~Official Trading Policies~
Privacy, Returns, Refunds, Payment, Quality Assurance,
Shipping, FDA Disclaimer, Mission Statement, Guarantees,
and Terms of Purchase:
Quality Assurance:
- USDA Certified Organic. All of my products are USDA certified organic whenever possible and affordable. I support organic agriculture in general and in particular, French Bio-dynamic agriculture as developed by John Jeavons at Common Ground in Palo Alto and Alan Chadwick at the UCSC Farm and Garden Project here in the Bay Area. Consult their amazing book, How to Grow More Vegetables. I was trained as a CCOF Field Inspector in the early 1990s. I spent 20 years as the owner and/or manager of numerous Natural Food Stores, including Sequoia Family Market, New Leaf Market, and Whole Foods in Los Gatos.
- NO Monsanto/Big Pharma GMOs. All of my products are free of any genetically-altered or modified ingredients. GMO-free zone here. No patented seeds, no death genes, and very few hybrids.
- Chemical-Free: My products are never irradiated, gassed, coated, dipped, cooked or frozen; and are free of fillers, preservatives and/or additives, always remaining as natural and pure as possible. I use Diatomaceous Earth around the farm and storage areas and for some stored items such as carob pods and corn. A few plants may have sulfur powder hand-applied for spider mites. Sprays are: kelp, hot pepper and BT.
- Vegan Friendly. My products are vegan whenever possible. I only sell Vegan capsules. I support vegetarianism. The meat industry is cruel, harmful to the environment and ozone, and for many of us humans, bad for our bodies as well.
- Bee Friendly. I am a beekeeper, and I love honey bees. I support a worldwide ban of Bayer's deadly neonicotinoid chemicals that kill our bees. I personally own and manage a honey bee hive, get stung, and harvest honey. I provide a safe, pesticide-free refuge for all pollinators wherever I am living or growing. All domestic bee species and most wasps and butterflies are welcome and protected here. I am a life member of the Santa Clara County Beekeepers Guild. Save the bees, please.
- NO Animal Testing. None of my products are ever tested on animals. All products are Cruelty-Free. Cruelty to humans is also not supported here. So Fair Trade also whenever possible. Farmworkers should be treated like any human worker.
- I Support American workers. Most of my White Buffalo products are grown or manufactured here in the USA. My promise: I will never allow my company to export jobs outside the USA, no matter what. I support American jobs.
- Sustainable Agriculture. I source certified organic, organic, pesticide-free, bio-dynamic, kosher and local domestic items whenever possible. I support sustainable, organic, certified natural, and bio-dynamic farming methods. I am too small to pay for third party certification for my garden items, however, I did spend 20 years owning and managing natural food stores. I started the Santa Cruz Organic Retailers Association and went through CCOF Organic farm certification inspector training in Santa Cruz County. Affidavits for my personal organic farming methods are available. I support sustainable agriculture and personally use French Intensive Bio-dynamic organic gardening methods for growing my botanicals, as well as Plant Faeries.
- NO unsafe Chinese imports. Nothing I sell here is made in China due to American job issues and the many inherent and widespread safety and quality issues. For example, I could sell cheaper Chinese calcium hydroxide instead of my more expensive American product, but I never will. I just don't trust Chinese food products for quality and purity, in general. I do, however, believe in the efficacy of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) such as acupuncture and Chinese medicinal herbs and I will personally use medicinal herbs from China when prescribed by my acupuncturist. I also sell some rare, nutritious and/or medicinal seeds that I import directly from China. I hope that the Chinese people still respect the traditions surrounding their effective system of energy healing which has been fine tuned over the last 5,000 years. TCM works.
But, I also urge you to join me to boycott China and most Chinese products until they end their military occupation of Tibet and their genocide of the Tibetan Buddhist people and culture. The spiritual leader of Tibet, the wonderful Dalai Lama, has been forced to live in exile for over half a century now. End the brutal Chinese occupation of independent Tibet!
Let's all work together to Save American Jobs! - Kosher Preferred. I buy and sell Kosher products whenever possible. I support building the Third Holy Temple in Jerusalem on the Temple Mount, now. Unlike most antisemitic liberals, I totally support Israel and its 3,000 year old capitol of Jerusalem. Traveling there in 2011 and walking the ancient streets and driving through the occupied territories radically changed my views on the entire region. Israel is an amazing country with danger on all sides. Please learn the history of David (and Goliath) and King Solomon and the Jewish Holy Temple and the Temple Mount. Jesus walks right through the end of the story.
