thebestsalvia.com

[JD1stTimer]

Hey all,

I know thebestsalvia.com is not owned by Paradoxic (I don't think so anyway), but they are partnered together so I thought this might be a good place to talk about my ordering experience.  I went there to pick up some 15x and some 20x for myself, and I had ordered them and after I got past the paypal screen I saw this clock counting down from four minutes.  Special deal only until timer runs out! it said.  I have a friend who is a hardhead, and when I saw the price for 30x I thought "Wow, that IS a good deal!  I'll get this as a gift for him".  I ordered it, paid the 4.99 shipping since it was a separate order, then after checkout I decided to go back and look at the site to see how much I saved.  I was disappointed to find out that I saved NOTHING.  In fact, if I had wanted the 30x in the first place I could have saved $5.84 if I had ordered the 20x and 30x combo plus the 10x all in one shipment.  Special deal indeed!  I immediately contacted Customer Service through the web form, and I am hoping they will grant my request of combining the two orders and refunding the 4.99, but even then I will still have paid 85 cents more by not buying the combo.  At any rate, it was certainly not a special offer limited to four minutes.    Also, if you notice when you click on bulk orders, the prices there are about $100 more per oz than if you just click on the X factor you want and order 1oz from there.  I know the customer should check around a bit for things like this, but in my experience charging two different prices for the exact same item is frowned upon in retail.  I know that sometimes there is a different mindset as far as mind-altering chemicals are concerned, but the responsible salvia community needs to keep a strong reputation of good ethics and fair business transactions if we have any hopes of saving salvinorin from the fate of other drugs in the U.S.  I know it's a rant but if you read it, I thank you kindly.

*update* It arrived this afternoon, Feb. 14th.  I didn't get a chance to try it because I had some people over, but I did get some pics of the packaging.  They sent both orders in one bubble mailer.  There are pics in a later post.  I do like the way they package it, each portion is in three layers of ziplocks. The salvia looks like bigger pieces than the Salvia Zone I'm used to.  It almost looks like I won't need a screen.  I couldn't get a good picture of what the material looks like because it is very dark, even with the flash it just looks like random blackness.  I haven't tried weighing it yet to see if the measurements are accurate, but I will tomorrow and I will review the quality if I can get a sitter (shouldn't be too hard).  I bought a new pipe today, when comparing it with SalviaZone should I use the same pipe I am accustomed to, or does the pipe really matter that much?  I'll put a thread in the general topics about my new pipe, I think I got a really sweet deal on it.

*2-15-07*  I am going to sample the 15x in my more familiar pipe even though I have no sitter present.  From previous experience I think I will be just fine with this potency.  I will divide the gram into ten portions by sight and have one loaded in my bowl and the other sitting on paper in case I want it.  I will use a tiny bit of a tobacco-free herbal blend as a screen since I don't have any plain leaf available.  I will follow my usual routine of thirty-minute meditation with new age music in the background.  When I'm ready to smoke the salvia I will cut off the music, leaving only the bubbly sound of my aquarium.  Doh! I forgot to weigh the salvia before dividing it up.  It's much more voluminous than the finely powdered SalviaZone product I am accustomed to.  One striking thing is the smell.  It is very distinctive, and it smells a lot like black tea to me.  It also looks just like black tea.  Almost suspiciously so.  Can anyone confirm that dried salvia smells similar to tea?  I somehow couldn't get half of the package divided into five portions, so I will be smoking 1/8th gram with each bowl.  Hopefully it won't be too much.  The particles are big enough that I'm pretty sure I won't need a screen, so I can evaluate the taste of the product without interference.  See ya'll in an hour or so.

Update. That's the funniest thing in the world, which makes human beings like you and me different from a vegetable like a squash.  There's a real reason that you and me are different from something nonanimal like squashes, and I saw it when I smoked the salvia.  I heard someone speaking, like an old English type of accent, and it seemed rather humorous.  I'm not sure what I did with my pipe, it may still be sitting on the little table next to my chair.  I don't remember having breathed out after my count to 30 seconds.  I only know I didn't do something odd like drop it because my clothes aren't wet.  I can't really remember anything except an attempt to impart a knowledge to me which I couldn't understand.  It involved the difference between who understands this knowledge and who doesn't.  Then it seemed as though it was forcibly taken away by a different sort of character from the one who was trying to impart the knowledge.  I don't know where the British accent came from.  On the whole I would say that this was very brief and for some reason I felt compelled to get up and get a drink of water as though my very life depended on it. Now I need to use the restroom very badly but I have the feeling that I will forget something very important if I don't type it into my computer screen before I go to the restroom.  But I cannot think of what it is that I need to type.  On the whole I would say that TBS.com salvia definitely rates very highly compared to SalviaZone's products.  I don't know what it is I experienced which makes me say that though.  I may try again in a few minutes to see if I can bring the experience back from that side, or maybe I will watch television to see if I was actually under or whether I would still be able to interpret reality while under this influence.  I am very sleepy so I may have just naturally fallen asleep, it's hard to tell, though I did doze off a time or two during my meditation.

