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BenJ
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In-demand reagents
Hello,
First time posting so apologies if I get something wrong.
I have just completed a degree in chemistry and was thinking about starting a small-scale chemical supply business as a hobby. My question is what to
sell!
I thought I would put this here with the question: what reagents do amateurs find difficult to obtain which might be viable to sell?
There are obviously the common ones like acids, nitrates etc but I was thinking about slightly more niche ones. Inorganic, organic, you name it! All
ideas appreciated!
Thanks!
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bnull
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Welcome to the forum.
The first question is, what would you like to buy if you were an amateur chemist on a budget? Most of the amateurs and some of the professionals are.
Offer small quantities at competitive prices. Not everyone needs a 1 kg bag of oxalic acid when 100 g or less would do.
Take a look at what the other sellers here in the forum have and see what is missing.
See the laws of your country and avoid selling stuff that might make The Law knock at your door.
These days of tariffs and taxes, try to go local at first.
Have you considered selling disposable materials? Centrifuge tubes, Petri dishes, and so on and so on. These things tend to hit the bin sooner or
later and need replacement.
Edit: One more thing. Don't rush and don't get yourself into heavy debt. Hobbies can turn into nightmares.
[Edited on 3-9-2025 by bnull]
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j_sum1
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Helpful if you say where you are located.
Different regions have different issues with respect to obtaining chemicals.
Also important to have a system for shipping. Preferably cheaply.
Mjneral acids are a staple and always needed.
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nzlostpass
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I'd happily buy Ac2O off you (or anyone else) regularly if you're prepared to ship international at my expense if it goes missing.
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BenJ
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Quote: Originally posted by j_sum1  | Helpful if you say where you are located.
Different regions have different issues with respect to obtaining chemicals.
Also important to have a system for shipping. Preferably cheaply.
Mjneral acids are a staple and always needed. |
I’m in the UK. Do you know of anything specific to the UK which is hard to obtain? Most mineral acids have an added complication in the UK due to
regulation.
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BenJ
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| Quote: Originally posted by nzlostpass | | I'd happily buy Ac2O off you (or anyone else) regularly if you're prepared to ship international at my expense if it goes missing.
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I think the main obstacle would be shipping. Where are you located?
[Edited on 3-9-2025 by BenJ]
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teodor
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If you will have both individuals and business the selling to individuals will require more processing then selling to businesses, so many companies
refuses selling to individuals. If your goal is just money selling to individuals is a hassle.
But if you are here, I believe you want to sell to individuals.
In this case search for occasions like business/lab liquidations, some batches of chemicals on low price etc and buy when the price is good and you
have ability to store it properly. This is kind of investment.
For starting operations I would just take requests and backorder things. Those things which are asked often stock. Your income is the difference
between batch price and retail price minus operations. Maintaining stock requires time.
I had a similar idea but don't see it profitable yet. Or, to say it different way, some other ideas occupy my time.
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nzlostpass
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| Quote: Originally posted by BenJ | | Quote: Originally posted by nzlostpass | | I'd happily buy Ac2O off you (or anyone else) regularly if you're prepared to ship international at my expense if it goes missing.
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I think the main obstacle would be shipping. Where are you located?
[Edited on 3-9-2025 by BenJ] |
New Zealand, would need label removed or put in a bottle that has a label from a common, inert substance.
Obviously if it gets caught, it would be my loss.
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BenJ
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| Quote: Originally posted by teodor | If you will have both individuals and business the selling to individuals will require more processing then selling to businesses, so many companies
refuses selling to individuals. If your goal is just money selling to individuals is a hassle.
But if you are here, I believe you want to sell to individuals.
In this case search for occasions like business/lab liquidations, some batches of chemicals on low price etc and buy when the price is good and you
have ability to store it properly. This is kind of investment.
For starting operations I would just take requests and backorder things. Those things which are asked often stock. Your income is the difference
between batch price and retail price minus operations. Maintaining stock requires time.
I had a similar idea but don't see it profitable yet. Or, to say it different way, some other ideas occupy my time. |
Yeah I’m not really looking to make money, I’m interested in doing it as more of a hobby.
