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Anyone heard of this about HSW? (powdercity.com)

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[–]i11uminatiformer owner of Powder City, NootroStop & Supplementastic 27 points28 points  (43 children)

My business partner, Brandon, and I dissolved Health Supplement Wholesalers LLC yesterday.

Brandon wanted $500K+ for his 50% of the business. I was only willing to offer him $70K, which I thought was fair since I managed the warehouse, offices, and websites while he was in another state acting almost as a silent partner but being paid the same amount.

There was also the matter of almost $200K worth of dead inventory which Brandon ordered without test markets. It was my fault too for not stopping those orders. I don't know if anyone saw the NootropX or TranquilitX (sp?) supplements, but they didn't exactly sell like hotcakes. His NEWtrition line did move during the clearance sale though (50% of cost).

Other than being the Nostradamus of test markets, Brandon oversaw the contractor who did all the Amazon "marketing" (fake reviews, etc). Amazon had shut down their stores repeatedly for their sheisty marketing tactics. I don't even know all of the store names, but they did tarnish our reputation. I think that after the 6th or so Amazon store suspension Brandon was planning to demand his payout.

Several months after the Amazon setbacks (end of June 2014) he asked me to buy out his share and ended up threatening judicial dissolution after my counter offer.

Dissolution was a good thing though. At first I was really pissed that Brandon was demanding a buyout and threatening judicial dissolution. He just cared about money, and not the fact that 15 employees would lose their jobs.

But then, especially after realizing I legally owned both store domains, I was more than ready to dissolve once I had my ducks in a row.

I kept quiet about it until dissolution for legal reasons and also to not scare away existing customers.

I'll check reddit throughout the day today and this weekend if anyone has any questions. You can email me too at nathan@powdercity.com.

TL;DR - Albatross off the neck: Leaner business (one owner), lower prices, same quality/testing, more investing back into the business.

[–]MisterYouAreSoDumbNatrium Health & Nootropics Depot 7 points8 points  (2 children)

Was your business partner an 8 story tall monster from the Mesozoic era?

"I ain't givin you no tree fiddy for your half of the business, you loch ness monsta!"

[–]i11uminatiformer owner of Powder City, NootroStop & Supplementastic 5 points6 points  (1 child)

Ha, almost. We saw him about as much as the Loch Ness (he visited once since the 2013 company Christmas party).

[–]NootropicsCityNootropicsCity 7 points8 points  (0 children)

Ahh yess I'm not the only city of nootropics anymore thank god

[–]FawkesYeah 1 point2 points  (29 children)

Love HSW/PowderCity, been buying for over a year now, easily my favorite nootropics shop!

Sorry to hear all that with your old partner, though glad to hear you’re keeping the bithnith alive!

I do have a few questions, for ease of reply I’ll post them below this message.

[–]FawkesYeah 1 point2 points  (2 children)

Are you planning to mobilize this new branding by reaching out to current and new customers with things like weekend deals and such?

[–]i11uminatiformer owner of Powder City, NootroStop & Supplementastic 1 point2 points  (1 child)

Yes, but we have to start the newsletter list and facebook all over. My ex biz partner seems to think the newsletter list is a saleable asset. But don't worry, unless he took the list before bringing up the buyout, the emails won't be sold.

I hope to start the weekend deals by next week if time allows.

[–]killword-noot 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Man, sounds like this is going to be a lot of work getting things back on track but ultimately much better off to have him gone.

[–]FawkesYeah 0 points1 point  (1 child)

Will these changes affect supply of your inventory? I’ve noticed certain items I wish to reup are saying “sold out”, i.e. Vinpocetine 99%, etc.

[–]i11uminatiformer owner of Powder City, NootroStop & Supplementastic 1 point2 points  (0 children)

The inventory (both volume and variety) is lean, at least for the first few weeks. I only had time to order most top sellers since the threat of dissolution.

We're ordering more to expand the selection this week (Vinpocetine 99%, etc). We have the 10% in stock for now.

[–]FawkesYeah 0 points1 point  (19 children)

Any plans to introduce new inventory items? Would you be open to a request form on your website?

I’m currently in hot pursuit of a few nootropics that I would love to buy from you instead of competitors. Examples: Uridine, Adrafinil, Tianeptine, to name a few.

[–][deleted]  (18 children)

[deleted]

    [–]FawkesYeah 1 point2 points  (6 children)

    • Uridine: Good, will buy that when it clears.
    • Tianeptine: I hadn’t even looked on Amazon yet. I saw it for sale on smartpowders and nootropicsdepot, around $17 for 30g. Holding off to buy until I’m sure where.
    • Adrafinil: Indeed some sources have reported Adrafinil liver toxicity, though I wonder how much of it is real risk vs. possible pharma propaganda (i.e. to increase Modafinil dependence).

