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LabDIRECT
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TONS of Reagents and Glassware - LabDirect
Hi all!
Longtime fan of the boards here. My name is Richard, and I'm the Founder and Director of LabDirect LLC - we're a CT based reagent and glassware
company built entirely by independent researchers, FOR independent researchers. Like many of you, I fell in love with chemistry just out of natural
curiosity and exploration, so I decided to go back to school for it during the pandemic. I fell even more in love with it during the semester but
being a hands-on guy, virtual labs were not cutting it.
I started ordering glassware and reagents to follow along with the lessons and quickly became fed up with the BS - between most places not even being
willing to ship NaCL to non-registered lab addresses, let alone anything critical, and the fact that the few who were willing were
charging CRIMINAL prices for TINY quantities, I decided enough was enough.
So I formed LabDirect to crowdsource reagents - ordering the bulk quantities at reduced prices and sharing the savings with the community.
It started as a tiny ebay business but instantly took off - we've now expanded to a commercial warehouse location here in CT, with over 200+ reagents
in stock, a full lab fitted with ex-Uconn Nuaire equipment for custom synthesis work, a range of partners both US based and Overseas for custom
ordering of reagents we don't yet stock, an our most recent acquisition was 35 CRATES of high end, brand name glassware from the former Bristol Meyers
Lab that shut down here in CT (MSRP of over $25-30K worth of glassware).
Our eBay store has been responsible for the majority of our sales now but they have been pulling listings that have been up for months as against
policy and locking us out for days at a time - our website (www.LabDirectLLC.com), while it's starting to pick up, isn't anywhere near the eBay traffic, so instead of being at the mercy of ebay, we decided
to go directly to our customer base and say "Hi".
You are more than welcome to check out the website and inventory list, send me DM's, or email me us at Support at LabDirectLLC.com - and if anyone is
in southeastern CT and wants to stop by the space, you're more than welcome to use the Lab and check out the shop (If you don't mind stepping over
crates of glassware while we try to organize everything  .
I'm attaching a quick overview picture of the glassware in the warehouse (well, *some* of it) for reference (if anyone wants closeups of specifics,
just let me know) and the most up to date reagent inventory is here but it still missing some things. The store is obviously just LabDirectLLC.com - Any questions feel free to ask!
Thanks again for being the greatest chemistry community on the web and I'll talk to you all soon!
Attachment: IMG_6183.heic (1.3MB)
This file has been downloaded 458 times
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arkoma
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you are in the US, and after a cursory glance i see two DEA LIST ONE precursors?
*edit* wish you luck, but legit or not, I don't see that turning out well....
[Edited on 5-8-2021 by arkoma]
"We believe the knowledge and cultural heritage of mankind should be accessible to all people around the world, regardless of their wealth, social
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enlight
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Hubba hubba!
I have ordered from you twice so far, and both orders have gone smoothly! I am glad to see you are also offering glassware. Is there any equipment you
are also looking to get rid of? Heating mantles, rotovaps, vacuum pumps, etc.?
With COVID still kicking, international orders have been so unreliable. As an American, it's refreshing to see a domestic source of useful reagents
that's willing to sell to hobbyists.
I will probably be DMing you soon. You appear to have quite the selection!
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enlight
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Quote: Originally posted by arkoma  | you are in the US, and after a cursory glance i see two DEA LIST ONE precursors?
*edit* wish you luck, but legit or not, I don't see that turning out well....
[Edited on 5-8-2021 by arkoma] |
The quantities offered here fall well below the DEA-established reporting thresholds in 21 CFR Part 1310. I cannot speak for what kind of licenses
LabDirect has, but I do not see any of the chemicals from §1310.04(g) listed on their website. As long as they can legally receive and dispense List
I and List II chemicals, there is little concern given the quantities listed on their website.
There should be more legal disclaimers, though. One would assume they have some form of legal representation.
I am not a lawyer, so please take what I say with a grain of salt, and feel free to correct me if I am wrong.
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monolithic
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Nice website, I'll be sure to use it when I need some more reagents. I really admire your ambition to set up such a large business with warehousing
and everything.
| Quote: Originally posted by arkoma | you are in the US, and after a cursory glance i see two DEA LIST ONE precursors?
*edit* wish you luck, but legit or not, I don't see that turning out well....