I think that’s a good idea about taking requests to start with.
I’m just looking to get a sense of what sort of things people on here find hard to find. I think trying to sell super common things like sodium
bicarbonate etc wouldn’t work as it would be pretty hard to break even.
[Edited on 4-9-2025 by BenJ]
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Sulaiman
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thoughts
1 shipping costs from uk are not cheap
2 potential customers will want to know shipping costs before ordering
3 the chemicals that we will most want will be regulated in uk
4 I suggest that you start more as a group-buy coordinator (with commision) than as a business.
You should only order AFTER you get enough genuine orders.
Interest in buying is not the same as commitment to buying.
CAUTION : Hobby Chemist, not Professional or even Amateur
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teodor
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| Quote: Originally posted by BenJ | | Quote: Originally posted by teodor | If you will have both individuals and business the selling to individuals will require more processing then selling to businesses, so many companies
refuses selling to individuals. If your goal is just money selling to individuals is a hassle.
But if you are here, I believe you want to sell to individuals.
In this case search for occasions like business/lab liquidations, some batches of chemicals on low price etc and buy when the price is good and you
have ability to store it properly. This is kind of investment.
For starting operations I would just take requests and backorder things. Those things which are asked often stock. Your income is the difference
between batch price and retail price minus operations. Maintaining stock requires time.
I had a similar idea but don't see it profitable yet. Or, to say it different way, some other ideas occupy my time. |
Yeah I’m not really looking to make money, I’m interested in doing it as more of a hobby.
I think that’s a good idea about taking requests to start with.
I’m just looking to get a sense of what sort of things people on here find hard to find. I think trying to sell super common things like sodium
bicarbonate etc wouldn’t work as it would be pretty hard to break even.
[Edited on 4-9-2025 by BenJ] |
On my experience the main question is a price and often a delivery time. Making niche on selling what is hard to find is not quite possible. I am
telling only for myself: big selection + good price + good bottles + reasonable fast delivery is the most valuable in the order from highest wanted to
"I can leave without". So, it should be a single place where I can select everything what I need and pay delivery price only once. The second - good
price. Obvious. Good bottles is very often ignored by sellers. But this is very important psychological part which brings satisfaction even if you
didn't use chemicals yet. It should have accurate label also saying purity, storage conditions (we are amateurs) etc. And the last in this list is
delivery time. Because there are some good shops which can satisfy 2, 3 but stable selection and predictable delivery is a weak point. Improving those
4 things you can create a good shops with constant demand and ocassionally you can sell something people is unable to find, but based on additional
request, like "ask for quotation" form. So, not making this as a prime feature.
P.S. Also, some chemicals it is better to sell only for clients you already know well. That's why I don't recommend to make emphasis only on "hard to
find chemicals".
Aslo, out of curiousity, what is possible delivery price + taxes from NZ to EU for 4 kg of chemicals?
[Edited on 4-9-2025 by teodor]
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Keras
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| Quote: Originally posted by BenJ |
I’m in the UK. Do you know of anything specific to the UK which is hard to obtain? Most mineral acids have an added complication in the UK due to
regulation. |
Unfortunately Brexit all coc*ed it up. Before that it was easy to send things from Britain to the mainland. Nowadays, it has become a giant pain in
the neck.
[Edited on 4-9-2025 by Keras]
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teodor
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Oh, you are in UK, BenJ? Where I get NZ? Nevermind.
I order books from different UK shops quite regularly and would say the delivery is based on a post options. Sometimes I get the book next day.
Sometimes I pay taxes, sometimes it is already paid by a sender. Sometimes the books are returning to sender because .... I don't know why. The pain
in the neck is when the sender uses a wrong postage service - this is my experience. The things are really completely different with different sending
options. The similar situation is with US shops, but in average this is much more unpredictable.
