What's the deal with huge variety in seed prices?

So why is there such a huge difference in seed prices? I can understand the feminized seeds costing twice as much, since they reduce the work required to sex the plants for the most part (occassionally something will come up male from what I understand, but it's rare), allowing quicker times to full operation.

Is it a you get what you pay for, better flavors, higher potency, better yields, more refined highs? Is it greed? More consistent phenotypes?

I'm shopping for some beans...never bought anything before, thankfully been gifted with amazing stuff in the past, most of which were not commercially available. With some unfortunate events I've lost my favorite strains (and the source got fired from this job :() and am looking to restock with some top notch connoisseur stuff again. There are so many options it takes awhile to go through them all to narrow down some nice looking varieties. Paying anywhere from 40-400 bucks for a pack of 10 makes me curious as to if spending the extra money is really worth it (in most industries it is, but well, I think we're taken advantage of alot of the time due to it being such a cash crop)

Any insight from you wonderful folks here would be greatly appreciated! It's tough to throw a ton of money across the border for something that might never get to me.

thanks,

tfl

Strains that are more stable and have been around for longer are usually cheapest, such as Pure Power Plant and Northern Lights.

The strain with 'buzz' surrounding it (like last year's Cup winner or whatever is getting mentioned in hip hop lately lol) are more expensive.

Good, conscientious breeding is expensive. Make sure that THAT is what you are paying for, not just the hype.

e-gad... you're beginning to make me think that the cup is a nasty burden on us ropesmokers.
I've personally been seed shopping as well thefanleft, and have been amazed by the price variances.
And then you have to pick someone that HOPEFULLY wont rip you off... speaking of which is nirvana any good? I figure if it's linked off of here it's legitimate... but then I look up and see a "top legal highs" banner.... guys gotta use discretion on your advertising crowd.

from what i have heard nirvana seeds are legit

There's absolutely nothing wrong with either Nirvana or the Legal Highs vendors; both deliver EXACTLY what is promised on their websites. I personally can vouch for several successful orders from seedboutique/Nirvana- 100% delivery rate and no problems with germination. Choose strains appropriate to your grow environment and skill.

stinky, don't suppose you've had any LR experience?

naw, not a huge fan of the autoflower strains. I find it more efficient to keep mothers and take clones- not a possibility with a ruderalis line.

Ruderalis tend to be less potent from what I understand as well, I might just have to find out myself... Also gonna throw a few TW's out and see how they do.... miss that lemony taste

Pure ruderalis is just not even drug/med grade- lowryders are hybrids, but still autoflower when mature. They are potent and smokeable, but my personal feeling is that they are only good for VERY SPECIFIC grow situations.
TW is lovely. It grows big and unruly and yields great outdoors in the right environment. Lemon is lovely. My favorite citrus weed is Rushman's Toxic Lemon but good luck finding it!

Hmm, I've always been a bit hesitant to order seeds online, but it seems a number of folks have had good experiences with this. I'm currently planning on using some schwaggy bag seed that I have.....not sure what it is and the smoke wasn't that special....but it's available. Should I bite the bullet....stick out my neck...and buy some seeds online instead?

Schwaggy bagseed often comes from tropical sativas, which are a royal bitch to grow indoors. Use bagseed that you know to be of indoor origin (indica or indi hybrid) for an indoor grow, or just order seeds.

I've always bought inexpensive seeds. They tend to be old stock and irregulars. They're not in the breeders packaging because the breeders have "dis-owned" them to a wholesale dealer. Although the genetics are usually authentic, the germination is SLOW and often fails.
Recently I spent the money for seeds from a few different breeders and bought direct. The seeds crack in 12-18 hrs, seedlings are well formed and look healthy. I didn't buy anything with an outrageous price - but my seeds are fresh and do well, removes a lot of anxiety.
Read a lot of reviews on any seedbanks you may want to try. If you purchase seeds in orig. pack from a good name, even the inexpensive varieties are at least good enough for them to put their name on. Spending a bit more for quality is more than worth it, but there are prices out there that make me raise my eyebrows.

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Originally Posted by stinkyattic

Schwaggy bagseed often comes from tropical sativas, which are a royal bitch to grow indoors. Use bagseed that you know to be of indoor origin (indica or indi hybrid) for an indoor grow, or just order seeds.

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NOW you tell me.. lol jk. Yeah. Bagseed are a PIA to grow I can say that from expierence.

It's very hard to tell what one plant is going to do from the next or what to even expect starting out.

Nirvana is a good breeder, and their seeds come in packaging similar to other, non cannabis, flowers. A small paper envelope with their name on it and a cool pic on the label. Their delivery was fast and prices reasonable. also marijuana-seeds dot nl has great prices and extremely fast shipping. Their seeds are not in origional packaging, but that does not effect the finished product.
check out my grow to see some of my strains.
good luck!
:smokin:

Quote:

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Originally Posted by daihashi

NOW you tell me.. lol jk. Yeah. Bagseed are a PIA to grow I can say that from expierence.

It's very hard to tell what one plant is going to do from the next or what to even expect starting out.

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man, having said that, I had some jack, with a million seeds... and grew them.. all turned out to be females, all with killer buds...