Guys/Gals just a word of caution regarding venders. We've worked pretty hard on finding and arranging the best deals on this forum. I announced I was returning to the table with HPN and they generated additional offers for us and we are still working on yet another. However price isn't everything and we've all forgotten the quality assurance we originally sought and expected our sponsoring vender to provide. This Group buy represents the most consistent, reoccurring discount offer in the Nicotinamide Riboside market. One might also say the deal we as LongeCity members arranged is the price every other vender is trying to currently beat and they would all like to see the day when our HPN Group Buy dissolves.
Considering the venders we've been monitoring on our forums, only our HPN sponsor has stood by our members and willingly published product quality verification to accommodate our requests. They've also been independently tested by one of our own board members for product assurance. They've even gone as far as to create new ways of dosing our NR. But this vender was originally providing additional 3rd party proof of product purity to our members before we came to work with them. Those links above are 2 separate testing facilities by the way.
I think it's fair to push these points for HPN and ultimately the assurance we asked for adds to the cost of our product. If we as a group purchase based solely on price we are sending a message that quality assurance is not that important. It should also be noted not all of the NR venders are providing you with these assurance links because it costs money to add this layer into the product, take away the testing and sure we could get a cheaper price, is that what we want? So the question remains for many of our NR venders, "are you getting the advertised quantity, quality, fillers and excipients they represent on the label." One other point no one is discussing, "what's the microbial content of the product they are delivering and is it within acceptable limits?"
Some of you have known that in the background I've been pushing one of the venders to be truthful in their advertising. Nothing irks me more than habitual false advertising. I've kept my mouth shut on the public forums. This vender has even gone as far as to push his special offers on threads like the HPN Group buy and piggy back his offer dates on top of ours. Its one thing to compete, another to undermine the good will people trying to support the nicotinamide riboside community are investing. Plus our offer predates their entry in the market and what they are doing is simply in very poor taste.
I have to ask, have any competing venders committed to continuing their discounted product at their current discounted price once our Group Buy dissolves? Have they assured you they will perform the same quality assurance testing and provide independent verification at your request to meet our standards?
You may not be aware any of this is going on in the background and to date no other vender has contacted me and offered to make these promises to fill the void.
I don't make vender confrontations public but one vender in particular wasn't truthful about listing his excipients last year and made what I asserted were untrue statements about their ingredients and purity. I pushed the issue all the way to ChromaDex and got results. Believe me the last thing a vender wants is a call from Frank Jaksch. Now to the best of my knowledge I can't confirm this vender ever made the changes they claim because they never offered to publish their independent 3rd party testing like our HPN sponsor. They claim they have it but have not offered to publish any independent verification.
So guys I add a word of caution, buyer beware, there are things going on behind the scenes. You all need to push for honest marketing and pressure your various venders for verification of product quality. We all know this stuff is expensive. If we all elect to move to another vender I will cut ties with this one but no one else has offered us the assurance we've gotten from HPN. These customer assurances cost money and something has to give if you support venders who are not willing to subject themselves to independent 3rd party testing and publish the results for all to see and question.
Thats pretty much the rant. I have to share these things now because I don't know how much longer this offer will last and once its gone all of us will be on our own. Currently HPN holds market share and has set the quality standard but a few other venders (mostly newer ones) are not willing to take the time to create new market and support the existing market as HPN has done. They want their sales now and will do what ever it takes to gain a piece of the existing NR market.
Here is a quick briefing on Excipients in Supplements.
Silica dust is a known carcinogen, lung irritant, and a central nervous system toxin. What is Silica dust see link. Guys I take my NR under the tongue like many of you. I trialled one of these other venders product and ACTUALLY THOUGHT I WAS GOING TO COUGH UP A LUNG. This is why HPN uses a plant based excipient. So again buyer beware, swallowing a capsule undisturbed is completely different than emptying its contents under your tongue. Now, knowing and researching what some of these excipients are I don't want them in my body period.
Magnesium stearate this is also a common ingredient and its a lubricant in the incapsulating process. There is some controversy about it but the general thought is its an immune suppressant. All I know is I can order my Niagen without it.
I see one recent entry into the NR market that is using both of the aforementioned excipients. Now you may be fine with eating and breathing Silica dust and Magnesium stearate. We as consumers have this right to put into our bodies what we choose. These are cheap approved DFA Excipients used in the encapsulation process and they help bring down the price of handling the main ingredient but there are slightly more expensive organic options. Here are a few things to look for The ‘Other Ingredients’ – What You Need to Know About Excipients in Supplements see link.
ESTIMATION OF MICROBIAL CONTAMINATION IN VARIOUS ACTIVE PHARMACEUTICAL INGREDIENTS AND EXCIPIENTS Now this article is about the pharmaceutical market the supplements market is much more dismal.
Again guys buyer beware, support the vender of your choice but if we miss our HPN quota I will be stepping down from this roll and someone else will need to step in and fill my shoes.
Just so we are all on the same page; I will not be publicly discussing the venders in question. I just want them to get their act together and this post should start them on the path to do that. This thread is for announcements for the LONGECITY HPN Group Buy and as new information emerges on the next offer I'll make a posting here or on my other NR threads.
Edited by Bryan_S, 17 August 2015 - 01:48 AM.