- Shaman and Wicca Friendly. I was trained as a shaman by master shaman Bonnie Serratore, having first found her in 1993. I love the same plants as many traditional Wicca practitioners. Their sacred plants are part of my normal inventory. I am an herbalist and botanist, trained in many forms of alternative healing, and I love dangerous plants. Plants are powerful medicine.
- Hemp Friendly. Hemp was always an important crop in American history until the 'marijuana' hysteria hit at the end of alcohol prohibition. Thomas Jefferson and George Washington grew hemp; our Constitution was written upon hemp, and most of our Founding Fathers smoked pot and used opium for pain. Let's make this easy: Legalize Cannabis totally and hemp products will not be an issue anymore. Un-Schedule Cannabis! I support the total, worldwide legalization of ALL of God's plants. Making plants illegal is about as sensible and enforceable as making birds or snakes illegal everywhere. it's plain silly, and dumb.
God made plants; Big Pharma makes drugs. Whom do you trust?
Privacy Policy:
Mixing business with integrity.
Mixing business with integrity.
- Your Personal Information is totally Private: All of your information is strictly secret. Even Edward Snowden and the NSA will not be told. I do not keep, store, sell, trade or in any way transmit your personal information to anyone or any aliens or anything at all, period. I do not use this information myself. I keep no records of your credit cards or seed orders, so please keep your own records. I do not ever send out unsolicited emails to people for marketing. My business model is built upon mutual respect, decades of retail experience, and personal integrity. I trust that your Spirit Guides will bring you to me. I believe humans have an inherent right to privacy. I resent government and business intrusions into my personal life and my right to privacy, and will NEVER do anything of the sort to you, with one exception:
IF you file a charge back or make threats you lose all your rights given herein. Furthermore, your private information is then sold, traded and/or given away freely by me. Your personal info will be put on a public banned list. - A new feature of this site allows you to store your card info, which is useful for my regular buyers. I do not have access to this information; it is stored by Weebly/Square. Weebly has access to your order history and information.
- I do not want anyone or any agency to know of your seed orders any more than you do. My business records are private. Unless you violate the terms of this agreement.
- Your email address is ONLY used to send you USPS tracking information so you can tell when your seeds arrive in the mail. I do NOT keep, store, sell or trade email addresses. (They may be stored by Authorize.Net and can be accessed by me if needed for a chargeback.) You will NEVER get unsolicited emails from me or caused by me. I will contact you by email only if there is a problem with your order. I currently do not offer a newsletter option, so no internal lists.
- No Wireless. I do not use any wireless technology for email or for doing business. Wireless is too easily hacked. I am old school. I use my smart phone only for dumb phone calls. I still use paper travel maps. No apps, no email, no credit info flying through the ethernet-internet void where hackers lie in wait to prey on all of us.
- I do NOT use Google Analytics. Google Analytic analyses web traffic in detail and retains a copy on their servers. I reject that. I believe that widespread practice is a personal privacy violation. However, my web hosting service may use it without my permission. Google has amassed gigabytes of information on every American and knows when and where you take vacations or business trips, what you buy online and what you look at too. It's all in your huge personal file. (Apparently, The web hosting service I use does use Google analytics without my permission to track performance.)
Shipping:
- Flat shipping fee of Six Bucks on all domestic orders. Orders ship via the USPS only.
- Allow three weeks for shipment of orders.
- Note: 10 pound limit applies to the flat shipping charge. Larger orders will incur additional shipping charges.
- I ship from California ONLY to the USA and its territories, and Canada. NO other international. Sorry. Flat postage rate is for USA only. Canadians may call in orders to my order desk. Find me on eBay for other international orders. Many of my rare seeds are only available here, so eBay may not be a solution for all situations.
- I use Stamps.com to ship your items. I use your email address only to send you tracking info. Most large orders ship via insured USPS Priority Mail. Orders under ten dollars are often shipped via USPS First Class, which can take longer than Priority going cross country. Orders over $100.oo may be shipped with signature confirmation at my expense to ensure delivery and thwart porch pirates, or not. I have sent too many orders that were stolen from a mail box, and that always creates unhappy customers, even though it is a local police issue and not a supplier issue. Track your package and get to it before mail thieves.
- Signature Delivery Upgrade: Due to customer requests, I have added signature delivery as a customer upgrade option.
