stocking up?

[45ACP]

I was wondering how people feel about keeping enough of what you need on hand...and in the same thread, making a large order and risk losing a lot of money, or constantly making small orders and dealing with the stress of watching the mailbox and increased risk of getting picked off by customs or getting your name on a list or something...I know some people live from order to order with their last penny just to get by and a little quality of life - so how do you deal with the ups and downs of this process?

[nickolyko]

The only limit to stock is your credit card I believe. Summer is better but August is not a good month. Of course from November to january is best to avoid big orders . Hot season means delay and lost orders . But the risk is the same . If something goes wrong it will go wrong. Customs are not predictable. A good source must be utilized if found and if trusted invest on it since you don't know if the next month your ventor will be there for you. Things change rapidly in this job. Good days don't last for ever. So if you find what you are looking for play hard on it.

[Raven]

Hey 45:

Short answer; Yes, always stock-up if you can. 

My personal method is to purchase as much as I can reasonably afford to lose each time I order. I'm fortunate that the med I need is fairly inexpensive. For those that need expensive meds, these folks may have to order very frequently and many live in constant fear of when and if their next order will arrive on time. If things go badly, then they will suffer.

That is not to say that I would be immune from a dangerous withdrawal in the event that my supply is shut-off suddenly and this is why I stockpile. In fact, I gauge the volume of meds I have on-hand with the primary goal being to have enough of the right meds available at all times so that I can taper safely if forced to. I treat every order like it may be my last.

Some other reasons to stockpile and things to keep in mind:

• Stockpile like a Prepper would, don't store everything in one place
  
• Pay attention to the expiration dates on your med(s)
  
• Every year comes with particularly bad times to place an order (i.e. annual Operation Panda Bear, Holiday shipping period between American Thanksgiving and New Years Day...)
  
• Have a secure, climate controlled place to store your meds.
  
• Don't ever put children at risk due to careless storage!
  
• If you live in a rural area like me, frequent mailings from strange, far away places may attract more attention than you want
  

I'm sure you will get more good suggestions here from Members like Popster and others. 

Black Bird

[channers]

Stocking up is the way to go imo. Not only does it tend to be cheaper, vend0rs can come and go and it's hard to find a reliable trust-worthy one. Customs will always be a risk so in the end it's just about finding a good source and how much Youre willing or able to invest for your health. But I could just be bias because I love shopping at Costco hehe ❤ Costco keeps the costs low LOL

[barq2]

I gauge the volume of meds I have on-hand with the primary goal being to have enough of the right meds available at all times so that I can taper safely if forced to.

I think that's very wise advice. That's been my approach, because I have lost valued suppliers and if I'd been ordering month to month I'd have been in real trouble.
The only thing to be wary of, is that if you do end up dealing with LE you might have to explain a years supply of pills as personal use. I'm not thinking of LE following any packages in the post (nothing I buy is sufficiently illegal to be worth their time), but if my house were broken into, or some other domestic emergency happened then it could be awkward. But I think that's less likely to happen than some other disruption to supply, like major IOPs going down at once. If you follow Raven's approach (and I agree with every bulletpoint), then you have time to safely taper, which is really important with a large number of medicines.


BTW if you are going to stockpile, keep things dry, dark and cool (but not the fridge!). Sachets of silica gel (like the ones that come with electrical goods) are a great way of ensuring your stockpile doesn't get damp.

[teddy1998]

February through spring is ideal for me.

[Cricket]

February through spring is ideal for me.

I was always pro stockin' up when I could afford to. Now I have to scratch and claw to try and get anything.

As for makin' large orders, the good vendors will usually break up your order into a couple of packages and mail them on different days. That way if customs snatches it, most likely they will miss the other package(s). The good vendors will replace orders that are caught. My thought is that they ship in a couple of packages in case one is held, they don't have to replace the whole order, plus you will have at least some to hold you over until the reship.

So, stockin' up as much as you can is very good advise. You just never know if things will change tomorrow. Best to prepare just in case.

Cricket

[caramel_barbi]

Hey 45:

Short answer; Yes, always stock-up if you can. 

My personal method is to purchase as much as I can reasonably afford to lose each time I order. I'm fortunate that the med I need is fairly inexpensive. For those that need expensive meds, these folks may have to order very frequently and many live in constant fear of when and if their next order will arrive on time. If things go badly, then they will suffer.

That is not to say that I would be immune from a dangerous withdrawal in the event that my supply is shut-off suddenly and this is why I stockpile. In fact, I gauge the volume of meds I have on-hand with the primary goal being to have enough of the right meds available at all times so that I can taper safely if forced to. I treat every order like it may be my last.

Some other reasons to stockpile and things to keep in mind:

• Stockpile like a Prepper would, don't store everything in one place
  
• Pay attention to the expiration dates on your med(s)
  
• Every year comes with particularly bad times to place an order (i.e. annual Operation Panda Bear, Holiday shipping period between American Thanksgiving and New Years Day...)
  
• Have a secure, climate controlled place to store your meds.
  
• Don't ever put children at risk due to careless storage!
  
• If you live in a rural area like me, frequent mailings from strange, far away places may attract more attention than you want
  

I'm sure you will get more good suggestions here from Members like Popster and others. 

Black Bird

This is very sound/smart advice!!! Thanks for sharing. 

[IceWizard]

Good advise Raven ...

I too live in an "extra" small town... There are actually appox 12 houses (but most of them (8) are across the county line in another county altogether So I qualify for living in a small town lol ...

As far as our postman, I made it a point to get to know the 2 of them when we got here and this past Christmas, I slipped him a card with a 20 in it and told him it's was cause I knew that all the "E-Bay" and "Amazon" pkgs I was getting was bound to be wearin on his nerves... Also they believe I put together computers and drones, so I'm always getting small boxes from everywhere

As a matter of fact, just last week as he handed my SO one of my pkgs, he told her that he could only wish that everybody else on his route was as good as we were

I planned ahead and made friends with the folks that bring my pkgs to me first rattle out of the box and it's helped relieve some of the stress of dealing with them ...

Ice

[45ACP]

Great comments and advise all! especially Raven and Ice! but everyone else too...so helpful...I figured I wasn't the only one thinking about this stuff - as it IS where the rubber meets the road in this situation---it's so stressful, when a pkg arrives I actually feel some pain relief just from the release of stress - thanks so much guys!