pharmerfred
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Posts: 1
Registered: 3-8-2017
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Finally made an account.. anyone (Australians?) buying overseas?
Hey guys,
I've been lurking for a long time and wondering, why and how people are motivated to do the things they do - I mean some of the reactions to me just
look impossible.
I'm currently doing secondary chemistry at uni which should be good.. I've been getting a list of sources for Sydney/Australia as sourcing reagents is
a bit of a pest here IMO. I read some great advice to set up a company in order to get reagents, and thus did so.. I've found that Alibaba/China has
been very accomodating and get almost all of my reagents from the net. I was wondering how you guys get your reagents for the most part?
Anyway, I just wanted to say hi.. People seem a bit harsh here but there's a load of knowledge and the doc's on producing perchlorates/electrolysis
have been really helpful.
Cheers guys!
Fred
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j_sum1
Administrator
Posts: 6320
Registered: 4-10-2014
Location: At home
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Mood: Most of the ducks are in a row
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Welcome Fred.
I wouldn't say we are harsh here. But we tend not to put up with crap and nonsense. And societal trends have forced a tough line on illegal
activity. Like it or not there is a healthy dose of suspicion around the place -- particularly for those whose post count is low enough to have not
contributed a volume of substantial material.
Sourcing chemicals in Australia is really not too bad. As well as the usual eBay sources there are a number of established companies that sell to
private individuals. And there is a good range of OTC products out there. When you have exhausted supermarkets, hardware stores and pharmacies there
are also pottery suppliers, pool stores and hydroponics stores. If you can't get a well stocked lab from that then there is something wrong. So I am
intrigued that you feel the need to start your own Alibaba onselling company. IMO, that is more trouble than it is worth. (And trouble is the right
word. Get your paperwork or (expensive) licencing wrong in a chem supply business and there is a long list of organisations that you could be offside
with.) I am curious what you might be needing that makes that step worthwhile -- especially while still at uni.
As for motivation, my interest here began as an element collector and exploded. There is a good symbiotic relationship between my activities in my
home lab and on this board and my 9-5 job. I am a school teacher who a couple of years ago stepped into the role of teaching Chemistry with a
reasonable grasp of high school chem knowledge but precious little practical experience. I have come a long way in a few short years.
Anyway, stick around. The aussie residents here are a pretty close and supportive bunch and regularly swap stories and resources. If you are selling
something that is difficult for others to get you will have some interest.And if you are doing some good experimentation then share what you discover.
There is a bit of a lull in good home chemistry reporting at the moment.
J.
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adk
Hazard to Self
Posts: 97
Registered: 28-10-2014
Location: Sydney, Australia
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Hi Fred,
Andrew from Argent Scientific Pty Ltd (yes, a real company) - located at the Australian Technology Park in Sydney and we import, manufacture and
distribute reagents and building blocks - ship worldwide (predominately Australia and NZ). I started out selling to hobbyists a few years ago but now
concentrate on B2B and University Research customers due to far less hassle.
I commend you on your decision to study chemistry further. Chemistry is an interesting field; in some ways the only "magic" that has a basis in
evidence.
Just a few words of advice. If you buy or sell chemicals from overseas and indeed locally, you are going to run into problems eventually:
The first is that you require a permit to introduce any chemicals into Australia. This can be obtained from NICNAS - https://www.nicnas.gov.au/
Secondly, buying chemicals and shipping them to an individual at a residential premises will almost certainly result in a visit from your local
police. Chinese Alibaba sellers are notorious for declaring customs forms incorrectly. Do not use EMS or any kind of Postal service for chemical
logistics. No exceptions to this rule.