- You are responsible for entering your correct address info for my flat-price guaranteed delivery, or you may have to pay twice for shipping. Make sure your information is correct. This is your responsibility as the buyer. A common problem is bad addresses. Make sure your current address is entered. Returned items require more postage to reship. Restocking charges may also apply to any refund on abandoned orders.
- Do NOT use both a street address and a PO box. Just Pick ONE! Or I will have to pick one for you. Default will be to the address that matches the zip code provided. If the zip code does not match either address, or is undetermined, the default will be the PO Box only. I cannot put both on your address label. Even if you live right next door to the USPS Post Office with your PO Box, your zip code is still different for each address. Note for the mentally slow: If the PO Box is not valid, never include it!
- It is the buyer's responsibility to track the order and report problems. We assume everything has arrived as it should and is traveling without mishap. Contact us immediately about any obvious problems, long delays, etc. Take photos of any damage immediately. Keep all papers, product and packaging. A delay in shipping is not a problem, it means we are just busy.
- Credit Card Address and Shipping Address MUST match. This reduces fraud and helps keep my prices low. Violators will get two emails first asking to explain the discrepancy, and then a final phone call, and if no answer, your order will be cancelled. Once cancelled, I cannot resurrect the order for you. Please NOTE: This anti-fraud policy causes hostility in about 1/10 of 1% of all customers. If you are this person and you decide to be angry, call names, make demands or threats, or tell me how to run my business, your order will be cancelled and you will be banned from further commerce!
- Authorize.net uses an address matching system to the card address on file with your card, as well as an IP address matching filter. If you recently moved and your card is not updated with your bank, your order will be REJECTED. Addresses MUST match! About 10% of all my orders are declined due to these anti-fraud features. Also, I do NOT allow customers to place orders using the card of a friend or relative unless the last names and addresses match. In other words, you can only use the card of a married spouse with the same last name and address. Please just use your own card!
Please NOTE: We do not cover packages stolen from your mailbox, nor does most any other company that sells and ships online. This becomes a police and postal issue, and not a supplier or seller issue. I have had this happen to me as a buyer, and it is frustrating. But we ALL have to rely upon the USPS to be accurate in their scanning of delivered packages. If it shows as delivered, all parties will consider it delivered, including your card company. Track your items! If they are missing after delivery, we cannot help. If the USPS says it was delivered, then my job is done. This is a common problem, unfortunately. Package thieves are evil! Often it shows up the next day when the postal carrier finds it or the aliens return it, or your housemate has it, or it went to a neighbor's house instead, or even, you mistook it for your Blue Buffalo pet food order... A curse upon thieves! Karma will hunt you down.
Payment:
- I take all forms of debit and credit cards via Authorize.net, the web payment leader. We also accept all forms of paper payments via snail mail. Contact us for a total before sending any payment via old-fashioned USPS mail. We still need contact info (email) in case of payment problems, math errors, order shorts, and other issues that could arise. Mail rarely ever gets lost in transit, but that is always a possibility.
- I do NOT take PayPal, so don't even ask. Discover card and PayPal are leading the Wall Street Bankers' War on Sacred Plant sellers and your individual rights. I can no longer offer certain products due to restrictions from the Wall Street Bankers and their money processors, especially certain Ayahuasca plant parts. This problem has shut down card processing at many of my compatriots in the sacred plant industry, including World Seed and Rivers Source, and likely Bouncing Bear as well. Certain completely legal plants fall into the same category as Cannabis only in the minds of the Wall Street Bankers and they are at war with your right to choose, buy or grow certain legal plants. Amazon even banned African Dream seeds, which is completely a non-factual based rule.
- Credit Card Address and Shipping Address MUST match! This reduces fraud and helps keep my prices low. Violators will get an email or a phone call asking to explain the discrepancy, or your order will be cancelled. Orders placed using someone else's card are NOT allowed. Use your own card and ship to your own address. The system will not accept orders from addresses that do not match the address on file with your card. I cancel orders made with another person's card. Even when I win a chargeback claim, it still costs me money and time to go through the process.
Guarantee:
- My seed stock is guaranteed viable, normally proven in test trials. I can give you growing advice, but I cannot grow for you. Plants die sometimes due to factors beyond my control. No refunds for lack of gardening ability. If others can grow my seeds, you should be able to as well. Nonetheless, please let me know if you get seeds that you cannot grow, so I can investigate such stock. If I ever do get a bad batch that goes out, I will replace or refund immediately, but bad seed is very rare. When I have hundreds of happy customers and one person says he cannot grow the same seeds, it is not my seeds, it is your gardening.
