There's been a lot of interest in private sources lately, especially from new members who believe private sources have something public sources don't. The belief that private sources produce higher quality products because they have special access to the best Chinese raw steroid powder suppliers is widespread, but unsupported. And the truth is, nothing could be further from the truth. But people tend to want that which they cannot have. Believing the grass is always greener on the other side is human nature.
When Stretch started Biologic, he used the brilliant marketing strategy of only opening to new customers every few months. This strategy drove interest in Bio through the roof. It became like Studio 54 where everybody wanted in but only the lucky few made it. Those that did get in were just happy to be there, and not wanting to jeopardize their membership in an exclusive club, tended to remain silent when they encountered problems.
Private sources do offer some advantages over public sources - things like better and more personalized service, less likely to be overwhelmed by sales volume provided they limit the number of customers and don't succumb to greed, and possibly less chance of getting scammed outright, although there are still no guarantees that won't happen. What private sources don't have is better quality gear than established public sources. Private sources are small operations that lack the means to test their raw powders and finished product. The gear is usually made in a kitchen by an amateur without training in chemistry or sterility. But the biggest problem with private sources is that when they have problems such as underdosed or bunk gear, the complaints are never aired in public. This makes it difficult for prospective customers to properly evaluate the source.
Big public sources are in a far better position than private sources to influence Chinese suppliers to provide high quality raws simply because of the large quantities they purchase. They have the means to test the raws, but unfortunately, that's an area that still needs improvement. And they are better equipped to handle larger sales volume without letting it affect product quality. But the biggest advantage public sources offer customers is that their complaints are posted openly.
None of this is to say that public sources are inherently better than private sources. But just because a source is private doesn't mean the quality of their product is superior, either. There are no magic sources with special access to raw powder. At the end of the day, both public and private sources are selling exactly same thing - UGL quality gear.
The Steroid Underground's mission is to educate members about the steroid black market, and provide an uncensored forum where members can discuss sources. What it was never meant to be is an AAS sales platform. There has been an improvement recently in that public sourcing has declined and is being discouraged by members. Unfortunately, this has had the unfortunate effect of increasing the number of private and member sources.
The increasing frequency with which private sources are operating on Meso is becoming a problem and it's hurting the credibility of the board. Meso is about full disclosure. But private sources, by their very nature, cannot be discussed openly, and their presence is undermining the purpose of the forum. Even when these private sources are openly discussed, especially when the private sources is a member, their customers are usually friends with them and very reluctant to criticize them.
Personally, I don't have a problem with members using private sources. What members do is their own business. But anyone that professes to care about the credibility of this forum should be very concerned that there are more and more secret/private sources setting up shop here that can't be discussed. We've done a good job moving Meso away from being a public sourcing forum, while still being able to discuss our experiences with sources. But we need to do a better job with the private and member sources. If Meso is to remain credible, then private, and particularly member sourcing must be discouraged. A good place to start is by encouraging new members to stop chasing phantoms; to teach them that private sources aren't necessarily the best sources, or even good sources. They're just sources that cannot be openly discussed, and as such, have no business soliciting on Meso. The best means of ensuring quality from any source is by actively encouraging sources to test their product, not turning to private sources that rely on subjective reports. Either Meso is going to be a forum for members to OPENLY discuss their experience with ALL sources or it isn't, It's in the members hands to decide.
Regards
CBS