[Edited on 5-8-2021 by arkoma] |
If one meets all of the reporting/know your customer requirements, if there are even such requirements for the reagent/quantity sold, then there is no
risk. https://www.justice.gov/sites/default/files/open/legacy/2014...
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enlight
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I figure I should ask this question in public view for everybody's reference: If I, for example, wanted to buy 1g of potassium permanganate, or 10 of
magnesium oxide, would I have to meet an MOQ or pay a minimum lot charge? They are cheap chemicals, and I'm wondering if it is worth the effort on
your end.
In my case, I would like to be able to procure a wide array of useful reagents in small quantities (hobby chemistry). I ask only because this can be
very labor-intensive for the supplier.
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vano
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Hi Richard. Where you live?
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enlight
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Looks like it's in or around Conneticut, USA.
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monolithic
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I just checked out his website in more detail. Great to have many of these chemicals available to amateurs but some of these are quite surprising,
like dimethyl sulfate and carbon tetrachloride. I would be vetting the hell out of any amateurs that purchased these. 
[Edited on 5-9-2021 by monolithic]
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LabDIRECT
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| Quote: Originally posted by arkoma | you are in the US, and after a cursory glance i see two DEA LIST ONE precursors?
*edit* wish you luck, but legit or not, I don't see that turning out well....
[Edited on 5-8-2021 by arkoma] |
In case you’re interested, the regulations for DEA list 1, 2 and watchlisted chemicals are very different than people generally assume.
Pages 28-30 of the DEAs Chemical handlers manual (https://www.justice.gov/sites/default/files/open/legacy/2014...) lays out the quantities of each list 1, 2 and watchlisted chemical under which
transactions are exempted. Most are under 1 kg, as long as there’s no obvious suspicion that the person ordering is doing so for illicit activities.
It also lays out all the other exemptions in detail, of which there are a lot.
Despite what people think, the DEA is not looking to kill independent chemistry or kick in the doors of chemists buying 60ml of acetic anhydride. They
are looking to stop cartels and mob bosses from buying hundreds of kilograms of precursors.
Whether we think the DEAs stated mission in and of itself is counterproductive or not, the fact is they have actually done a reasonable job carving
out exemptions for legitimate independent researchers and chemists — it’s the major suppliers who have decided to put blanket policies in place
out of sheer convenience that do nothing but hurt the legitimate small scale chemists out there, instead of taking the time to get to know their
customers and follow the laws as written.
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LabDIRECT
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| Quote: Originally posted by enlight | I figure I should ask this question in public view for everybody's reference: If I, for example, wanted to buy 1g of potassium permanganate, or 10 of
magnesium oxide, would I have to meet an MOQ or pay a minimum lot charge? They are cheap chemicals, and I'm wondering if it is worth the effort on
your end.
In my case, I would like to be able to procure a wide array of useful reagents in small quantities (hobby chemistry). I ask only because this can be
very labor-intensive for the supplier. |
If you don’t mind paying the shipping, we’re happy to special order you whatever small quantities you want! One of the biggest reasons I started
this company was seeing tiny quantities of reagents listed for barely any less than quantities 10 times as much. It was just pure greed as far as I
could see.
Obviously the smaller quantities can’t be priced exactly linearly- IE half the price for half as much and so on — just due the fact that there are
fixed costs that don’t decrease with size like the cost of labor, packaging, labels, shipping to some extent, etc. but we try to get it as close as
humanly possible.
Our entire business model has always been based on doing right by our customers first and foremost and never charging more just because everybody else
is or because we can. We would rather work a little harder and make a little less with every sale but know that every customer is walking away with a
big smile, excited to come back again and again and saying “I wish that’s the way everybody did business”.
So if you see something that’s not listed in the quantity you want, just use the contact us/special order box and we will take care of it manually
for you.
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LabDIRECT
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Our Warehouse, Lab and Office is located in Old Saybrook, Connecticut, USA.
And like I said before, if anybody is in Connecticut and wants to come visit, talk chemistry/run some fun reactions, etc., just DM me! I’m usually
here but give me a heads up before hand so you don’t come by when we’re gone.
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LabDIRECT
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| Quote: Originally posted by monolithic | I just checked out his website in more detail. Great to have many of these chemicals available to amateurs but some of these are quite surprising,
like dimethyl sulfate and carbon tetrachloride. I would be vetting the hell out of any amateurs that purchased these.
