Prices in this category vary widely for products that look identical on the page. Testing is one of the main reasons, and understanding the economics explains a lot about the market.
What testing actually involves
Every batch requires:
- Drawing representative samples from a production run
- Shipping samples to an independent laboratory
- Running an alkaloid potency assay
- Running heavy metals analysis
- Running microbial screening
- Running residual solvents analysis
- Producing, reviewing and filing the certificate of analysis
Every one of those steps costs money, and the cost is per batch – not per site, not per year. A vendor producing many small batches pays more than one producing a few large ones.
The choice a vendor faces
| Approach | Cost | What happens if it fails |
|---|---|---|
| Test every batch, full panels | Highest | Batch rejected. Money lost. |
| Test every batch, potency only | Moderate | Contamination risk unaddressed |
| Occasional spot testing | Lower | Most batches unverified |
| In-house testing | Lower | Not independent verification |
| No testing, “lab tested” on the site | Zero | Nobody knows what is in it |
There is no way to test every batch and still be the cheapest vendor on the market. That is arithmetic, not opinion.
Why we test everything anyway
Two reasons. First, because the alternative is selling product we cannot describe accurately – and the milligram figure on the label would be a guess rather than a measurement. Second, because a failed batch that reaches a customer is a much larger cost than the test that would have caught it.
How to tell when a price is too low
You cannot audit a vendor’s costs. What you can do is check the outputs a testing programme produces:
- Batch numbers on packaging – without them there is nothing to test against.
- Published certificates of analysis with numeric results – not a single generic PDF.
- Purity panels, not just potency – testing for metals, microbes and solvents costs more than potency alone, so its presence is informative.
- Batch-matched reports on request – see how to request one.
- Consistency across orders – a controlled process produces consistent product.
What “cheap” can mean
- Very large batches – genuine economies of scale. Legitimate.
- Lean operations – fewer overheads, lower prices. Legitimate.
- Minimal testing – the milligram label is a claim, not a measurement.
- Lower-grade input material – unassayed leaf of unknown origin.
- No purity screening – metals, microbial and solvent risks unaddressed.
- A discontinued or failed batch sold cheap – a quality system would have rejected it.
The first two are fine. The last four are why a price that looks too good is worth a second look.
The honest trade-off
You are paying, in part, for someone to have verified what is in the product. That is a real cost with a real benefit – the milligram figure on the label is a measurement rather than a marketing figure, and a batch that failed purity screening never reaches you.
If you want to pay less, we would rather you bought from us a lower-strength or smaller-count product than bought from a vendor who cannot produce a report. See cost per milligram and our lab results.
Related reading
See our lab results
Independently tested, batch by batch, with purity panels available on request.