Well, if you like to get the list, I will be feelling better if I would always know where to buy (in case I will need):
conc H2O2
HNO3
Different fluorides (esp. in higher oxidation state)
HClO4
H2SO4, oleum
chlorosulfonic acid
(COCl)2
SOCl2
Ac2O
B2O3
P, PCl5
Sb powder
As compounds
Alkali & alkali earth metals
Hg
Tl salts
Rare earths, metals and salts
U salts
Different anhydrous chlorides (with any element, PCl5 was already mentioned)
AgNO3 at a good price
any rare metals at a good price
[Edited on 4-9-2025 by teodor]
[Edited on 4-9-2025 by teodor]
[Edited on 4-9-2025 by teodor]
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BenJ
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| Quote: Originally posted by Keras | | Quote: Originally posted by BenJ |
I’m in the UK. Do you know of anything specific to the UK which is hard to obtain? Most mineral acids have an added complication in the UK due to
regulation. |
Unfortunately Brexit all coc*ed it up. Before that it was easy to send things from Britain to the mainland. Nowadays, it has become a giant pain in
the neck.
[Edited on 4-9-2025 by Keras] |
Yep, as well as all the additional regulation the UK has seen fit to impose since.
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BenJ
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| Quote: Originally posted by teodor | Oh, you are in UK, BenJ? Where I get NZ? Nevermind.
I order books from different UK shops quite regularly and would say the delivery is based on a post options. Sometimes I get the book next day.
Sometimes I pay taxes, sometimes it is already paid by a sender. Sometimes the books are returning to sender because .... I don't know why. The pain
in the neck is when the sender uses a wrong postage service - this is my experience. The things are really completely different with different sending
options. The similar situation is with US shops, but in average this is much more unpredictable.
Well, if you like to get the list, I will be feelling better if I would always know where to buy (in case I will need):
conc H2O2
HNO3
Different fluorides (esp. in higher oxidation state)
HClO4
H2SO4, oleum
chlorosulfonic acid
(COCl)2
SOCl2
Ac2O
B2O3
P, PCl5
Sb powder
As compounds
Alkali & alkali earth metals
Hg
Tl salts
Rare earths, metals and salts
U salts
Different anhydrous chlorides (with any element, PCl5 was already mentioned)
AgNO3 at a good price
any rare metals at a good price
[Edited on 4-9-2025 by teodor]
[Edited on 4-9-2025 by teodor]
[Edited on 4-9-2025 by teodor] |
Yeah I’m in the UK. NZ was someone else asking about shipping.
Thank you for the list. That’s something for me to start thinking about.
Yeah the UK-EU shipping is a bit of a mess.
Are there any organics which spring to mind?
Also, a good point about the packaging. So many times stuff arrives in a flimsy plastic bag. I’ve found somewhere which sells nice UN-approved HDPE
bottles.
[Edited on 4-9-2025 by BenJ]
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teodor
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Different types of chlorinated solvents (methyl line CCl4, CHCl3, CH2Cl2, ethyl line, ...)
Hexamethylphosphoramide
Aniline
Benzene
Nitrobenzene
(pyridine)
(quinoline)
indicators - all those compounds used for qualitative inorganic tests, can make a separate list
this is a short list but I need to think more, there were a lot of things which stopped me to do something I planned in past.
At this momend aniline is my most wanted organic compound, I doubt it is prohibited. There are a lot of things which are not prohibited but I don't
know any source for them. This is most about organics.
Well, sodium cyanide is often used in organic reaction and I would feel uncomphortable if I will not be able to restore amount I will use.
But I think you've got my lists. If I will have mood & time to extend the organic list I will U2U you just not to make much noise here.
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BenJ
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| Quote: Originally posted by teodor |
Different types of chlorinated solvents (methyl line CCl4, CHCl3, CH2Cl2, ethyl line, ...)
Hexamethylphosphoramide
Aniline
Benzene
Nitrobenzene
(pyridine)
(quinoline)
indicators - all those compounds used for qualitative inorganic tests, can make a separate list
this is a short list but I need to think more, there were a lot of things which stopped me to do something I planned in past.
At this momend aniline is my most wanted organic compound, I doubt it is prohibited. There are a lot of things which are not prohibited but I don't
know any source for them. This is most about organics.
Well, sodium cyanide is often used in organic reaction and I would feel uncomphortable if I will not be able to restore amount I will use.
