more helpful and can do a much better job of replying to a customer’s emails and phone calls.
Pros
- Diversity in seed choices
- Freebies with every order
- Stealthy Delivery
- Lots of information about different strains
Cons
- No germination guarantee
- Super lazy customer service
- Unreliable quality
- Takes forever to ship
- Card payment is expensive
Frequently Asked Questions about True North
Does True North Seed Bank breed their own seeds?
No, True North Seed Bank does not breed their own seeds. They simply resell seeds from other growers.
Where do they ship from?
They ship their seeds from either their home office in Toronto or from another office in the United Kingdom if you live in the EU.
Do They Have Offers And Discounts?
Yes, they regularly have several offers and discounts. You also get freebies along with every order.
Is True North Seed Bank A Scam?
From the looks of it, I don’t think they are a scam, although there are plenty of pissed off people on the net who seem to think so. But I just think that they’re angry because of a bad experience with shipping time or their customer service.
Will I Order From True North Seed Bank Again?
I did receive what I ordered so I won’t call it a scam. But it took a huge amount of time to get delivered, and when it finally did, I find that some of the seeds are squished.
Only a few of my seeds sprouted and True North doesn’t even bother considering requests for replacements. On top of that, there’s the abysmal customer service who were totally unresponsive when I was inquiring about the status of my order.
So, the short answer is no; I won’t order from them again. They are simply way too unreliable, and I just don’t think it’s worth the headache.
Check out legit companies like Seedsman, ILGM and the likes instead.
