Comment · Mon, March 2, 2020
QUESTION: ND's Ashwagandha Supply
Original post in this thread
AmensiacKidA · 7 points
Hi there,
I've been a follower of Nootropics Depot and just recently made my first purchase. I have a small query and was hoping to get it clarified here.
Some background: I'm from India, and I've been meaning to try Ashwagandha for the longest time. I naturally tried finding some local brands that do sufficient testing of their products (I'm paranoid about heavy metal toxicity, there's been multiple cases of industries polluting/selling contaminated supplies with the Gov turning a blind eye). I did find brands like Organic India that purports that they test for heavy metals but I couldn't get access to their test results and I'm generally wary of this, considering how even in the west, the supplement industry is highly unregulated. I came across recommendations for ND and eventually placed my order.
Query: I saw a post in Reddit recently (I'm unable to find this, sorry... but probably in Nootropics or on this sub) where the OP was asking about why China is the epicentre for production for certain chemicals. /u/MisterYouAreSoDumb 's response was about how China's vertically integrated system lets them dominate in this field. The response also included this: ND sources their…
What they were answering
AmensiacKidA · 1 points
Thank you for the detailed reply! I appreciate it.
Referring to what you said, "They lie all the time, too". Did it take a long time for you to find a legit source here in India?
The plan sounds wonderful. Hoping for it to start soon!
u/MisterYouAreSoDumb
Yes, it took speaking to and meeting hundreds of suppliers. Literally... It was a nightmare!
I assume you are Indian? So you probably know the culture there in business is never to admit you can't do something. Everyone just says "yes, we can do it!" even if they can't. So it takes forever to weed through the BS. I realize the culture there is that it is rude to say no. However, it makes it very hard to get projects done. I dealt with it in my consulting days, and it is the same in the supplement field. It's like pulling teeth to get an Indian company to admit they can't deliver on something! It's not like China, where they are totally cool with lying and defrauding you. The business culture in China is that it is your responsibility to not get taken advantage of, and that it is acceptable to take advantage of others if you can get away with it. Obviously that's not everyone. There are good people in China. It just takes a lot to find them. India is more that they are not comfortable saying no. Most Indian suppliers will promise you a lot of things early on. If they can't ultimately deliver, you likely will never hear from them again. They would rather ghost you than tell you they can't deliver. LOL
I could generalize many culture's business practices. Germans are a stickler for the rules. Things have to be exactly right, or they get very uncomfortable. They also disappear for months at a time going on vacation. Doesn't' matter what timeline the project has, or what is going on. If it is vacation time, they just leave. It's difficult working with Germans on long-term projects. The Japanese act very proper, but they will screw you any chance they can. You better be on your A game with the Japanese, and you better understand nonverbal social cues and what they mean; because what they are saying is not what they are meaning. US companies are like work machines. Everyone is always working, but you have to cut through all the middle man red tape to get movement on things. US companies are always dealing with middle managers that really have no business being involved, but keep thrusting themselves in to justify their existence. The UK aren't all that bad, actually. A good balance of all of it. The Italians are a whole different breed. Like Germans, but waaaay less of a stickler for rules and structure. They also leave for months at a time. Australians are similar to the UK, but a bit more easy going. Canadians are like Americans, but way less stressed. LOL. It's interesting working with so many different cultures. Business norms vary drastically around the world.