[Edited on 5-9-2021 by monolithic] |
Hahaha. Yes. Add Hydrofluoric acid to that list too- When we get into extraordinarily dangerous or toxic chemicals, we do require you sign a waiver
and provide some assurances that you have the proper knowledge/education and PPE to use it safely before we can ship.
That said, CCL4 is actually pretty benign as far as these things go. Besides being a bit carcinogenic (and absolute murder on the environment), it’s
not actually likely to kill anyone without Darwinian levels of stupidity being involved so we don’t actually require a waiver for it. That said, we
only have one overseas partner that stocks it and it can be a headache to order in quantity. We don’t typically have more than a liter or two on
hand at a time which is why we only list fairly small quantities.
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LabDIRECT
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| Quote: Originally posted by enlight | Hubba hubba!
I have ordered from you twice so far, and both orders have gone smoothly! I am glad to see you are also offering glassware. Is there any equipment you
are also looking to get rid of? Heating mantles, rotovaps, vacuum pumps, etc.?
With COVID still kicking, international orders have been so unreliable. As an American, it's refreshing to see a domestic source of useful reagents
that's willing to sell to hobbyists.
I will probably be DMing you soon. You appear to have quite the selection! |
Great to hear! I know there’s a couple of Science Mandness guys I’ve talked to that have ordered from us, as well as a couple Youtubers that did
some unboxings and whatnot too but good to see you here as well!
We only have Glassware for now but I do have three or four vacuum pumps kicking around here as well as a refrigerator compressor conversion vacuum
pump and an aspiratior or two, as well as a ton of rotovap traps, and a few bits of associated Buchi glassware - Flasks, vapor tubes, etc. - DM me or
email me and I’ll try and send you some pictures.
Depending on how the glassware goes, we’d definitely like to get into equipment as well.
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enlight
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You seem very knowledgeable! Thank you for taking the time to answer these questions.
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zed
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Ebay pulling ADs?
It is generally because competitors, or people who think they are your competitors, are complaining to Ebay.
Complaining.... in an attempt to screw you up. You could think of it, as industrial espionage.
Less business for you, means more business for them.
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earpain
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I like what you're trying to do here.
As a hobbyist and home R&D researcher for some maybe future ventures, there are some solvents, for example, that recently have become a real pain
to get.
Do you price match at all?
There's 1 Ebay vendor and 2 Amazon vendors last I checked that charge $60 for a gallon of dichloromethane.
Which really shouldn't cost anymore than acetone at the hardware store but, eh, such is life.
I made an order, and it was at my door two days later. $60 included shipping. And the product very satisfactory .in terms of purity(re-claimed by
re-distilling countless times).
To be honest none of your listed items I would consider to be a good deal.
But I understand how it goes, especially just starting out.
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LabDIRECT
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| Quote: Originally posted by zed | Ebay pulling ADs?
It is generally because competitors, or people who think they are your competitors, are complaining to Ebay.
Complaining.... in an attempt to screw you up. You could think of it, as industrial espionage.
Less business for you, means more business for them. |
Exactly what I was thinking - according to the ebay research tools, we were by far the top selling for nearly every item - Nitric, Sulfuric,
Chloroform, Ether, we were selling 30-40 each per month from the moment we came in. Nobody else's items - that they have been selling continually for
YEARS (at jacked up prices) - have ever been pulled.
It really underscores just how sleazy most of these people are. It's not enough to gouge the community for years, they're so greedy that when a
competitor comes along with better prices, better service, better products, instead of getting better and lowering their prices to compete, they just
lower their standards and pull underhanded stunts to try to keep their monopoly. Sad
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arkoma
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Very good. Alkyl halide synthesis requires suspect chems, as do a few other things. I hope that you under stand my trepidations, LE here in the States
is not known for having a sense of either humor or decency.
"We believe the knowledge and cultural heritage of mankind should be accessible to all people around the world, regardless of their wealth, social
status, nationality, citizenship, etc" z-lib
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LabDIRECT
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| Quote: Originally posted by earpain | I like what you're trying to do here.
As a hobbyist and home R&D researcher for some maybe future ventures, there are some solvents, for example, that recently have become a real pain
to get.