But I think you've got my lists. If I will have mood & time to extend the organic list I will U2U you just not to make much noise here.
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Thanks! I might be able to help you on the aniline, how much do you need?
[Edited on 5-9-2025 by BenJ]
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chloric1
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Production vs. redistribution
Redistribution of bulk quantities into smaller portion sizes is a straightforward sales strategy. But it’s a low bar so you will have to drive
traffic some way and stand out from competitors. Also, profitability is limited per unit and it only becomes a career when you are able to move
MASSIVE quantities in a short period of time. Gets more challenging if you need to import your inventory. It’s not a bad side hustle especially if
you desire to use the products you sell for your own use since your per unit costs is less than half of retail.
Production on the other hand is far more lucrative since the price gap between raw materials and finished product is considerably wider allowing you
more wiggle room for coupons, promotions and special offers. Also, if your raw material feedstock is domestically sourced you eliminate a lot of
logistics costs and have a more rapid turnover rate. Plus customers will be more enthusiastic since you won’t run out of stock for extended
periods. With production, you can create a tighter niche and unique brand which will be just as valuable as the product itself. One of the best
things to sell is information. This is quite important in this Ai digital era. The only costs is the time to gather and organize the data and
information and a platform or methodology to securely market and distribute the finished product
Fellow molecular manipulator
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moviez
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Hi. Welcome to the Forum!
I’m in the United States but I can offer my two cents. Whatever difficult to get in U.S., it would most likely be difficult to obtain somewhere else
in the developed countries.
1. Nitrites (sodium, potassium, etc). It’s incredibly difficult to get pure nitrites here in the U.S., although nitrites are totally legal to own.
Due to some recent incidents, it’s extremely difficult to get them.
2. 30% hydrogen peroxide. You can easily get 12% or 3% but not 30%.
3. 98% sulfuric acid. In the U.S. the closest thing we can get is drain cleaner which is around 90% concentration. You can obtain 98% concentration by
heating it up until all the inhibitors are oxidized and decomposed and the mixture slowly reaches an azeotrope between sulfuric acid and water. But
this procedure is extremely dangerous and I believe many amateur chemists would rather buy it with a reasonably price instead of doing it on their
own.
4. Concentrated nitric acid. It’s a very useful reagent that is difficult to acquire all over the world.
5. Acetaldehyde. I almost couldn’t believe that you can easily buy formaldehyde (which is far more toxic) online but not acetaldehyde.
In addition, it doesn’t hurt to have a variety of metal salts with reasonable purity and price. For example, you can acquire cheap copper sulfate
crystals for as low as $3 per lb (plus shipping) but they aren’t sufficiently pure and need recrystallization. But if you want to acquire reasonably
pure ones, they usually cost over $30 per lb from a reputable seller. This is just an example - I’m sure many other reagents have a similar issue.
The laws and regulations will be different in UK so ensure to check the laws as well.
| Quote: Originally posted by BenJ | Hello,
First time posting so apologies if I get something wrong.
I have just completed a degree in chemistry and was thinking about starting a small-scale chemical supply business as a hobby. My question is what to
sell!
I thought I would put this here with the question: what reagents do amateurs find difficult to obtain which might be viable to sell?
There are obviously the common ones like acids, nitrates etc but I was thinking about slightly more niche ones. Inorganic, organic, you name it! All
ideas appreciated!
Thanks!
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Sulaiman
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specifically: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/supplying-explosi...
CAUTION : Hobby Chemist, not Professional or even Amateur
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BenJ
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Thanks. I am painfully aware.
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BenJ
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| Quote: Originally posted by moviez | Hi. Welcome to the Forum!
I’m in the United States but I can offer my two cents. Whatever difficult to get in U.S., it would most likely be difficult to obtain somewhere else
in the developed countries.
1. Nitrites (sodium, potassium, etc). It’s incredibly difficult to get pure nitrites here in the U.S., although nitrites are totally legal to own.
Due to some recent incidents, it’s extremely difficult to get them.
2. 30% hydrogen peroxide. You can easily get 12% or 3% but not 30%.
