True North Seed Bank Review 2023

---

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Price and Payment Methods

Payment Methods

True North accepts several different payment options, with a few that are only available to Canadian or US customers. 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 all parts of 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.

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, 2023

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 2023. Focused information which will help you find what you’re looking for.

Best Places to Buy Marijuana Seeds Online in 2023