*Community price/supplier writeup*
All prices in USD unless marked otherwise. Quote was for 50 grams of estradiol cypionate powder/CAS 313-06-4. OP posts (black text) inquired about shipping to Canada. Sellers were contacted and spoken to in Chinese.
Obviously don’t yap about this to glowies.
TLDR: So far, Wuhan MSK Technology Co., Ltd. and Wuhan OK Biotech Co., Ltd. seem to have the most experience with international shipping and bypassing customs using a middleman service to reship domestically. They unfortunately are also the more expensive options. Guangzhou Biocar also seems like a good option considering their cheap price.
Xi’an Faithful quotes cheap prices but has pretty severe concerns about their QA.
Guangzhou Biocar Pharmacy Co., Ltd/Wuhan Biocar Pharmacy Co., Ltd. $205 ($154+$50 shipping) ~10 day shipping
I thought they shipped directly to the buyer, potentially a bit of miscommunication. They said they used a middleman method where the package would be shipped to a warehouse in the buyer’s country first before being re-shipped domestically (‘door to door’ shipping aka double
customs clearance). Rep was somewhat evasive about questions regarding their shipping method but said more about it after some prying. More a problem with communication with this specific rep than their actual company IMO.
$105 (10g of raw estradiol+shipping to USA)
Spoke to them in English. The rep was polite and kind, being very patient in walking me through the Remitly process, unfortunately, I was unable to use it and instead paid with Bitcoin.
Xi'an Faithful Biological Technology Co.,Ltd.
$140 ($95+$40 shipping)
The rep seemed to think I was a Chinese native at first, asked me for my company info and made it clear that they only shipped to legitimate companies or research institutions. I think they deleted their message about requiring me to provide my company info once I told them I was a Canadian citizen living in Canada. Didn’t seem like they had a lot of experience. Likely ships directly to the buyer. Other homebrewer has mentioned having an order stuck in production for months, so maybe not the best choice.
Xi'an Faithful Biological Technology Co.,Ltd.
Estradiol Benzoate USP CAS: 50-50-0 for 30g is usd 85
Estradiol Enanthate CAS: 4956-37-0 for 30g is usd 98
Estradiol Undecylate CAS: 3571-53-7 for 30g is usd 80
Progesterone CAS: 57-83-0 for 200g usd105
Bicalutamide CAS: 90357-06-5 for 100g is usd198
45usd shipping
Sent me a COA with the wrong theoretical data on them. Very cheap quotes (probably around 2.5usd per gram, but I can’t vouch for them. When asked to provide additional documentation for those documents, they refused to give any more information
Wuhan MSK Technology Co., Ltd.
$500 ($455+$45 shipping) 10-11 day shipping average (provided proof)
Their rep seemed extremely proud of their shipping method. Was very transparent and open. Products are first shipped to a domestic warehouse to act like a middleman, after clearing customs and arriving, the product is then shipped domestically to the buyer. There is no risk of the order being tied to the buyer prior to clearing customs. Showed screenshots of prior successful shipments to the country and boasted about a 100% delivery rate. Seemed like they knew what they were doing and had been doing these types of shipments for a while. The rep was very helpful and warned of sellers offering lower prices. Their rep Ben also flirted with me a bit XD
Wuhan OK Biotech Co., Ltd.
$380 (included shipping cost)
The company had steroid raws all over their front page. Rep seemed very knowledgeable and opened up to their shipping methods after realizing I actually spoke Chinese. They used the same warehouse middleman method as described above. Shat on sellers that sold for lower prices, warned of them ghosting the buyer after a package gets caught by customs, selling lower quality or expired products, and of their sub-par shipping methods that would entail the buyer having to pay potential import or duty fees even if their package cleared customs. Overall they seemed experienced. Advertised that their product conformed to GMP standards.
Hebei Yingong New Material Technology Co., Ltd.
N/A - delivery time ~12 days
I think speaking Chinese to the rep made them think I was a fed. Questioned me on what I intended to use the product for. Came across as rather unprofessional in conversation (but not rude). Didn’t really get anywhere with them after they asked me a second time what I intended to use the product for.
Shanghai Huirui Chemical Technology Co., Ltd.
$262 (incl. shipping) 9-12 day delivery
Used the same warehouse middleman method. Rep was quite casual and advertised their other products three separate times. Very courteous though and was concise with responses. No complaints.