That's the funniest thing in the world.

I smoked just what was left in my pipe from the 1/8th gram of 15x and I had a powerful experience just from that.  The time is 955pm CST.

[Arcygenical]

Couldn't you have emailed them and asked them to combine your orders, to save on shipping?

[JD1stTimer]

Yeah, I did.  I know, I know everyone's so used to my kooky long-ass rants no one actually reads them anymore. Hehe or maybe I should actually break up my posts into paragraphs like you're supposed to.   

But anyway, I hope they will combine the orders.  And get rid of their timer they show you after you complete a transaction, at least until their sale prices are over.

But, live and learn.  If I like their product and it is shipped in a reasonable time I will definitely buy from them again, I'll just make sure I know ahead of time what all the prices are so when they make a special offer I can evaluate it properly.

[Arcygenical]

Wow, paragraphs! . They really DO help... But you're talking to a guy with a major case of ADD... so, take that comment with a bucket of salt

Well, their product looks pretty good, and I would be interested to know how it turns out.

Still, for the price, NOTHING beats making your own I KNOW I've said it somewhere (it's the ADD kicking in again), but for 130$ you can make about 15-16g of 25x... Which is roughly 500% cheaper than most stores A great investment if you'll be using salvia often!

[JD1stTimer]

Yeah, that's definitely the way to go.  Especially if you're growing your own leaves.

[Paradoxic]

Yeah, I definitely think making your own extract is probably the best way to go...that is as long as you really know what your doing. The main reason I say you should do it yourself is because you know exactly what you're doing and how you did it. A product that you are supposed to smoke that is made with solvents is a little creepy to me. Not that TheBestSalvia is unsafe or anything, but it always just seems safer to deal with that stuff yourself.

I can see why your angry, but you really should know that those counters are never for real. Those are the kinda things you see on infomercials. I will tell them myself that you felt the timer deal thing was misguiding and that I would appreciate they remove it. I'll tell you what happens, thanks for the review. It would be nice to add a bit about the quality once you try the extracts.

[JD1stTimer]

Thanks Paradoxic, like I've said before, you're the best forum owner out there. Actually everyone on this board just seems like the best people.

I sure will review the quality, although I've only ever tried one other brand so I'm not really able to do much by way of comparison.

I know that timer was pretty much like what the infomercials have, but with one difference... there's no feasible way for the commercials on TV to know how long it has been since their commercial was on the air, but with a website it would technically be fairly simple to implement, so I really didn't find it improbable.

Good advice though, and I normally tell myself not to buy ANYTHING if I feel that there is a time limitation being imposed.  It was just the fact that I was thinking about that product, and knowing that it is technologically feasible which threw me off.  I'm definitely not going to try to claim that it was not my mistake. 

Sure thing, Paradoxic.   I have heard from others on this board that the quality there does not disappoint. 

*update* Well, they definitely have fast shipping!  They mailed it out on a Saturday, the very next day after I ordered!!!  That's certainly a welcome surprise!  I think it will probably get here by Thursday or Friday, although they estimate it will be Saturday, I have generally received first-class letters in three or four days.  When it gets here I'll review the quality.  Paradoxic, they haven't sent me a message or anything replying to the customer service request I sent out.  I'm looking forward to hearing how it goes, and thanks for standing up for your forum members. */update*

*update* It arrived this afternoon, Feb. 14th.  I didn't get a chance to try it because I had some people over, but I did get some pics of the packaging.  They sent both orders in one bubble mailer, and here's the two orders side by side, 30x on the left and the 15 and 20x order on the right.   I do like the way they package it, each portion is in three layers of ziplocks.  Here it is all laid out:
The salvia looks like bigger pieces than the Salvia Zone I'm used to.  It almost looks like I won't need a screen.  I couldn't get a good picture of what the material looks like because it is very dark, even with the flash it just looks like random blackness.  I haven't tried weighing it yet to see if the measurements are accurate, but I will tomorrow and I will review the quality if I can get a sitter (shouldn't be too hard).  I bought a new pipe today, when comparing it with SalviaZone should I use the same pipe I am accustomed to, or does the pipe really matter that much?  I'll put a thread in the general topics about my new pipe, I think I got a really sweet deal on it.