    Some users here on Reddit say that the liver toxicity is mostly a concern if you take too much, or take it for too long without cycling.

    To be sure, I bought 5g of Adrafinil from NewStarNootropics. Been taking it almost daily for the past week with positive results. Nothing negative in the way of liver issues yet, though I do plan to cycle off for a week/weekend soon to ensure no issues.

    I implore you to check it out, and even if it’s not for you personally, you could still offer it for sale with a disclaimer.

    [–][deleted]  (5 children)

    [deleted]

      [–]FawkesYeah 1 point2 points  (0 children)

      Fantasic news, I can’t wait to see them in the shop.

      Yet another reason why I love you guys at Powder City and will continue to purchase from you as my main nootropics shop!

      [–]pillscout 1 point2 points  (0 children)

      In case anyone is still worried about Adrafinil, don't be. http://www.reddit.com/r/Nootropics/comments/1o0frh/adrafinil_experience_effects_review/ccod5jk

      Good choice to add the milk thistle and tianeptine. Can't wait till you guys bring back theobromine too. I'm ready to try all of these.

      [–][deleted]  (1 child)

      [deleted]

        [–]i11uminatiformer owner of Powder City, NootroStop & Supplementastic 1 point2 points  (0 children)

        Adrafinil testing results should be back before the end of next week, so we should start selling it by next weekend.

        Tianeptine will take some time. Rough estimate is about a month yet. None of our usual suppliers stock it so we're testing a few samples from different sources before ordering a supply.

        [–]killword-noot 0 points1 point  (3 children)

        Uridine (as long as it's the disodium salt), tianeptine and adrafinil (especially the granular form; the powder that liftmode sells is less preferred by most) would be very popular with us on /r/nootropics. Tianeptine may not sell on amazon but eBay vendors seem to do good business with it. I would guess that amazon doesn't allow it because it's a pharmaceutical in some countries. PRL-8-53 interest seems to have died down quite a bit and I'm not sure very many people still take it but that's only the impression I get from redditors.

        [–]i11uminatiformer owner of Powder City, NootroStop & Supplementastic 0 points1 point  (2 children)

        We sourced uridine monophosphate. Is this the version you were looking for, or is disodium salt a different format?

        Thanks for the feedback on the PRL-8-53. Looks like I won't buy this from the HSW inventory, or I'll just try a small test order at first.

        [–]killword-noot 1 point2 points  (1 child)

        The disodium salt may indeed be different from what you have if it's UMP freebase. I believe the base is the form found in food and also the form that smartpowders carried/carries which has not been very popular (partly because they misrepresented it but partly because it doesn't seem to have the same effects). I think nootropicsdepot may be the only source for ump disodium right now, which is the form used by Jarrow and in all the other UMP supplements.

        [–]i11uminatiformer owner of Powder City, NootroStop & Supplementastic 1 point2 points  (0 children)

        Thanks. We'll ensure it's the right form before selling.

        [–]FawkesYeah 0 points1 point  (6 children)

        I've noticed recently that you've been very busy incorporating many new items in the PowderCity line up. Many of which I'm excited to get (i.e. Fasoracetam).

        I haven't noticed Tianeptine yet though, and by searching I don't see it in your inventory. Have you given anymore thought to adding this since our last conversation?

        I'm planning to re-up on it very soon, and the only two places I would order it from are Ebay, and Nootropicsdepot. If you would be carrying it though, I would buy it in bulk.

        I really do hope you're considering selling it. If you are, please let us know, I may hold off on ordering much elsewhere until then.

        nootropicsdepot /tianeptine-powder-99/

        [–]i11uminatiformer owner of Powder City, NootroStop & Supplementastic 1 point2 points  (0 children)

        Our large Tianeptine order won't be in for at least another month. A sample is currently being tested before we purchase since it's a new supplier.

        Meanwhile, I've added Tianeptine to our store as a marketplace product. We're purchasing from Nootropics Depot until our large supply comes in.

        [–][deleted]  (4 children)

        [deleted]

          [–]BitcoinOperatedGirl 0 points1 point  (1 child)

          Can I buy your kilograms of tianeptine :D

          [–]i11uminatiformer owner of Powder City, NootroStop & Supplementastic 0 points1 point  (0 children)

          We only had a 10g sample sent for testing and never had a large order come in otherwise you could.

          [–]FawkesYeah 0 points1 point  (1 child)

          Tianeptine is indeed prescription only, in France, not the USA. Other websites sell it in America just fine. I don't see what the problem would be?

          [–]FawkesYeah 0 points1 point  (3 children)

          What happened to the old user comments? I’ve noticed all of them have vanished. Also, the item favoriting system is gone too.

