Buying herbs on Etsy?

Gail H

Would you purchase herbs or tinctures on Etsy? There are some things that we use that are difficult to come by, so Etsy seems like it might be a reasonable choice. There is a local woman selling some things on Craigslist as well. I am torn between my "small, local business support" ethic and wanting to be assured of what I'm getting. I think I will purchase from the local person because I can see her place and her methods, but I'm not sure about Etsy as some of the places are hundreds of miles from me.

DebiB

Buying local is important, I like being able to talk to the person and possibly visit their farm etc. But it’s also important when it comes to tinctures and herbs that they are growing herbs and making tinctures of good quality. If you feel the local woman selling herbs is producing herbs and tinctures of good quality than I’d go with her even if it is a little more expensive than ordering from Etsy. If you don’t feel comfortable with what she produces than I’d say very carefully research some stores on Etsy to find someone you would feel comfortable with buying herbs from. I’ve found Etsy to be a mixed bag, some stores sell items they bought from Amazon and just forward it on to you and some stores really take the time to make sure you get what you need.

dottile46

I was faced with a similar situation just this week. A few miles from us there's a store that is owned and operated by a group of Mennonites. Hadn't been in there for awhile and was checking each isle carefully so I didn't miss any goodies. I came across what could be a gold mine or could be not a gold mine. They have several kinds of dried medicinal herbs, I though real reasonably priced. About $4 for what would be about 1 1/2 cups of individual dried herbs like dried stinging nettle, chamomile, echinacea root, and some others. I pay more than that for a box of herbal tea with much less than that in it. I, while choking down the knot in my throat, chose to not buy them. I don't know where they were grown, how they were grown, how they were harvested, etc. For all I know they could be several years old. Nope, as much as my pocket book kept saying wow what a good price, my brain spoke louder and I looked then walked away.

SherryA

I buy locally if possible. But I have bought herbs on Etsy. What I received was very fresh and had wonderful aroma. I would say we need to be careful, though.

Torey

If not buying local, I would trust a company like Mountain Rose Herbs, Gaia Herbs, Pacific Botanicals, Harmonic Arts, etc. that specialise in herbs.

Marjory Wildcraft

Hi @torey I heard that Pacific Botanicals got bought out by Herb Pharm.

And for everyone - TGN is working with a network of local farmers to sell uber high qualtiy, grown in the US, herbs. In fact, that's why I am split between Colorado and Puerto Rico - two diverse bioregions with pristine conditions and lots of small farmers needing help.

Torey

@Marjory Wildcraft Thanks for the info about Pacific Botanicals. I am not familiar with Herb Pharm. I am in Canada so usually deal with Harmonic Arts. I had never visited your online store until now so was unaware that you had herbs for sale. I'm only seeing a selection of 4 herbs and some infusions. Do you have others for sale?

LaurieLovesLearning

https://community.thegrownetwork.com/discussion/comment/852203#Comment_852203

@dottile46 i I would have asked them those questions. You might have found something good...or not, but you will never know if you don't ask.

@DebiB I would ask questions of the seller. Ask in such a way that you can figure out what the seller's practice actually is. If they are misrepresenting themselves, Etsy has policies in place to deal with that.