‘Should I buy delta-8 online or from a brick-and-mortar store?’
This is a question frequently asked by new delta-8 users. And the answer may not be so cut and dry as each option has its pros and cons.
To help out new users, our team has collected the pros and cons of buying delta 8 online and from a physical store. Hopefully, you’ll be able to determine which of the two shopping options is best for you.
What Is Delta-8 THC?
Before we discuss the benefits and drawbacks of shopping for delta-8 online or locally, it would be best to start by introducing this substance.
To best understand delta 8, it helps to compare it to the more familiar and structurally similar cannabinoid THC. When most people talk about THC, they just use the abbreviation. However, THC’s full name is delta 9 tetrahydrocannabinol (THC). Right off the bat, you can see the similarities in the two names. That’s because there’s only one slight chemical difference between the two compounds, and it has to do with the location of a double bond. With regular old delta 9 THC, the double bond is found on the ninth carbon atom in the carbon chain. With delta 8 THC, that double bond is located on the eighth carbon.
Delta 8 THC does, in fact, produce similar psychoactive effects to THC, albeit they are often described as milder. Users tend to find that delta 8 THC provides a much more clear-headed buzz than traditional delta 9. Like THC, consuming delta 8 can induce feelings of euphoria, happiness, and body/muscle relaxation.
Anecdotally, users of delta 8 report that some of delta 9’s more cerebral effects, such as shifts in perception of time, fogginess, and short-term memory loss, are either not present or greatly diminished when using delta 8. For this reason, some people with an active lifestyle prefer delta 8 to delta 9 since they can experience a calming body high while still being able to function mentally.
Delta-8 also boasts tetrahydrocannabinol’s healing properties. THC is widely recommended for managing pain, relieving stress, and soothing inflammation. The compound has also demonstrated effectiveness against insomnia, fatigue, erectile dysfunction (ED), nausea, and other common ailments
Benefits of Buying Delta-8 Locally
Instant Feedback
Buying delta-8 from a physical store allows you to ask questions and get instant feedback. For instance, you can seek out a specific strain, like the super glue strain, and inquire more about this strain before deciding to purchase.
Most online cannabis vendors also offer feedback and online support, however, you may have to wait for hours (sometimes even days) before receiving a reply to a simple query.
First-hand Shopping Experience
The main benefit of buying delta-8 from a brick-and-mortar store is the ability to touch and feel the products you are considering buying.
Some stores may even allow you to smell the flower and determine if it contains your favorite aromatic compounds before checking out.
Opportunity for Haggling
If you’re like most cannabis shoppers, chances are you’re looking for high-quality delta-8 at reasonable prices. One way to get the best bargains on delta-8 products is by haggling.
Since buying from a brick-and-mortar store means talking directly with the vendor, it’s straightforward to bargain for the prices in real-time. There may also be in-store deals available that are not available online. For e1011 Labs products, you can check out our store locator to see where you can buy our Ari53™ delt-8 line.
Benefits of Buying Delta-8 Online
Convenience
Buying delta-8 locally means that you have to physically get into the car to drive to the store. This can be inconvenient, mainly if the store is far from your residence. It’s even worse if you do not find what you’re looking for.
On the other hand, the internet allows you to shop for delta-8 products from the comfort of your home or office. All you need is an internet-enabled device and enough bandwidth. You can then complete your shopping experience in a few clicks.
Product Variety
There’s a wide variety of delta-8 goods to sample online before making your purchase decision. Since you’re shopping for the products from a single device, you can open up several tabs, each dedicated to a specific product.
This allows you to read all the information about a product, including its delta-8 potency and flavor composition, before adding it to your cart.
Price Comparisons
Another benefit of buying delta-8 online is the ability to compare prices across multiple vendors before choosing the most affordable one. Once you have the descriptions of the product you’re looking for, you can then check its retail price from several stores. You’ll definitely find a vendor who prices their delta-8 goods considerably lower than their competitor.
When shopping for delta-8 from physical stores, the only way to compare prices is by hopping from one vendor to another. This process can be painfully long and tedious.
Better Prices
Most online retail outlets offer better prices than their brick-and-mortar counterparts. This for the simple reason that the final prices of online delta-8 goods do not consider operational markups, distributor costs, and intermediaries costs.
Besides, many cannabis vendors offer amazing deals and discounts just for buying from their online stores.
Reliable Feedback
Shopping for delta-8 from a physical store may present the opportunity for instant feedback. But if you’re looking for reliable feedback, you’d do well to shop for the compound online.
Buying delta-8 online gives you access to plenty of customer reviews. You can check what a retailer’s previous clients had to say about the quality of their products before ordering from them.
Product Safety
Lastly, buying delta-8 from the internet lets you check the compound’s quality before adding it to your cart.
As a general practice, cannabis products must undergo rigorous laboratory testing to be safe and effective. The reports are known as a Certificate of Analysis or COA. The reports from these testing processes are usually published on a product’s online page or can be accessed through scanning a QR code on the physical product. They detail the potency of delta-8 and any other additives in the product.
Summary
Shopping for delta-8 online offers more convenience than buying the compound from brick-and-mortar outlets.
As a parting shot, check your local cannabis laws to determine whether you can legally access delta-8 and other cannabis products in your state.