Thirdly. An unfortunate problem of living in 2017 is that chemicals more (or less) reactive than Sodium bicarbonate are very widely watched for
reasons of terrorism and clandestine drug manufacture. Several chemicals - including perchlorates are actually on the Security Sensitive Dangerous
Substances list, and actually require a permit and security clearance to buy, sell, import, export or use. My recommendation to you is that you do not
attempt to buy or sell these substances if you wish to avoid serious trouble. Argent Scientific does not sell any chemical on this list as the only
real uses are to make explosives, frankly speaking. As fun as these energetic materials may be, you may find yourself in deep shit.
Selling chemicals to individuals, or residential premises - or accepting cash as a form of payment is also a high risk endeavour. Many chemicals are
also drug precursors and there are specific regulations for their sale. Unfortunately, some of these chemicals are very useful for other types of
chemistry.
Please check the relevant legislation in NSW and really get your head around that stuff before embarking on a project of this nature.
Lastly, selling chemicals - you require insurance for public liability as a bare minimum. Also, I would not try doing this without formal business
registration and a proper accounting system for audit and compliance reasons.
That all said, I wish you well - and please send an e-mail if we can be of any further assistance - hello@argentscientific.com
Cheers,
Andrew
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BILLBUILDS
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i buy some of the very rare chems from china. but its $10 for the reagent and $100 for the postage so it have to be pretty damn good
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BILLBUILDS
Hazard to Self
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Registered: 19-3-2016
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what chemicals can you from chemists?
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DeathByMisadventure
Harmless
Posts: 3
Registered: 25-7-2017
Location: Australia
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Mood: clueless
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Quote: Originally posted by adk  |
Thirdly. An unfortunate problem of living in 2017 is that chemicals more (or less) reactive than Sodium bicarbonate are very widely watched for
reasons of terrorism and clandestine drug manufacture. Several chemicals - including perchlorates are actually on the Security Sensitive Dangerous
Substances list, and actually require a permit and security clearance to buy, sell, import, export or use.
[...]
Please check the relevant legislation in NSW and really get your head around that stuff before embarking on a project of this nature.
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Hi Andrew,
I'm pretty new to this too, and I've got a couple of questions related to what you said here, but as it's more legal orientated (and I'd also like to
get input from Tdep), I'm going to post it in the existing thread in Legal and Societal Issues. I'd appreciate your input!
Legal and Societal Issues ยป Advice for an Australian chemist.
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XeonTheMGPony
International Hazard
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Registered: 5-1-2016
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Unrelated but do any of you Aussy guys know of a good method to ship luggage to Aust? A friend got his luggage left behind and need to send it back to
him!
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AHBioChem
Harmless
Posts: 9
Registered: 7-4-2017
Location: TPG is a multi award winner..
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Mood: Rapidly Oxidizing
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Buying off the internet from say, China can be expensive due to shipping costs but most of the time, is cheaper than locally sourced chems depending
on rarity. But it's not recommended you buy EUD chemicals as this will almost certainly arouse the suspicions of the police.
People here will generally try to help you as much as possible as long as you aren't doing anything stupid or illegal.
As for shipment to other countries, generally the only options are to use Aust. Post., a courier like DHL, or fly it back yourself. Depending on the
geographic distance and weight, this can be quite expensive, so check your options before sending.
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adk
Hazard to Self
Posts: 97
Registered: 28-10-2014
Location: Sydney, Australia
Member Is Offline
Mood: No Mood
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| Quote: Originally posted by XeonTheMGPony | | Unrelated but do any of you Aussy guys know of a good method to ship luggage to Aust? A friend got his luggage left behind and need to send it back to
him! |
Well, it depends how much luggage. Air freight with an airline is expensive. An off peak (economy) courier door to door service (FedEx, DHL, TNT etc)
organised through a freight forwarding company who have a high volume with those companies will be able to do a good deal.
Otherwise, it's pretty expensive to send bulky items to Australia via air. Sea LCL is cheap, but probably not worthwhile if the goods are less than 1
cubic metre. Oh and it could be 6-12 weeks before it arrives.
As for legal issues, I can't post in that forum for some reason - but I will if I can have access to it.
A
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