- Domestic delivery is guaranteed. I am responsible for getting the product to your given address. All shipments have USPS tracking. If a shipment is lost or damaged by the USPS, I will replace it and reship to get you your complete order. Many orders are insured at my expense just in case. (Insurance does not cover package thieves.) Many other vendors of sacred seeds do not warrant delivery or make you pay for insurance. I believe this is my responsibility. I warrant against everything except porch pirates.
- I guarantee that I will fix any and all outgoing order mistakes, at my expense. If I send you the wrong seeds, it is up to me to fix it. I am not perfect, but I will make good on my mistakes. This is a family run business and I want you to come back.
- If a USPS package tracks as delivered, that is the final word that we all go by. I know that sometimes the USPS makes a mistake, and that is why it becomes a postal problem. My guarantee of delivery depends upon the accuracy and integrity of the USPS. If your package goes missing, contact neighbors and your local PO immediately. Often it arrives the next day. You agree by ordering that this is not my fault and will not expect me to be involved with claims of local theft.
FDA Medical Disclaimer:
By placing an order, you are agreeing to this disclaimer:
Nearly all of the products available here have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for medical efficacy. Plants listed as "medicinal" may be referencing American herbal folklore, ancient tribal usage, international studies, or actual modern scientific research papers. The products listed on this site are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease, even though they may actually have that capability. Research all botanicals and organic chemicals and consult a medical doctor before beginning any new medical, drug or herbal regime. Although some products such as calcium hydroxide are listed as "food grade" for use in baking or formulas, eating it raw can cause a severe, adverse reaction due to extreme pH. Do not use any new or unfamiliar herbs if you are nursing, pregnant, may become pregnant, have medical conditions, or are using other herbs or drugs, whether chemical or natural in nature. They might still interact with each other. A natural MAOI like wild rue will act much the same as a pharmaceutical MAOI and must be treated with informed intelligence and respect.
Nearly all of the products available here have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for medical efficacy. Plants listed as "medicinal" may be referencing American herbal folklore, ancient tribal usage, international studies, or actual modern scientific research papers. The products listed on this site are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease, even though they may actually have that capability. Research all botanicals and organic chemicals and consult a medical doctor before beginning any new medical, drug or herbal regime. Although some products such as calcium hydroxide are listed as "food grade" for use in baking or formulas, eating it raw can cause a severe, adverse reaction due to extreme pH. Do not use any new or unfamiliar herbs if you are nursing, pregnant, may become pregnant, have medical conditions, or are using other herbs or drugs, whether chemical or natural in nature. They might still interact with each other. A natural MAOI like wild rue will act much the same as a pharmaceutical MAOI and must be treated with informed intelligence and respect.
Mission Statement:
- Simply: To preserve the human race by providing a source for both important heirloom seeds and plants that help native honey bees and butterflies survive. To preserve and promote ancient grains and Native American food sources. To provide seeds that are safe and free from GMO tinkering, chemicals and additives. To provide seeds that humans can save and grow themselves without needing a seed company to provide them. To keep Mother Nature intact and alive. To respect ancient, cultural traditions and sacred plants. To faithfully serve the Plant Kingdom for the rest of my life. To honor God in doing so.
- Open Source Seeds Initiative: ALL my seeds sold here are open source, open-pollinated, and not subject to patents or trademarks. Some of my seeds are exclusive and only available here, but under NO circumstances are you allowed to buy them, rename them, and try to get a corner on the market through patents or trademarks. My seeds belong to ALL humans. Grow them, save them, honor them, respect them, and they will give back to you: good health, long life and simple, satisfying joy.
- Plants have rights too, even though this truth is not currently recognized by most humans. Just like humans and animals, plants also have inalienable rights. Telling and spreading this truth is part of my mission. Plants have both intelligence and emotions. I know this, and science has shown this to be true as well.
- "I work for the Plant Kingdom, and I work with Plant Spirits who guide me about seed choices, and Plant Fairies who help me grow rare plants, and other Spirits as well. My approach to growing plants is much akin to the legacy of Findhorn. I have extensive training as a shaman and a seer. I have many Spirit Guides at work guiding the direction of this business. It is my goal, as Datura Don, to promote, make available, and provide education about rare, heritage and sacred plants of all sorts from all over the world. This business models and promotes a mutually beneficial relationship between conscious humans, sacred plants, and the Spirit World that surrounds us always and all ways." -Shaman Don
Refund & Return Policy:
Simply:
- NO Refunds or Returns unless the product is defective, broken, damaged, or is inaccurately described (wrong size, wrong purity, etc.). Your inability to sprout my seeds does NOT constitute a defect nor any other reason for a refund or return. Out of stock will be refunded or substituted at your discretion, preferably. Large orders should use the Contact Form to inquire beforehand as to my inventory amounts on any "Limited" items. All sales are Final.