*2-15-07*  I am going to sample the 15x in my more familiar pipe even though I have no sitter present.  From previous experience I think I will be just fine with this potency.  I will divide the gram into ten portions by sight and have one loaded in my bowl and the other sitting on paper in case I want it.  I will use a tiny bit of a tobacco-free herbal blend as a screen since I don't have any plain leaf available.  I will follow my usual routine of thirty-minute meditation with new age music in the background.  When I'm ready to smoke the salvia I will cut off the music, leaving only the bubbly sound of my aquarium.  Doh! I forgot to weigh the salvia before dividing it up.  It's much more voluminous than the finely powdered SalviaZone product I am accustomed to.  One striking thing is the smell.  It is very distinctive, and it smells a lot like black tea to me.  It also looks just like black tea.  Almost suspiciously so.  Can anyone confirm that dried salvia smells similar to tea?  I somehow couldn't get half of the package divided into five portions, so I will be smoking 1/8th gram with each bowl.  Hopefully it won't be too much.  The particles are big enough that I'm pretty sure I won't need a screen, so I can evaluate the taste of the product without interference.  See ya'll in an hour or so.

Update. That's the funniest thing in the world, which makes human beings like you and me different from a vegetable like a squash.  There's a real reason that you and me are different from something nonanimal like squashes, and I saw it when I smoked the salvia.  I heard someone speaking, like an old English type of accent, and it seemed rather humorous.  I'm not sure what I did with my pipe, it may still be sitting on the little table next to my chair.  I don't remember having breathed out after my count to 30 seconds.  I only know I didn't do something odd like drop it because my clothes aren't wet.  I can't really remember anything except an attempt to impart a knowledge to me which I couldn't understand.  It involved the difference between who understands this knowledge and who doesn't.  Then it seemed as though it was forcibly taken away by a different sort of character from the one who was trying to impart the knowledge.  I don't know where the British accent came from.  On the whole I would say that this was very brief and for some reason I felt compelled to get up and get a drink of water as though my very life depended on it. Now I need to use the restroom very badly but I have the feeling that I will forget something very important if I don't type it into my computer screen before I go to the restroom.  But I cannot think of what it is that I need to type.  On the whole I would say that TBS.com salvia definitely rates very highly compared to SalviaZone's products.  I don't know what it is I experienced which makes me say that though.  I may try again in a few minutes to see if I can bring the experience back from that side, or maybe I will watch television to see if I was actually under or whether I would still be able to interpret reality while under this influence.  I am very sleepy so I may have just naturally fallen asleep, it's hard to tell, though I did doze off a time or two during my meditation.

That's the funniest thing in the world.

I smoked just what was left in my pipe from the 1/8th gram of 15x and I had a powerful experience just from that.  The time is 955pm CST.  What I found out is that the only exertion of will by a human being which should be prevented by other human beings is that which would cause damage to another human being, because each person weighs the benefits of that action against the consequences of that action and uses that information to make the decision of whether or not to exert that will in that way.  Therefore if we deny that person that decision, we are to his mental processing doing him the injury of denying him the benefits of that action which he chooses to perform, and forcing upon him the injury which arises from not exerting that will.  This is unacceptable to any free human being, and if not allowed then that person is a mere slave to the forced will of his brethren, however well-intended it may be.  All in all I would rate the quality of TheBestSalvia.com's products very highly.  BTW, I ripped off my jacket and threw it in a corner for some reason, but when I thought about wearing it again I decided not to because the ambient temperature in my house is not cold enough to cause a healthy human being to suffer any actual injury, uncomfortable as it may be.  The main problem preventing me from filling my deepest desires at this time is having an overabundance of fatty tissue throughout my body, which can be utilized to maintain the normal human core temperature.  The feeling of needing a jacket is for people who need to conserve their fat stores and utilize them with high efficiency, which, being a modern American with an overabundance of food is definitely not the case for me right now, therefore it would be highly foolish to thwart my deeper needs in order to fulfill a much less important need of having comfort right now.  What an amazing decision to make.  It strikes me that most of our problems come from not having enough force of will, which comes from having an overabundance of resources and the ability to squander them without immediate penalties.  As a species we have rarely needed to look out into the future, but we DO have the capability to do so if we need it, which is NOW.  That is what makes human beings special, the ability to work out consequences of actions as far into the future as we want.  We can mentally travel forward in time thanks to this great brain of ours.  The failure to do so is the stem of all behavior problems in anatomically normal human beings.  I know this is quite a rant but I don't want to forget any of this.  Thank you if you have read this far.

