Cou
National Hazard
Posts: 958
Registered: 16-5-2013
Member Is Offline
Mood: Mad Scientist
|
|
Sigma Aldrich Discussion Thread
Those of you who have ordered from sigma aldrich with a school, what was it like? Do they really ask you what you are using each product you order
for, when making a phone order, and by what means/what kind of business, university, high school, were you able to order from them?
Even if I can successfully make an account with the high school, I don't plan on ordering anything just because they are so overpriced.
|
|
|
Dr.Bob
International Hazard
Posts: 2736
Registered: 26-1-2011
Location: USA - NC
Member Is Offline
Mood: No Mood
|
|
Once you have an account with them, they really don't care what you order unless it would be on a special list or schedule. Most companies just want
to make sure that you are not a liability to them and then will sell you most things without question. But there are some chemicals that any company
will ask you about or require some paperwork before selling. That list is growing, but still only covers a small percentage of compounds.
|
|
|
NitratedKittens
Hazard to Others
Posts: 131
Registered: 13-4-2015
Location: In the basket with all the other kittens
Member Is Offline
Mood: Carbonated
|
|
How did you get approved to sigma? I tried but they said something like we will need a formal approval or something 
Basket of kittens for you ........BOOM
|
|
|
Loptr
International Hazard
Posts: 1348
Registered: 20-5-2014
Location: USA
Member Is Offline
Mood: Grateful
|
|
I would imagine it is through his professional work, and likely a business account.
They require you to be a business and have a commercial address.
|
|
|
szuko03
Hazard to Others
Posts: 188
Registered: 3-4-2015
Location: USA
Member Is Offline
Mood: No Mood
|
|
Yeah thats likely the case. Depending on where you are in life and how interested in chemistry you truly are, if you put your life in a direction
where you are the buyer for a chemical business then thats your in.
This is a pretty awesome website and a lot of people here have dedicated their lives to chemistry and get to reap the benefits. It is awesome to see
how far people have taken chemistry independently.
Chemistry is a natural drive, not an interest.
|
|
|
Zombie
Forum Hillbilly
Posts: 1700
Registered: 13-1-2015
Location: Florida PanHandle
Member Is Offline
Mood: I just don't know...
|
|
Why do so many people sweat Sigma?
There are hundreds of other suppliers that sell the same equipment for MUCH better prices.
Is it a Paris Hilton thing? Do you have to spend more to make a bottle of acid better? That's hot! (now I owe her money) 
They tried to have me "put to sleep" so I came back to return the favor.
Zom.
|
|
|
szuko03
Hazard to Others
Posts: 188
Registered: 3-4-2015
Location: USA
Member Is Offline
Mood: No Mood
|
|
I honestly think its a newbie thing. Seriously when I was in college SA was all the professor would talk about, like he got a kick back for graduates
who thought they were the only catalog. I think thats where it originates from a lack of information regarding chemical acquisition.
And yeah their prices are jacked up. You definitely pay for branding.
Chemistry is a natural drive, not an interest.
|
|
|
gdflp
Super Moderator
Posts: 1320
Registered: 14-2-2014
Location: NY, USA
Member Is Offline
Mood: Staring at code
|
|
Quote: Originally posted by Zombie  | Why do so many people sweat Sigma?
There are hundreds of other suppliers that sell the same equipment for MUCH better prices.
Is it a Paris Hilton thing? Do you have to spend more to make a bottle of acid better? That's hot! (now I owe her money) |
For most common chemicals, it's stupid to buy from Sigma they're ridiculously overpriced. But they have some things that no one else carries and are
sometimes hard to synthesize. They also carry lots of common chemicals at extremely high(5N and 6N) purities which is required for some sensitive
instrumentation. These are the areas where buying from Sigma becomes worth it, if you are willing to pay the price for doing the job "right".
|
|
|
Zombie
Forum Hillbilly
Posts: 1700
Registered: 13-1-2015
Location: Florida PanHandle
Member Is Offline
Mood: I just don't know...
|
|
I believe you are correct.
i wonder if we could get a "sticky" here just for suppliers.
I know they are all over the forum, and a few dozen hours of searching would find most of them...
Here's just one example of over pricing. I was about to order a case of PVC aprons from Fisher. Cost is 16.23 USD each.
I looked in my Aim Supply catolog ( http://www.aimsupply.com/ ) and found the SAME apron for 7.22 USD without my wholesale discount.
https://epartners.aimsupply.com/storefrontCommerce/itemDetai...
http://www.fishersci.com/ecomm/servlet/fsproductdetail?store...
They tried to have me "put to sleep" so I came back to return the favor.
Zom.
|
|
|
Loptr
International Hazard
Posts: 1348
Registered: 20-5-2014
Location: USA
Member Is Offline
Mood: Grateful
|
|
I think anytime SA is mentioned, they are typically referring to their reagents.
At least this was my experience when I first started trying to acquire them.
|
|
|
Dr.Bob
International Hazard
Posts: 2736
Registered: 26-1-2011
Location: USA - NC
Member Is Offline
Mood: No Mood
|
|
But most of SA's chemicals are highly overpriced. As well, they charge hazmat and shipping fees that are higher than amost anyone else does. I have
orders chemicals from Oakwood or Matrix that are often 20% of the price of SA, but also have reasonable shipping costs, like $20 rather than $80 to
$100 for the same shipping path.
I will say that there are some chemicals that SA can provide for reasonable prices, and some things that they sell that are hard to get elsewhere.
That is more likely on the biochemical side with Sigma, than the straight chemical side, Aldrich. But they often buy there chemicals from the
smaller companies at cheap prices and then repackage into smaller amounts and up the price 5 to 10 times higher per gram. But as long as someone
pays that, they will continue to do so.
|
|
|
adk
Hazard to Self
Posts: 97
Registered: 28-10-2014
Location: Sydney, Australia
Member Is Offline
Mood: No Mood
|
|
Well, when I was about 11 years old I used to call Sigma-Aldrich and try to buy chemicals (predominately for making pyrotechnics compounds).
Naturally, they refused and instead sent me some very hefty catalogues (One Sigma, One Aldrich, One Fluka) and told me to call them when I was older.
After many years, I decided to start working on more interesting (and less risky) chemistry at home and I tried to buy some low risk materials from
Sigma-Aldrich but they refused my account application, even with a verified business need. They will sell some things on a pre-paid order basis but
they add numerous charges to the order and what might be a $80 item becomes $200 with their charges. It's unfortunate but not entirely problematic.
Sigma-Aldrich stocks and sells a lot of things that are simply unavailable from any other supplier here in Australia or overseas. n-butyllithium is
one such example. A very useful base for organic synthesis but unobtainum in Australia unless you have an account with Si-Al. It has to be sent via
sea-freight and can not be sent with other items.
Oh well.
A
|
|
|
![[*]](images/xpblue/default_icon.gif){kind=icon}
