True North Seed Bank Review 2024
Our full True North Seed Bank review uncovers the real truth behind this company’s questionable reputation.
If you’ve come across True North Seed Bank in any of the popular forums for marijuana growers, you’ve likely seen deeply polarized opinions of this company and its seeds. At first glance, True North appears to have a lot of good things going for it, from a huge selection to stealthy worldwide shipping. However, reviews from True North’s customers often tell a very different story. Read on for our full [2021] review of this seed bank, and what you can really expect if you choose to order from True North Seeds.
- Herbies Seeds [Read Review]: *Best Alternative*
The Booming Spanish Online Retailer. Shipping Discreetly Worldwide. Bitcoin and Credit Cards accepted. - ILGM Seed Bank [Read Review]: *Ships to USA Only*
A Reputable Dutch Brand. Shipping Discreetly to USA. Bitcoin and Credit Cards accepted.
Reputation and History Review
True North Seed Bank is a relatively new company, headquartered in Toronto, Canada, with an additional warehouse in the United Kingdom. Unfortunately, a disproportionately large number of buyers have had disappointing experiences with True North. As a result, True North Seed Bank’s ratings in public forums are alarmingly low and the overall reputation of this company is poor. Despite all of these complaints, True North is still a legit seed bank, as enough buyers have had good experiences shopping here to earn the company a small yet loyal following.
Online Reputation
The overwhelming consensus in growers’ forums and comment sections around the internet is that True North Seed Bank is unreliable and offers subpar products. While you won’t have to look too hard to find a positive review, there are about 10-20 negative reactions for every comment willing to stick up for TNSB. From Redditt to Seed Finder, True North’s reputation needs improvement on all fronts.
Seed Selection and Quality
Although True North does not breed and develop any of its own seed strains, this seed bank’s inventory includes a huge assortment of strains from over 40 breeders. While many buyers have certainly ended up with thriving plants and useable weed, True North’s seeds have a far lower germination rate than they should. Numerous disappointed customers have ordered from True North, only to have most (or occasionally all) of the seeds in their order fail to sprout.
It’s often clear right from the get-go that something is amiss with True North seeds. Seeds often arrive looking old, stale, and unhealthy. In other cases, the completely wrong seeds were sent – be it the wrong strain, the wrong type of seeds (autos instead of photos, for example), or male seeds instead of feminized seeds.
Breeders
True North Seed Bank features many renowned names in the cannabis industry, including DNA Genetics, Serious Seeds, Royal Queen Seeds, and Barney’s Farm. While many of these breeders have outstanding reputations, many reviews state that they received old or underdeveloped seeds.
Navigating through TNSB’s breeders is one of the positive aspects of the seed bank’s selection. You can shop from your favorite breeder, and the dropdown tab even highlights the companies with ongoing sales.
Germination Guarantee
While True North Seed Bank has a germination policy, there are some stipulations you’d be wise to follow if you go ahead with a purchase. The seed bank guarantees 85% germination when using the paper towel method and following their instructions. Here are the other parameters you must follow:
- One claim per order. You won’t get another claim if you germinate some of your seeds at a later date and make a refund request on the first batch of seeds.
- You have 90 days to make a claim.
- The policy only applies if their germination and storage guidelines are met and documented.
If you decide to order seeds from True North, we highly recommend following their instructions and taking as many pictures as possible.
Customer Service
True North Seed Bank advertises that its customer service representatives are available by telephone seven days a week, as well as via email. However, actually getting a response from True North is notoriously difficult. And it doesn’t seem to matter much whether the content of a customer’s email is positive or negative – company responses are inconsistent at best. A few lucky customers have had their emails answered promptly and solutions found, but this experience is not typical.
Unlike most other seed banks, True North does not respond to negative customer reviews on popular online forums. However, they are quick to remove any less-than-glowing reviews customers may leave on their own site, making it look like all of their strains have only 5-star reviews.
When disgruntled buyers do get through to True North Seed Bank with germination, seed quality, or shipping issues, this company typically offers a similar solution: a discount on the buyer’s next order. While this is a nice gesture, it’s one that’s rarely left customers feeling like their original issue was fairly resolved.
Experiences with TNSB Customer Service
Interactions with customers seem to generate frustration among the growers who had issues with their orders. While plenty of seeds were delivered on time and sprouted into healthy cannabis plants, the complaints are hard to overlook. You’ll find comments reporting difficulties getting a hold of a representative and others even claiming to have experienced rude responses from True North’s customer service team.
Website Design and Usability
True North’s website is very easy to use and has an attractive design. Its products are organized in an easy-to-follow format, and the Advanced Seed Finder search function is one of the best we’ve seen from any online seed bank shop so far.
While truenorthseedbank.com features plenty of stats and information about each strain in its inventory, this information it’s not always accurate, with mislabeling and other errors here and there. While many seasoned growers already know what effects and growing considerations to expect from specific strains, anyone new to buying marijuana seeds to grow could find themselves thrown pretty far off-track by this kind of misinformation.