          [–]i11uminatiformer owner of Powder City, NootroStop & Supplementastic 2 points3 points  (2 children)

          The past reviews were from a Shopify app. Whether or not this was content belonging to HSW or not (saleable asset maybe?) I'm not sure. I can't think of anyone that would buy legitimate product reviews, so I'll probably import them.

          Item favoriting system:

          Are you referring to the wishlist? If so, we can implement that again.

          [–]FawkesYeah 1 point2 points  (1 child)

          Ah yes the Wishlist. I used that for saving items I planned for a future order but wanted to research first. Would like to see that back again.

          Reviews being saleable? Well I suppose if a shop was just starting up it might like to have the appearance of an established user base, though I wonder about the moral, and legal, ramifications of selling a persons comments online. Either way, your website would benefit greatly from having them appear once again.

          [–]i11uminatiformer owner of Powder City, NootroStop & Supplementastic 1 point2 points  (0 children)

          Thanks. We'll implement the wishlist again, and I'll likely import the reviews.

          [–]killword-noot 0 points1 point  (1 child)

          Did the NEWtrition stuff sell out? Was hoping to get the beta alanine this weekend.

          [–]i11uminatiformer owner of Powder City, NootroStop & Supplementastic 1 point2 points  (0 children)

          The NEWtrition products are property of HSW, so I can't sell them unless the other 50% owner agrees to the sale. Unfortunately, he hasn't agreed to any pricing yet for the HSW inventory. Hopefully I'll have some before mid August.

          [–]crystalgroves 0 points1 point  (5 children)

          Glad to see the business taking a turn for the better with better organization under the sensible ownership. Looks like we're in for seeing some better things from HSW. You should do a contest or something to name your new venture.

          Good luck!

          [–]i11uminatiformer owner of Powder City, NootroStop & Supplementastic 0 points1 point  (4 children)

          Hey Crystal, thanks for the kinds words! I hope everything is going well.

          We had an impromptu vote between a few of the employees on the business name, and out of the available domain names, PowderCity.com won. In second was TowerOfPowder.com.

          It was a bit of a rush since I didn't have much time to get the new business running and didn't want to wait for an auctioned domain.

          [–]crystalgroves 1 point2 points  (0 children)

          You are welcome Nathan! Things are going :) Enjoy your new found independence and growth!

          [–]killword-noot 0 points1 point  (2 children)

          Will powdercity be on the return address of packages you send out (or on credit card invoices)? Without context, the name may seem a bit sketchy...

          [–]i11uminatiformer owner of Powder City, NootroStop & Supplementastic 1 point2 points  (1 child)

          It will. We'll see how it goes with international shipping/customs and if people complain about the name on the address label.

          That's a good point though. I'll have to check what Smart Powders does with their address labels.

          [–]forgottenpenis 1 point2 points  (0 children)

          Perhaps Pcity would work?

          [–]ZacCoffman 4 points5 points  (0 children)

          Former employee of HSW here; was fired. This is possibly the best thing to happen to HSW and their customers. Nathan really cares about the customers more than the profit and this will clearly be shown as the company rebrands.

          [–]shrillthrill 4 points5 points  (5 children)

          I sent a pm to the owner a few hours ago to confirm before I saw the page you linked to. No reply yet. I'm sure they'll stop by soon to confirm things are operating as normal.

          [–]808120 3 points4 points  (1 child)

          Is Nathan the same guy as before? If so, is this just a rebranding?

          [–]shrillthrill 4 points5 points  (0 children)

          Yeah, same Nathan as before (/u/i11uminati).

          [–][deleted]  (1 child)

          [deleted]

            [–]shrillthrill 0 points1 point  (0 children)

            Received a reply roughly an hour ago. Based on that, Powdercity is legit as far as I'm concerned. Asked Nathan to post an update on this thread just now.

            [–]m00k0w 0 points1 point  (0 children)

            Address is the same as before.

            [–]FW900 3 points4 points  (7 children)

            "Powder City" - I find the name rather funny.

            [–]m00k0w 3 points4 points  (1 child)

            Nathan could you please not write Powder City on the packages? This name may affect shipping and customs? How about a drop shipping option that removes the label?

            [–]808120 2 points3 points  (0 children)

            haha This is hilarious, yet is a valid concern I think. Where are you located? UK?

            [–]i11uminatiformer owner of Powder City, NootroStop & Supplementastic 3 points4 points  (3 children)

            It's like Circuit City, but with powder

            [–]ultimo_burrito 4 points5 points  (2 children)

            ...and hopefully won't go bankrupt and close like Circuit City did.

            [–]i11uminatiformer owner of Powder City, NootroStop & Supplementastic 1 point2 points  (1 child)

            Let's hope not. I used to work there in high school. Fun times

            [–]808120 3 points4 points  (0 children)

            I think my old friend's granddad was the founder or CEO or something like that, biggest asshole around. I remember in high school the kid would go to the gym (big guy, keep in mind) and tease others about how much weight they could put on the bar. He would brag and brag about his money, that went away really quick early on when CC started to see financial problems.

