There is a good reason most reputable seed banks are located in Europe.
But there is a drawback, too: longer shipping times.
To counteract that, a few of the European banks now have distribution centers in the US.
Pacific Seed Bank is one of those.
This US location means they can ship to US addresses most faster. Most orders arrive in under a week.
They’re a good seed store in many other respects as well. But they also have their issues.
Read the rest of our Pacific Seed Bank review to find out what they do well and in which areas they could improve.
Pacific Seed Bank Review: Overview And Features
Pacific Seeds is one of our top choices for seed banks, but not the top choice. If you are in the US or Australia, we prefer the I Love Growing Marijuana seed bank, because they have a better germination guarantee (more below, in our comparison of these two seed banks).
Outside the US, we slightly prefer Seedsman, but again, it is very close. Pacific is definitely worth checking out to see if they have the seeds you want or if they’re currently offering any special deals.
There are a few reasons we like them. One is the 90% germination guarantee that ensures you get replacement seeds, if fewer than 90% germinate. ILGM offers a 100% guarantee, but most other seed banks do not offer any.
Pacific Seed Bank is headquartered in Europe, but they have distribution centers in the US and Canada. This means fast shipping times, especially to the US. They ship all over the world, however, but not for free.
Overall, this is a great store for cannabis seeds, but it is not out top choice, as mentioned. Read the rest of this review to learn everything you need to know about Pacific Seed Bank.
Pros
- 90% germination guarantee
- Good strain selection
- Worldwide shipping
- Fast shipping to the US
- Discreet shipping available
- Free seeds when paying with cashier’s, certified check or money order
Cons
- Only offer feminized or autoflower seeds
- Fewer sales and discounts than competitors
- No loyalty program
- Shipping charges ranging from $9.95 to $30
- Slow customer service response
Features
Pacific Seed Bank was founded by professional horticulturists, medical professionals, and business people with over 20 years experience sourcing top quality strains. It should come as no surprise that seed selection is one of the primary strengths. But in some ways, it is also a weakness.
Great Selection Of High Quality Seeds
Pacific Seed Bank has over 150 different strains and they are all carefully selected from top breeders. They are also constantly looking for new strains to add, so you’ll want to check back regularly.
Their seeds are all high quality and they back that up with a germination guarantee (more on that below).
The primary drawback when it comes to seed selection is that they only have feminized or autoflower seeds. If you want to buy regular seeds, you won’t find any on this site. That said, few people will want regular seeds, so that is unlikely to be much of an issue. They also offer CBD seeds.
Their website navigation makes it easy to zero in on exactly the type of plant you are looking to grow, but they do not have a direct link to a page showing the most popular seeds. However, you can sort any screen by the most popular. For example, the button below takes you to their most popular autoflower seeds.
Germination Guarantee
Pacific Seed Bank has a 90% germination guarantee. This means they will replace any seeds that do not germinate, if the germination rate is below 90%. They do have a two seed minimum, so they will not replace a single seed. If you prefer, you can get a refund, in lieu of replacement seeds.
The guarantee only applies to seeds purchased within the past 60 days. If you buy some and leave them lying around for months, they will not be eligible for replacement.
Finally, you need to follow the germination guidelines that Pacific Seed Bank provides on their website. This ensures that you are doing everything correctly, meaning that a failure to germinate is down to a bad seed, and not to bad technique.
Note that they only cover the costs of the replacement seeds. They do not pay for the shipping charges, so you will have to cover those. If you would like to know the shipping cost beforehand, simply contact them and they can give you an estimate.
Worldwide Shipping
Pacific Seed Banks ships their seeds practically anywhere in the world. Obviously, you need to be aware of the laws in your country, though. Most banks only ship to a limited number of countries, which makes PSB a great option if none of the others are able to supply your location.
Unlike some other seed shops, PSB does not ship for free, unless you place a very large order. The shipping charges vary. In the US, they charge a flat fee of $9.95. For all other countries, they charge $30.