Great website layout with highly organized content.
Additional Resources
Many seed bank websites have become grower’s hubs where you can find information on growing cannabis. Some even provide spaces where the cultivation community can share progress pictures and help fellow growers tackle common issues.
True North Seed Bank provides its users with a decent blog with many cultivation-related articles. However, they haven’t uploaded any new content in about 6 months. The existing articles cover interesting, relevant content but are challenging to read because they are overwhelmingly stuffed with keywords.
The website also has a solid germination guide. You can follow the 6-step process using text and pictures to ensure you do everything necessary to germinate your seeds. (We highly recommend following and taking pictures if you order from TNSB.)
Social media is another way for seed banks to expand their reach and connect with the cannabis community. True North is active on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter. However, the content is all promotional and doesn’t make for an enjoyable follow unless you want to take advantage of their sales.
Price and Payment Methods
Prices at the seed banks are north of the average prices online. However, there are many opportunities to take advantage of promotions and free seeds to cut down on the cost per seed.
Paying for seeds on True North Seed Bank is incredibly easy. However, some of the payment methods come with additional processing fees.
Payment Methods
True North accepts select credit and debit cards from US customers only. There is a 7.5% processing fee assessed for credit card orders. Buyers in Canada and the US may pay via international money order or bank transfer. Bank transfers are subject to a CA$ 17.50 fee. Canadian buyers may also pay via E-transfer. Buyers from around the world may pay via cryptocurrency (Bitcoin, Litecoin, and Eretheum, among others) or cash.
True North bills all orders in CAD, so buyers located outside of Canada will need a currency converter tool to figure out how much their order cost translates to in their home currency. However, truenorthseedbank.com does offer the option to view prices in three other currencies as you’re browsing the site, a helpful tool for estimation.
High Prices and Bonus Seeds
True North Seed Bank’s prices are on the high end, compared to other seed banks. But the company does attempt to make up for its expensive pricing with tons of free seed promos. Depending on how much you spend, you’ll always receive at least 1 free seed with every order from True North. This seed bank also operates a Loyalty Points program, allowing buyers to collect points for each dollar spent and cash those points in for discounts on future orders. Bulk pricing is also available.
Promotions
One of the aspects we appreciate about True North is its promotions page. It’s always nice to have access to all ongoing promotions to make the best purchasing decision possible.
The ongoing promotions include deals from specific seed banks, types of cannabis seeds, and incentives to use cash or bitcoin at checkout. If you choose to support True North, we highly recommend checking out the promotions before browsing through the seed bank’s inventory.
Shipping Range and Stealth Methods
True North Seed Bank ships orders worldwide from its two shipping hubs, in Canada and the UK, via Canada Post and Royal Mail. Shipping is tracked and a signature is not required upon delivery. Orders are supposed to take between 7-25 days to arrive, but a concerning number of seeds have taken additional weeks or even months to finally show up. Seeds failing to arrive in a timely fashion (or at all) are some of the most common complaints about True North Seed Bank. However, Canadian buyers do experience far fewer shipping problems with this seed bank than international buyers.
True North sends all orders via flat-rate shipping that can be rather pricey, depending on the destination country. But buyers who spend over CA$420 can enjoy free shipping on their order.
Guaranteed Delivery Insurance
For an additional CA$15, True North Seed Bank promises to reship seed orders that never make it to their destinations. This service is currently only available to buyers in the US and Canada and utilizing it is strongly encouraged – particularly for orders crossing the border into the United States. Orders bound anywhere else in the world are at the buyer’s own risk, as True North will not reship orders not backed by this insurance. However, this seed bank’s inconsistency when it comes to answering emails has led to frustration for buyers requesting the reship and receiving no response.
Stealth Shipping Methods
All orders from True North Seed Bank are mailed in parcels lined with bubble wrap, with no mention of the company name or contents printed on the packaging. Seeds are sent in their original breeder packaging unless a buyer requests they be repackaged.
True North highly recommends that buyers in North America and Australia, in particular, purchase a stealth item, to be packaged along with their seeds. These items include t-shirts and hemp bags. True North reserves the right to sub out your purchased stealth item with another, should stock issues arise.
In Conclusion – True North Seed Bank Review, 2024
True North has a lot of qualities that give it the potential to be a great seed bank, including worldwide shipping, a big inventory, and a mostly terrific website. But, unfortunately, this company keeps falling short in several key areas. From rampant shipping problems and low germination rates to an inconsistent customer service department, and very limited guarantees to fall back on, True North Seed Bank has far too many serious issues for us to recommend them as a reliable source for cannabis seeds. At this time, we recommend passing on True North and ordering with a more established and reputable company like ILGM Seed Bank or MSNL, instead.
Main Category Page: Best Online Cannabis Seed-Banks – Top cannabis seed banks, comparisons & reviews of the best online weed seed shops in 2024. Focused information which will help you find what you’re looking for.