            [–][deleted] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

            Sonofabitch! I had an order ready to go :( I knew I should have ordered it two days ago! Thanks for the heads up.

            [–]FawkesYeah 5 points6 points  (0 children)

            I’ve been shopping with and loved HSW for oer a year now.

            HSW stopped doing their weekly deals about 2 weeks ago. When I noticed this last weekend I started getting a hunch something was up.

            I just hope the new HSW, or Powder City, still has the same selection, if not more, with the low prices I loved them for.

            [–]fucks-like-a-tiger 4 points5 points  (0 children)

            Frequent customer of HSW here, and I did not know. Thanks for the info, and I will be using powdercity now.

            [–]ProfWiki 1 point2 points  (0 children)

            Well damn, thanks for posting this. I had no idea.

            [–]yaftdwity 1 point2 points  (0 children)

            Glad to hear. Went to re-up my oxiracetam yesterday and was like wtf.

            [–]mmrla8507 1 point2 points  (1 child)

            @i11uminati When do you think you will be getting more of the phosphatidyl serine in? I am wondering if I can make it work with my existing supply until you guys are re-stocked. I have issues with change.

            Oh an btw, thank you for making the new website easy to navigate and not making it seem like I am supposed to know the damn chem structure to order it. I already have bad enough adhd and hovering over so many chemicals to find what I need distracts the fuck out of me. SHEESH (or maybe I am supposed to know, and this will out me as the poseur I am...)

            Congrats for moving on from your toxic business partner. Best of luck. Already looking good for you.

            [–]i11uminatiformer owner of Powder City, NootroStop & Supplementastic 0 points1 point  (0 children)

            Sorry, I didn't see this message until now.

            Phosphatidyl serine 20% is arriving in late August, but should be finished testing by early September.

            [–]siddartha999 1 point2 points  (0 children)

            HOWDY! ~ Trolling for PowderCity reviews and I end up here... PRAISE VISHNU! [Hail Creator, Hail Destroyer!] since now I not only have a means to contact ownership AND customer experience / references BUT some context to the 67% rating at scamadvisor... Context Gooood.

            ~ Will order Pramiracetam caps sooner than later [stupid SSD stipend] to add into regime w/ phosphatydal choline [+b5, natch], SamE, fish oils, Phenytoin [YEAH, Dr. J.!] and a whole host of other *supplements in support of Operational Directive 1.0 aka "Prepare To Live Forever" *for 25+ years no less...

            ~ Good success with prolonged use of Piracetam [outta Neuvo Laredo when Mexico was more fun than dangerous] in past so this appears like a good fit since I can't locate Hydergiene at an affordable price [plus not in this country] + uncertain about oversees orderage complications with ICE doggies.

            ~ Thoughts ? Comments ? Suggestions @ Pramiracetam integration ?

            ~ Yes, OP is Fag... real old school sodomite, Thanks.

            ~ Regards from Texas; Where Everything Is Stranger,

            Will / s999

            PS - was NOT pleased to see that "Smart Drugs and Nutrients" by Morgenthaler / Dean / [Fawkes] has NOT been updated since 1993 @ Vol. 2: any pointers from the 40K+ readers hereabouts on a similarly well written / researched volume for current state of Nootropic goodness and relates issues... APOLOGIES if this is already meted out on this thread; OP is catching up on reading this PM... just sayin'

            [–][deleted] 1 point2 points  (4 children)

            Because of a buyout price? How much could HSW be worth?

            [–]Pixeleyes 7 points8 points  (3 children)

            I wonder if the words "you get NOTHING" were uttered during the negotiations.

            [–]forgottenpenis 1 point2 points  (1 child)

            I drink your milkshake!

            [–]forgottenpenis 1 point2 points  (0 children)

            I drink it up!

            [–]omega11211 0 points1 point  (1 child)

            ive been searching the web all night to try find out what had happened to nootropic nexus as i kept gettting redirected to this site . This isnt a smart ass question it is genuine. I recently recieved a 50g supply of aniracetam which i dont believe is what it is supposed to be as it is completely tastless and ineffective. I wish to return this product so how do i go about this now . Thank you

            [–]i11uminatiformer owner of Powder City, NootroStop & Supplementastic 1 point2 points  (0 children)

            We still have the 60-day guarantee. What's your order number (or PM me your email)? I can refund your Aniracetam purchase.

            Also, can you provide the batch number on the package? We have third-party testing, but I'll also see if we still have any packaged from that batch date.

            [–]xabgt 0 points1 point  (0 children)

            I have seen your new website and the price of the products are the same. I have bought several products of this company. And they have worked well for me. I hope that your business follows to work same.