Hubei Vanz/Vanz Pharm
$470 ($430+$40 shipping)
Offering ‘door to door’ shipping, which sounded something like the middleman method described above. From conversation with other people who have ordered from them, it does seem like they reship domestically to guarantee buyer privacy. Rep admitted they take a chunk of profit and ‘didn’t doubt’ that their product may be somewhat expensive, but said that the benefit to ordering with them was a guaranteed pharma-grade product that conformed to GMP standards.
Hubei Vanz (湖北万知)
Spoke to them in English. 30g estradiol was 3.5usd/g + 45usd shipping. Repackaged in canada after it arrived
Hubei Vanz
Also spoke to them in english. 100g of progesterone powder .80usd + 40usd shipping for a total of $120 usd. Appeared that they repackaged when it arrived in California port (as had a cali return address). Received a COA upon request (post-order). ~27 day shipping time.
Hubei Vanz
Also spoke to them in English. 20g of bica and 10g of estradiol powder for $110 (60 and 50 resectively) plus $40 shipping.
Hubei Vanz
Progesterone - 500g - $340 ($0.68/g) - 1000g - $570 ($0.57/g)
17B-Estradiol - 250g - $400 ($1.60/g)
Estradiol Valerate - 100g - $325 ($3.25/g) - 200g - $525 ($2.63/g)
Estradiol Enanthate - 100g - $400 ($4.00/g) - 200g - $650 ($3.25/g)
Estradiol Cypionate - 100g - $500 ($5.00/g) - 200g - $850 ($4.25/g)
Wuhan Senwayer Century Chemical Co., Ltd.
$315 ($270+45 shipping)
Didn’t talk with them much. Said they used a ‘direct special route’ or something along those lines.
Hebei Saiyi Technology Co., Ltd.
Did not have any cypionate in stock. Offered regular estradiol powder instead. Also didn’t want to do a small order (seemed like their minimum order was 500 grams).
Shanghai Huirui Chemical Technology Co., Ltd
Ordered a bunch of stuff from them. Shipped to Australia via TNT for $50 Bicalutamide: $48/10g
Raloxifene: $48/10g
Melatonin: $86/100G
Didn’t order these but there are other quotes they gave me:
Estradiol, CAS 50-28-2
MOQ: 10g
Price: $95/10g
Estriol, CAS 50-27-1
Qty: 10g
Price: $110/10G
Baoji Guokang Bio-Technology Co., Limited Progesterone 200g
$109 + $56 shipping (5 days shipping to Ger)
*General sourcing writeup from other homebrewer*
Sourcing From China: An Ode
Website: Multiple wholesaler sites exist selling products. Alibaba has prohibited the sale of pharmaceutical products as of 2021.
- Echemi
-MadeInChina
-LookChem
-Chemical Book
These websites are simply aggregators of suppliers, and do very little to endorse them individually.
Accreditations/Audits/Loyalty rewards are given to suppliers who meet their standards, however this cannot be trusted as quality assurance. Perhaps prioritize these companies over other nonranked listings.
Checklist:
- Be sure to complete a profile on the respective website. Look legit, upload basic information which indicates a small business operation rather than an individual. Companies may take you more seriously or shadier actors will be less likely to pray on your wallet. Particularly strict companies may even refuse service to individuals without a claim of conducting a legitmate business.
- Pick a supplier and engage in a professional sounding email. You can quickly bring the conversation to Whatsapp or Wickr for convenience, but you should try and communicate through the wholesaler website chat services for transparency. Expect shitty translated correspondence but be mindful of how they sound: Too eager? Strange promises (free product next time, refunding shipping, etc.)? Rushing to close a deal? Too cheap? (this can be difficult as the entire purpose in Chinese sourcing is to massively cut costs)
- Evaluate the source. Look at their personal website (which almost always look terrible but can have some clues), their wholesaler website profile page, accreditations by the sites, and time established. Cross reference this information with their personal company website.
- If you choose, take advantage of the quality assurance systems some wholesaler sites offer. I know MadeInChina has a customer satisfaction escrow service (STS) which can be used for a minimal fee. This also allows you to gauge supposedly legitimate suppliers who may fold under the threat of enforcement of their product. This is not a requirement, however the topic during negotiations can give you information.
Some information on STS:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c84B8RkYw2Q
- Cross reference your source on https://www.supplierblacklist.com/.
- Got scammed? There's sadly little that can be done unless you're a large business willing to track down a factory. The link above has some basic information which I'll summarize: Your embassy is too busy, local law enforcement doesn't care, and, from my experience, the aggregator sites don't give a shit about hard evidence against a company (at least MadeInChina).