Shipping times also vary. Due to their physical location in the US, shipping times to that country are fast, averaging 5 to 7 days. Outside the US it takes a bit longer, with an average shipping duration of 7 to 25 business days.
Stealth Shipping
PSB sends most orders inside an airtight, glass medical vial, but they may take the seeds out and put them in different packaging, if your country is more strict.
If you request stealth shipping, they will put your order in a padded parcel instead. Outside the US, they are happy to provide additional security measures, if requested.
They never include any identifying information on the outside of the package. You will not find their company name or any indication as to the contents.
Multiple Payment Options
You can pay for your order using the following methods: mail, Bitcoin, Zelle (in the US), or Interac eTransfer (in Canada). PSB does not take credit cards and they also do not accept payment using PayPal.
When paying by mail, you can’t send cash like with some other shops. They only accept cashier’s or certified check or money order. If you pay using one of these methods, they will throw in a free 3-pack of seeds.
Great Website
The Pacific Seed Bank website is sleek, fast, and easy to navigate. The menu is simple and logical. Submenus allow you to view seed selections based on a variety of criteria.
You can view seeds based on the use (for anxiety, nausea, stress, depression, chronic pain and more), difficulty to grow, plant height, type of marijuana (indica, sativa, hybrid), THC levels, and taste (for CBD strains only). Once you are on a page with different products, you can sort by many criteria, like popularity, price, etc.
There is a lot of information available on each strain, along with a complete datasheet giving you all of the info you need to decide whether the strain is right for you. There are also plenty of reviews that give you an insight into each strain from a customer’s perspective.
The website also features info on growing and topics like how to store your marijuana seeds. The germination guide is the most important page, since you’ll want to follow it to both increase your chance of successful germination and to quality for replacement seeds in the event you do not achieve a 90% germination rate.
Pacific Seed Bank Vs I Love Growing Marijuana
Pacific Seed Bank and the I Love Growing Marijuana Seed Bank are similar, in that they are both headquartered in Europe, but have offices in the US. This makes for much faster shipping times to the US.
However, there are some key differences between the two. PSB ships worldwide, while ILGM only ships to the US and Australia. That said, ILGM ships for free to the US. They also do a better job with stealth shipping and they have a guarantee. If your seeds do not arrive, they will send you new ones.
Speaking of guarantees, ILGM also has a better germination guarantee than PSB. They guarantee 100% germination, which is unheard of. No other store offers this.
ILGM has a smaller selection, but the strains they do have might be a bit better quality. They’re both pretty close when it comes to the quality, though.
ILGM does offer more payment options. And while the two stores have similar pricing, ILGM runs a lot more sales, and they have a loyalty program. This means you can usually get a better deal on their store.
Overall, we prefer I love Growing Marijuana, but because they are only available in two countries, we can only recommend them if you are in one of those two countries. If not, PSB is obviously the better option.
You can check out our I Love Growing Marijuana review for more information.
Pacific Seed Bank: Conclusion And Rating
The Pacific Seed Bank store is a great choice, but it is not our top choice. At least not for every location. If there is a higher rated option on our list of top online cannabis seed stores that ships to your location, then you should check that store out first.
That said, there are countries that are not served by most banks. If you are in one of those, Pacific might be your only option. And that’s not a bad thing.
This is a great seed bank that comes close to the top, but only falls slightly short of our favorites due to a few key things. One is the shipping charges. Another is fewer payment options. Another is that they have fewer or weaker guarantees and do not run many sales, so you won’t find a lot of special deals.
None of these are deal breakers, by any means. You can’t go wrong shopping at PSB. It’s simply that there are a couple of competitors that offer a little more.
Overall, we give Pacific Seed Bank a 4.4 out of 5. If there is a more recommended option for your country among the best online seed banks, check that one out first. If they don’t have what you need, or if no higher rated banks ship to your country, then PSB makes for a very good alternative.
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