- Herbies Seeds [Read Review]: *Best Alternative*
The Booming Spanish Online Retailer. Shipping Discreetly Worldwide. Bitcoin and Credit Cards accepted. - ILGM Seed Bank [Read Review]: *Ships to USA Only*
A Reputable Dutch Brand. Shipping Discreetly to USA. Bitcoin and Credit Cards accepted.
Best Places to Buy Marijuana Seeds Online in 2024
I have been using true north for a few years and have never had a probleml .My last 2 orders from true north have been seized and held at customs.First order was seized and I didn’t have insurance and my second order had insurance and stealth packaging with a puzzle and that was also seized by customs. I have waited over 6 weeks and still no package.When I called true north I spoke to both Tony and Stacy and they wanted to reship my order which I told them not to do and give me a refund because customs must… Read more »
worst seed bank out there. there products are crap. ordered 30 seeds and only 4 germinated. when i contacted them i got the legalese run around (see below). saying their products were only souvenirs. should change their name to “souvenir seed bank”. truenorth reply: Unfortunately due to the nature of our business, we are unable to discuss, guarantee or promote germination due to legality issues. All germination and cultivation inquiries will be ignored. As noted on our website under the legal disclaimer, “By purchasing from True North Seed Bank (www.truenorthseedbank.com) you accept our Terms & Conditions, Privacy Policy and Legal… Read more »
Check out True North Seeds dismal 2.2 Trustpilot rating and even worse 1.7 Facebook rating. Customer reviews expose the trail of lies, fraud and disappointment this company leaves wherever they go.
Horrible company ran by shady people that use threatening scare tactics on their customers to correct their own mistakes and are also in bed with the Chinese communist party. Stay away. I’m sure there’s other seed company’s to purchase from.
Real bad first experience. Customs seized the my first order from True North for insufficient documentation. They were very clear in the documentation that it is not illegal to import properly documented seeds but as these had none they kept the parcel which sucks!
Ordered 4 seeds. 2 wouldn’t germinate, 1 germinated but was so weak it died and the 4th germinated but is also weak and looks like it is going to die. Tried contacting them twice but totally ignored. Total rip off. No phone, no reply to email and total crap for seeds. Would not recommend anyone purchase. Avoid as there are many others that are better. Rating would be Zero.
I purchased seeds several times from true north seed bank, I strongly recommend that you do not purchase seeds from this company,! They charged an additional $29 per ticket, blamed it on the cryptocurrency exchange, my third order never has been delivered. It has a tracking number I have asked tnsb to help me locate my order, they refuse to help me tell me too bad so sad I don’t have $11 insurance, after paying $28 for shipping and handling on each order. They hang up on you when you call, they won’t answer your emails other than to say… Read more »
I ordered about ten seeds from True North. NONE of the seeds even germinated! They didn’t respond to my complaint. This is a devious, corrupt company which sells an inferior product. You can tell there’s something fishy when you try to pay. They say they’ll accept credit cards from the US, but declined all my legit cards and required me to give them my bank account number. Boy, do I regret doing business with these fraudsters!
This company is crooked, corrupt, they lie, they steal. I strongly recommend never ever purchasing anything from true north seed bank. They have overcharged me $28 on three different orders blaming it on the cryptocurrency holders, they have lost my last order, refuse to help I called BBB, I called the canadian post office, I contacted the United states postal service and both stated that the tracking number that true and received bank gave me was not in the system and they could not find it. This company is a scam! I have waited 5 months only to hear too… Read more »
Each order I made with Northern Seed Bank arrived no problem, but consistently they have been the poorest quality seed I have had the misfortune to grow. There are far better, more reputable seed banks.. Jordan of The Islands being one.
I ordered 4 fem Blue Dream from them. They overcharged me and I’ll never see the 16 bucks. 1 was an auto and the others do not even look like the same strain. I have no idea what I actually have but ordering the same strain from another company because they appear to of just sent me whatever they felt like,
True north seed bank is a dumpster fire. Avoid at all costs
So I recently bought 25 nl/bb auto fems from true north seeds. Actually January 2023,but waited until early May to germinate and plant outside directly into the ground. It became clear to me that they were not autos by the middle of June as they were five feet tall and no signs of flowering. They were growing 7 cm per day! Early July I contacted TNSB and sent pictures of the now 8 foot tall supposed autos (knowing that they are not) and requested they do their homework and find out what they are for me as well as other… Read more »
Growing weed for over 40 years , using true north seed bank for 8 years, this is the first year I had a big issue. 11 of their 13 seeds Failed to germinate while 12 of 13 of my own seeds germinated fine in the same batch using the paper towel method. I did not know the 90 day limit (nor could I find it on their site) or I would not have ordered, as I order for the next year. Needless to say they told me tough luck so I won’t be back. Seeds should last years , I… Read more »
Need a catalog