New Zealand has many online sites that claim to sell weed online for recreational use.
Whilst there has been no law passed to allow for recreational cannabis to be freely distributed online, it isn’t widely known, and some buyers may be scammed.
We explore which sites are legitimate and which are scams.
WeedShopNZ – Legit or Scam?
The WeedShopNZ is a dedicated NZ weed online seller, unlike other sites which claim to sell to various countries around the world including New Zealand.
The site is well created, with a moving front slider towards the top of the home page. A discount is flashed towards the top, whilst their products and pricings are listed towards the bottom in a bland rudimentary way.
There is a lot of content, that at first glance seems legimate, however on further examination there are small minor details that raises concerns.
For example their Mission Statement, though minor doesn’t read well. I would normally use the singular “stigma” in this context. But it’s sometimes the little things that worries me.
In another example, they use the word “attorneys” which strikes me as American, and they end the paragraph with Buy Weed Online New Zealand twice.
Again, these are minor details, but they raise alarm bells for me.
And, again, in the above example the wording repeats for Buy Weed Online New Zealand.
The website owner is deliberately repeating these phrases to register their site on search engines such as Google. This method is often referred to as Search Engine Optimisation (SEO). It is assumed that by repeating key search phrases on the website, Google will rank it higher when a buyer Googles it.
This is an old school SEO method, which no longer works. Google has updated its algorithms to penalise sites like these and to rank them lower.
Having said that, there isn’t much competition with the phrase Buy Weed Online New Zealand, hence this site does very well.
Other reviews on the internet
Searches for other reviews on the internet reveal that some people have been scammed. The reviewer has transferred money to the account of Weed Shop NZ, and no product has been delivered.
Conclusion: Weed Shop NZ is a scam
Buy Weed New Zealand – Legit or Scam?
Buy Weed New Zealand is apparently fronted by a local named Steve, who answers the Customer Service calls.
I gave him a call, and he appeared very helpful. However, as the conversation progressed, his answers became more vague and elusive.
Payment methods were only either by PayPal or with cryptocurrency. These two methods, are always used by scammers to prevent refunds being automatically processed.
When I pressed further for their address, he could not give it to me.
If you were to proceed with making payment, the common modus operandi of these scammers is complete loss of communication. They will not answer your emails or take your calls. No product is delivered and you have no recourse.
Conclusion: BuyWeedNewZealand is a scam
SkunkStoreOnline.com – Legit or Scam?
This site is relatively easy to determine whether it is legit or a scam. The site is a European based weed seller, supposed to be based in Ireland. It ranks high on a search engine result of Buy Weed Online in New Zealand because of its one dedicated page for kiwis. With proper Search Engine Optimisation, the site has ranked well for New Zealand IP addresses, hence, several buyers have unfortunately paid money to this scammer.
SkunkStoreOnline does not deliver to New Zealand. Even if they were a legitimate online seller, I find it hard to believe that they would deliver all the way from Ireland to New Zealand. Though it is possible that they may have a local grower residing in New Zealand (but highly unlikely).
Other reviews on the internet
Searches for other reviews on the internet show that some New Zealanders have been scammed by SkunkStoreOnline.
Conclusion: SkunkStoreOnline is a scam
NZ420Online – Legit or Scam?
At the time of writing, this site is undergoing construction. It’s possible that this site will never be available for New Zealanders, because a .nz ending website that overtly claims to sell recreational cannabis, should be shut down immediately by the authorities.
Conclusion: NZ420 Online is not available, however if it were, it would be a scam
CannabisExpressShop New Zealand
This is an extremely well designed online site, that has everything that a professionally built and optimised site would need. It has a sign up subscription to a newsletter, discounts and coupons that are available to buyers, referral arrangements, high definition product images with clear and concise descriptions, and plenty of educational material.
In the footer, you can see that it claims to be owned by jointup.com.au and that it also delivers to Australia. There is no doubt, that distribution any cannabis online is illegal, even in ACT where the laws are slighlty more liberal than the rest of Australia.
Further examination of CannabisExpressShop reveals the same repetition of search engine words that other scam sites use.
Conclusion: CannabisExpressShop is a scam
Real Cannabis Dispensary NZ – Legit or Scam
The Real Cannabis Dispensary (also known as Greenhouse Marijuana store) is a confusing site, due to the conflict in website name and the logo.
The layout is horrendous, and the contact phone number is Australian (apparently based in Brisbane).
It is illegal in Australia to distribute, let alone sell online, recreational cannabis, hence to promote and deliver cannabis in New Zealand is illegal as well.
Conclusion: RealCannabisDispensary (Weed Shop NZ) is a scam.
WeedSeedsNZ – Legit or Scam
The WeedSeedsNZ is extremely well designed, hence at first glance it appears to be the real deal. Of course, never take the legitimacy of a site on first impressions.
Delving further, I noticed that all the images were imprinted with a watermark “Herbies Seeds” which is odd, given this site is WeedSeedsNZ. It could be that they purchased these images from an online image wholesaler, and couldn’t be bothered to remove the watermarks?
It’s quite odd. Performing a search on Herbies Seeds revealed another cannabis site that supposedly supplied Australians (which has terrible reviews).
WeedSeedsNZ, per se, does not have any reviews to be found on the net, but the fact that it is linked to Herbies Seeds and the images contain their watermarks, reeks of a scam site.
Conclusion: Weedseedsnz is a scam.
Legality of Cannabis in NZ
As of September 2020, the use of cannabis for recreational purposes is legal in New Zealand under certain conditions. The Cannabis Legalisation and Control Bill was put to a referendum during the 2020 New Zealand general election, and 50.7% of voters approved its legalization.
The new law allows people aged 20 and over to purchase up to 14 grams of cannabis per day from licensed outlets, possess up to 14 grams in public, and grow up to two plants per person or four plants per household. However, there are still some restrictions on where and how cannabis can be used, with consumption in public places or while driving remaining illegal.
The Cannabis Legalisation and Control Bill also includes regulations for licensed producers and retailers, which are subject to monitoring and enforcement by the government. The aim is to ensure that the quality of cannabis sold is safe and consistent, and to prevent the sale of cannabis to minors or to those who are intoxicated.
It is important to note that while the recreational use of cannabis is now legal, the medicinal use of cannabis has been legal in New Zealand since 2018. Under the Misuse of Drugs (Medicinal Cannabis) Regulations 2019, patients with certain medical conditions can access cannabis products with a prescription from a doctor.
Overall, while cannabis is now legal for recreational use in New Zealand, it is still heavily regulated to ensure that it is used safely and responsibly. It is also important to note that the legalization of cannabis may not be permanent, and future governments could decide to change or repeal the law.
You don’t need to be a farmer to grow weed
Growing your own weed in New Zealand is easier than you think.