3. 98% sulfuric acid. In the U.S. the closest thing we can get is drain cleaner which is around 90% concentration. You can obtain 98% concentration by
heating it up until all the inhibitors are oxidized and decomposed and the mixture slowly reaches an azeotrope between sulfuric acid and water. But
this procedure is extremely dangerous and I believe many amateur chemists would rather buy it with a reasonably price instead of doing it on their
own.
4. Concentrated nitric acid. It’s a very useful reagent that is difficult to acquire all over the world.
5. Acetaldehyde. I almost couldn’t believe that you can easily buy formaldehyde (which is far more toxic) online but not acetaldehyde.
In addition, it doesn’t hurt to have a variety of metal salts with reasonable purity and price. For example, you can acquire cheap copper sulfate
crystals for as low as $3 per lb (plus shipping) but they aren’t sufficiently pure and need recrystallization. But if you want to acquire reasonably
pure ones, they usually cost over $30 per lb from a reputable seller. This is just an example - I’m sure many other reagents have a similar issue.
The laws and regulations will be different in UK so ensure to check the laws as well.
| Quote: Originally posted by BenJ | Hello,
First time posting so apologies if I get something wrong.
I have just completed a degree in chemistry and was thinking about starting a small-scale chemical supply business as a hobby. My question is what to
sell!
I thought I would put this here with the question: what reagents do amateurs find difficult to obtain which might be viable to sell?
There are obviously the common ones like acids, nitrates etc but I was thinking about slightly more niche ones. Inorganic, organic, you name it! All
ideas appreciated!
Thanks!
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Hey, thanks!
It’s a similar story with h2o2 acids and nitrites here. Strangely acetaldehyde seems to be fairly available if you know where to look here.
That’s a good idea regarding salts. I’ll have a look to see if there any bulk sellers with a decent price here.
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angrygiraffe
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I don't think selling chemical reagents retail can really sustain your business. The quantities are usually small and the demand is pretty unstable.
Let nature take its course,without comparing anything!
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teodor
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Well, I buy chemicals every month. For quite immodest amount of money. There are more people here who do. I would prefer to buy some bulk quantities
for good price and stock things because it is not demand, it is availability which is unstable. I understand that any single seller who sells me
chemicals thinks that my demand is unstable but it is not so. The reason he can think that it is because the limited selection of chemicals (for a
good price) in any single seller I know. So, having 4 basic requirements for the shop I wrote before + additional benefit of constant buyer (like
having discount buying some amount per month) I don't see why this business could not be started as a hobby if there is possibility to sell chemicals.
P.S. I remember you question about aniline, BenJ. At least 1L. But till the end of the month I plan to compose a list of more organics, so then we
probably will be able to talk about that.
P.P.S. I would say I am at least on 30-35% is occasion buyer. So, if you have something on a good price you can always inform me. This could be the
case when somebody asks a small quantity of something, you need to buy some bulk quantity to have a good difference. In this case you can tell to you
"occasion buyers" that some chemical could be available (in the original bottle) and there is a chance you can find somebody who will buy the rest.
This is a way how you can start.
By the way, I need some bulk amount of silver nitrate. The local price is something around 150 EUR per 100g but I need few times more. So I have a
plan to buy a silver and make it. This is the example - if you can propose something which will save my time and I will ready to invest in it.
[Edited on 9-9-2025 by teodor]
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clearly_not_atara
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I think it might be interesting to sell things which are more stable, higher priced replacements for cheap, hazardous reagents. In principle, you
could buy the cheap reagent and upgrade it yourself in a step or two, then get a significant profit margin.
E.g. 1,1'-oxalyldiimidazole, the rxn product of oxalyl chloride and imidazole. Very effective carboxylic acid activation reagent with none of the
volatility of oxalyl chloride.
Another possibility is Ms2O, which activates alcohols with no volatile hydrolysis byproduct (contrast TsCl or PBr3). MsOH is dehydrated by P2O5 or
even, IIRC, Ac2O (by Le Chatelier removing AcOH).
TsNHNH2, KOtBu, Bu4NBr (not really a replacement), probably some others I'm not thinking of.
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