glass

[Paradoxic]

Ok, I got a reply from the guy at TBS about your concern, here it is:

Greetings Adrian...(important Read)

Its Desron with www.thebestsalvia.com

This is in reference, to you customer, I assume Sussan Hilton..Order 1284

This customer was mastaken.. I had sent them an email..concerning this
problems.. you may look at the details below...

Customer claims that she had purchased 3 20x for $67, then price had went
to $81..during check out...

The payment for her 3 20x  with shipping was actually. $54.12 with
shipping..not the price she claims at $67 or $81

Thats actually a very good deal.. We have very high quality salvia..lab
tested.. very good numbers...and check out our prices mate, one of the
best or not thee best on the internet...for Quality Salvia...

Our moto...Sell quality salvia, at unbeatable prices, with fast shipping,
and excellent customer service, and the clients will come..

We want clients for multiple sales and not just one sale...So in essence
we are not a scam, we do not rip off precious clients... Were here for the
long run mate....

There is a feature on the instantestore  that has a feature called cross
sell on final payment, were a customer has the option to order additional
products, at a discount... not at a higher price... Weve always had this
feature, and never had a complaint until today...

We belive that this feature benifits both the client and ourselves...

Heres the details below...

Hi Susan..

Ive been trouble shooting your order..1284

You had mentioned that you had bought 3 grams for $67 and then the price
came up $81

are recordes show..

You had bought 3 one gram orders of 20x for the total price plus shipping
for $54.12

There is a feature on the website that has a cross selling feature, during
final payment...

The feature somes with our instantestore....

Your are offered a discount when your purchase additional products..

This feature helps are clients and us...a mutual benifit..

So not a big deal, and it seems like the product was quality. If I may ask for TBS's sake and Salvia Source's you should edit your first post and update it with your actual review of TBS. I don't want people to just read that first post and get a bad opinion of TBS.

[JD1stTimer]

That's not me.  I guess I should have been more specific.  The order numbers were 1277 and 1278.  I don't know what was going on with this lady Susan, it wasn't me.  My problem was with the cross sell NOT being a discount, but the same price as what the web site is currently offering.  And then it's a separate order with a separate shipping charge.  So if you use the cross sell feature, you don't get a discount.  That's my problem.  A better way would be just to combine with your other order so you only pay one shipping... they were put in the same envelope anyway, just with two packing slips.  I will modify my original post to include my review.   Oh, and Desron never emailed me back about it either.

[Youpi]

I alsa bought on thebestsalvia, the quality is great, the prices too, shipping too, everything is great
Special offers are here to make you buy, I looked the real prices and compared to the special offers and I finally didn't bought anything else than what I ordered first. 

[JD1stTimer]

Hehehe you are smarter than me, lol.  Or maybe you read this thread first and heeded the words of caution.

Before I continue, I want to make it clear that I am pleased with their product, pricing, and FAST FAST FAST shipping.

At any rate, I would still recommend that thebestsalvia.com either stop the cross sell until their sale is over with or else just make it a chance to bundle another item with your existing order to save the shipping cost.  It would be more of a help for me and I think other customers also.  It's reasonable to compare it more closely to the blue-light special at K-Mart (Do they still do that? My local K-Mart closed when they went through bankruptcy) than to the "Order in the next thirty minutes" on a TV commercial, since the TV commercial isn't actually doable.  Also, I sent an email within a few minutes of ordering the cross-sell, and they never did mail me back.  If they have gotten rid of their cross-sell feature, I do not know as I haven't even used 1/24th of what I already bought, and I'm probably going to be making my own next month.

That being said, I definitely cannot complain about the quality of the extracts or their pricing, both of those factors are excellent.  And their shipping was the FASTEST I have EVER seen, it was as fast as Netflix and Amazon.  They literally shipped out my order the NEXT MORNING, and it was a Saturday even!  Like I said, don't hesitate to order from them, you will not be disappointed.