Sciencemadness Discussion Board

small companies disappearing

mr_bovinejony - 19-3-2024 at 09:28

Does anyone know what has happened to LabDIRECT and Synthetika chemicals? These are the last 2 companies I know of that really cater to hobbyists but they both seem to have disappeared. Not responsive to emails or inquiries, synthetika doesn't even have a website anymore.

dettoo456 - 19-3-2024 at 10:42

I believe Labdirectllc had some accident (a chemical spill or fire) a few years ago and probably got reamed out so much by the local regulatory organizations that they just shut down. Someone claiming to be involved actually posted here not too long ago saying that they were back in business but I don’t know what came from that.

And I didn’t even know Synthetika disappeared, I just checked their Etsy and that looks like it’s completely gone. I know the owner was trying to push everything to his own site but I don’t know if that’s still running either.

Sadly, hobby chemists aren’t growing consumer demographic, and most of the sellers are forced to market to kewls or cooks (both of whom don’t actually know what they’re doing), and most online marketplaces will shut down anything that may spell legal trouble.

mr_bovinejony - 19-3-2024 at 12:31

Yeah I was talking to the owner of labdirect after he got raided and was able to buy products until about 6 months later he was just gone. And the owner of synthetika was in the process of getting a new building and had apparently gotten a larger stock of chemicals, but then also disappeared without a trace. Kinda strange

Cendre - 19-3-2024 at 14:22

Synthetika chemicals is still up and running I believe, I bought some Mercury from them a few months ago. Chemglass (the owner) was saying he was in the process of updating the site and such. At least from my experience they still are up and running, you could still try U2U him.

charley1957 - 20-3-2024 at 04:27

Lab Alley out of Austin, Texas is still around. They have most common chemicals. And I thought Lab Supply Outlaws was still around, but couldn’t find them in a short search. Home science tools.com is still around too.

[Edited on Mar03-20-2024 by charley1957]

mr_bovinejony - 20-3-2024 at 05:42

Lab alley doesn't sell most of their stuff to individuals unfortunately

Texium - 20-3-2024 at 07:35

Not to mention, they're also hugely overpriced. It never occurred to me that Lab Alley's physical location was actually really close to where I grew up, because I never had the slightest desire to buy from them. :P

myzel9 - 3-4-2024 at 03:02

Quote: Originally posted by Cendre  
Synthetika chemicals is still up and running I believe, I bought some Mercury from them a few months ago. Chemglass (the owner) was saying he was in the process of updating the site and such. At least from my experience they still are up and running, you could still try U2U him.


I placed an order with Sythetika that I had been procrastinating. I finally reached out after a week with no communication nor product. The owner finally responded and apologized. He said someone purchased his entire inventory after fulfilling his Etsy orders. He said he was moving on to different ventures for personal reasons. He did refund and shortly after his website was down. It’s unfortunate since they were great for certain items. They also just recently added a bunch of Htf chems. Maybe that had something to do with his departure.

mr_bovinejony - 3-4-2024 at 12:22

Yes he also mentioned to me about selling his entire stock but never mentioned leaving the business completely. What a shame. I wonder if one of those virtual business addresses would be enough for some companies, I had an LLC at one point and a business mailbox but no actual business address. Seems everyone that can buy from tci is gone