Do you price match at all?
There's 1 Ebay vendor and 2 Amazon vendors last I checked that charge $60 for a gallon of dichloromethane.
Which really shouldn't cost anymore than acetone at the hardware store but, eh, such is life.
I made an order, and it was at my door two days later. $60 included shipping. And the product very satisfactory .in terms of purity(re-claimed by
re-distilling countless times).
To be honest none of your listed items I would consider to be a good deal.
But I understand how it goes, especially just starting out.
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Thanks! I really feel strongly that making chemistry accessible to more people is both critically important to the future of science as a whole - and
hopefully demystify things enough to help undo the unreasonable fear of everything "chemicals" and chemistry that society has somehow acquired.
But as for price matching, it depends - for DCM, yes! We just acquired a new supplier so the price will be changing to 49.99 per gallon for tech
grade. I'm changing the prices today
As for the pricing in general, I'm always happy to hear more about what you're thinking specifically! Our pricing model is to buy in the largest
quantities possible and pass the savings on. This obviously means the best sellers are what will see the biggest drop. Take diethyl ether for example
- we're 10-20$ cheaper than anyone else.
Also keep in mind that our pricing includes free shipping - everyone else's prices look good until you process through checkout and they tack an extra
20$+ on for fedex. Our shipping costs are typically in the range of 10-15$ per package.
And in addition, we include a QR code for 10% off the full total of future orders in every package so factor that in as well.
And of course you're getting the best product and service possible. But I want this company to be a part of - and to grow and evolve along with - the
community, and to be tuned into the needs of the community. I'd love to hear everyone's wish list of reagents - if we can get a better idea of what
people need most and what they can live without, we can focus on bigger orders for more popular items, which will lower the prices a LOT.
I'm going to start a new thread about it so be sure to post!
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earpain
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OK I like this guy!
| Quote: Originally posted by LabDIRECT |
But as for price matching, it depends - for DCM, yes! We just acquired a new supplier so the price will be changing to 49.99 per gallon for tech
grade. I'm changing the prices today
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As far as my consumer hobbyist tentacles reach, you are now crowned cheapest source of all mighty DCM!
Thank you thank you!
-e
(Our states border, too. Perhaps I'll come say hi once car is repaired)
[Edited on 12-5-2021 by earpain]
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LabDIRECT
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| Quote: Originally posted by earpain | | Quote: Originally posted by LabDIRECT |
But as for price matching, it depends - for DCM, yes! We just acquired a new supplier so the price will be changing to 49.99 per gallon for tech
grade. I'm changing the prices today
|
As far as my consumer hobbyist tentacles reach, you are now crowned cheapest source of all mighty DCM!
Thank you thank you!
-e
(Our states border, too. Perhaps I'll come say hi once car is repaired)
[Edited on 12-5-2021 by earpain] |
Hahahah - we shall wear the crown with humble humility. And absolutely! Please do. Anytime you feel like coming down, just send us a message end let
us know what day and time works for you and we’ll make it work.
Sorry for any delay getting back to anyone btw, my second coronavirus shot has kicked my ass over the past couple days
[Edited on 16-5-2021 by LabDIRECT]
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ChemTalk
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>> Thanks! I really feel strongly that making chemistry accessible to more people is both critically important to the future of science as a
whole
Richard, we want to wish you luck. Making chemistry accessible to more people is a large part of the ChemTalk non-profit mission, so we are really
happy whenever we see other people who have similar goals. I'm sure we will be in touch!
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monolithic
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As a follow up, I bought some reagents from LabDIRECT. This was something the company does not normally stock and so it was a custom order. LabDIRECT
(Richard) was very responsive and easy to communicate with, and my reagents arrived quickly, securely packed, and at a good price. Will definitely do
business with them again.
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arkoma
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gonna say what i told the kids that opened the marijuana dispensary in texarkana--"please keep your T's crossed and I's dotted, we need you in
business"
Now could you clarify a finer point for me? WHAT exactly are you required to do, and what am i required to do if say, i wanted several hundred grams
of my favorite halogen? KI is a pain in the ass, and it takes a boatload of it (I) to halogenate anything.
"We believe the knowledge and cultural heritage of mankind should be accessible to all people around the world, regardless of their wealth, social
status, nationality, citizenship, etc" z-lib
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