True North Seed Bank (TNSB)- Review 2023

About True North Seed Bank

For marijuana growers, it can be hard to know if an online seed bank is reputable. Mixed reviews online can make for a confusing shopping experience. Don’t worry; we are here to help. We are going to go in-depth, into all the features of True North Seed Bank and answer once and for all, are they a legitimate company? 

True North Seed Bank (Official Store) has its headquarters out of Toronto, Ontario. Canada legalized the cultivation and consumption of marijuana in October 2018. Ever since then, Canadians have been able to grow their own marijuana without legal repercussions. It makes sense that True North runs its operation in the largest city in Canada.

If you are buying your seeds in Europe, True North has a seed distribution warehouse in the United Kingdom. This additional warehouse overseas allows for faster shipping times globally. Which warehouse your order comes from depends on which is closer to the destination, and they do ship globally. Overall, one of the ways True North excels is their relatively fast shipping times compared to other popular seed banks. 

Seed Selection

They offer a detailed menu to choose your seed type from, including growing conditions, color, variety, and other attributes. They provide various kinds of flowering seeds: auto, regular, and feminized. You can select from color, size of the plant, and THC/CBD content. 

One area that True North excels in is its large selection of seeds. Each seed breeder has different quality seeds, so it’s essential to research your breeder when making a selection. They have upwards of 1,500 fresh seeds available. 

True North offers a discount on bulk seeds when you buy more than 50 seeds of the same kind. If you’re looking to start a large growing operation True North may be the seed bank for you. They have a wide variety of medical strains available to choose from, as well as Cannabis Cup winners.

Strain Selection

An interesting way you can sort the strain selection at True North is by the effect. This section includes things like cerebral buzz and euphoria. Whether you are growing for the unique effect of the strain, or are attempting to medicate an illness True North can help you find the perfect strain for you. 

You can also sort by the medical conditions that the different strains treat. True North started off by only offering medical strains and they have a large selection. They have almost thirty symptoms to sort and search by including nausea, pain, and PTSD. If you’re growing specifically to medicate a condition you can find a great strain to use by utilizing this function. 

You can also sort by the more technical features of the plants, such as height and yield. You can choose which strains are best for indoor versus outdoor growing. The selection can be sorted by the percentage of THC/CBD or more broadly if it’s an Indica or Sativa.

Seed Breeders

Like most seedbanks, True North includes free seeds with every order. True North does not breed their own seeds. Instead, they rely on established seed breeders to stock their inventory. The best way to determine the quality of the seeds is by the reputation of the individual breeder. The reason many reviews are hit or miss for this seller is because they use more than one breeder for their seeds. 

True North offers a relatively wide variety of breeders and stock more than 50 breeding companies. They have breeders that are well known as well as those that are newer to the scene, so it’s a good company if you want to try some obscure strains or breeders. If you hover over their “Seedbanks” menu, you’ll get a list of affiliated sellers. They mark which sellers currently have promotions and which companies are new affiliates.

Promotions, Coupons or Deals

They run several promotions at any given time for the different breeds of seeds that they offer. The promotions are worth a look before you place an order. Some of them run every month, and some are for a limited time only. Several of their promotions are brand specific and only apply to a small portion of their seeds. 

One unique promotion is their “Canuk Puks,” which are small collections of seeds that share a common feature. These come packaged in hockey puck-shaped containers as a nod to Canada’s favorite sport. Each contains three or four varieties of seeds. One (Puk 3.0) is even pastry themed, making for one tasty treat!

Customer Service

Unfortunately, online seed banks have a moderate to bad reputation when it comes to customer service. However, True North customer service is better than most seed banks. They have a phone line where you can call them, whereas some seed banks only have a “contact us” online form. Their phone line is available on weekdays. 

It seems that for every online product or company, there are mixed reviews posted to the forums. After doing some research, we’ve found that most of the reviews tend toward the positive. One of the main problems cited is the lack of germination. However, if you focus on customer service, there doesn’t seem to be very many issues reported. 

Payments and Packaging

There are plenty of ways to pay for your order. A downloadable form allows you to make your order offline. They also accept Visa and Mastercard. They accept money orders, cash, cryptocurrency, and bank transfers as well. These options are typical for most online seedbanks, although not every online seed bank accepts Visa payments. 

Often the seeds come in the same packaging the breeder uses. The outside packaging will feature a plain padded envelope without hints as to what may be inside. If you’d like to be extra careful, they have a shipping option where they will pack the seeds in with another seemingly random item. This has the benefit of making it appear like the random item was the intended purchase. This shipping option costs extra and is a little more expensive than similar options from competing seed banks. 

Accessories and Apparel

True North also features a small section of smoking accessories, mostly branded items like lighters, rolling papers, and ash-trays. They do sell c-vaults, which are humidity-controlled curing chambers for your bud post-harvest. There are also regular stash jars to choose from if you’re not looking for something humidity-controlled or are on a budget. 

If you’re looking for apparel, they have a fairly good selection. They offer tank tops and t-shirts for both men and women. A lot of the available options represent Canuk Seeds as well as specific strains. They have shirts for Granddaddy Purple, Super Lemon Haze, and White Rhino. They have other available novelties as well, like coffee mugs and lanyards. 

Pros and Cons

Pros

• Decent customer service
• Fast shipping
• Large selection of seeds and strains

Cons

• Expensive free shipping minimum
• Small accessories and apparel section
• Only resell other breeders seeds

Frequently Asked Questions

1. Where is True North located?

True North is located in Toronto, Canada. They have a distribution warehouse in the United Kingdom.

      2. How long will the shipping take?

In the USA and Canada, it should take between 5-14 business days to receive your purchase.

      3. What is the minimum purchase for free shipping?

The minimum is $420 USD or about $550 CAD. 

      4. Does True North breed their own seeds?

No, True North is a reseller and partners with established seed breeders to sell their seeds out of their online storefront. 

Final Thoughts 

Overall, True North is a fairly reliable company. Besides some germination issues reported occasionally they tend to have reasonably good reviews on their customer service. Shipping is fast, although slightly on the expensive side. They have a large selection of seeds, also available in bulk quantities. They have a small selection of apparel and accessories. Most importantly, they partner with a good selection of seed breeders that contribute to their large variety of strains. True North is a legitimate seed bank.