- If I send you the wrong item, I will refund or resend. It is my job to fix my mistakes. I reserve the right to refund if out of stock. Selling on multiple platforms makes inventory control very tricky.
- This is a family run business and we will do our best to make you a happy customer. Please communicate any problems.
- A 10% restocking fee is normally assessed on rare returns, as well as all shipping charges.
- Exceptions might be made to any policy if the owner, Datura Don, decides individual circumstances warrant. Write me to see.
- You must communicate any problems to me, Datura Don, before seeking a credit card charge back. Give me a chance to resolve issues with you for a win-win. Communicate first and we may resolve it quickly together. Give me a few days to respond. I am not chained to email, a cell phone, or social media. People who violate these policies are subject to banishment and they lose all rights, express or implied, and therefore agree to allow me to distribute their personal information worldwide. All charge backs cost us money, even if we win. It is akin to stealing. Liars and thieves have no rights here.
- I reserve the right to refuse service. Some people are just not good customers, as I found out during 20 years of retail service. Some customers lie, or steal, or are violent. Good customers are treated with utmost care. I try to treat even problem customers with kindness and respect, but I reserve the right to set firm limits and healthy boundaries, and refuse further orders or communication. I regularly ban problem customers on eBay. That keeps me happy and my prices low. Once you become abusive by calling names, making threats or engaging in other abusive behavior, you will simply be banned for life and I will no longer interact with you in any way. Some people are unknowing energy vampires and want large amounts of time and attention; others are throwing their buried rage at everyone in the world and are just mean. Usually, they lie or hide their true identity causing me to cancel or delay an order, then get mad that there are rules with placing any order. Some are just never happy or content no matter what you do for them. I reserve the right to ban such people from my life and my business. I can suggest counseling and healing modalities, but until you begin your healing journey, I hold to my right to refuse service. We all have childhood wounding. The choice is to work on it, or to throw it at the world and watch how what goes around then comes around. Abusive people have issues that are not my responsibility, and I will not have that in my life. Therapists call that having healthy boundaries against hateful conduct.
- "Hate is too great a burden to bear." -MLK
The funny, detailed, itsy bitsy, little fine print stuff: Not all garden trials will be successful. Uncontrolled factors such as watering (over and under), wrong pH, too humid, wrong temperature (tomatoes don't germinate below 60F; lettuce won't germinate above 60F), adverse soil conditions, damping off, and unseen little pests can wipe out newly sprouted OR sprouting seeds before they are even seen by the gardener. Untreated, heirloom seeds are commonly intermittent germinators. I cannot tell you how many times I have reused year-old potting soil only to have buried "dead" seeds suddenly resurrect and come to life intermixed into the new sprouts of a different species I just planted in the old soil. Or had healthy plants come home with me and just die from change of environment. Plants die. I want you, the customer, to be happy, and part of that comes from providing high quality goods at low prices. To keep low prices for everyone, I cannot also take responsibility for everybody's gardening skills, or lack thereof. Bad seed would mean nobody can sprout them. If I simply run out of a product that you purchased, you can either get a full item refund, store credit, or substitute another comparable product of your choice. If I mess up an order, it is up to me to pay for fixing it, no problem, my bad, sorry. However, if you simply change your mind about a purchase later due to no action on my part, I do not offer a refund or return option. Give the product away, sell it, save it for later, but be responsible for your personal choices. Basically, NO refunds unless the product is defective or is inaccurately described. If a bitter divorce or massive earthquake wrecks your life (been there, so I get it), ask for help; I will make exceptions on a case by case basis. I am a compassionate human being, but I also need to set clear boundaries and limits upon certain people who take advantage of others or change their minds willy-nilly or are just flaky in general. So write me about your order if a Hurricane Katrina-like monster suddenly wipes out your entire homestead including the mailbox a day after you order seeds. I will work with you. There are a few rare people out there that just don't make good customer material. Product that is damaged or lost by the Post Office will be replaced. Although not my fault, we both rely upon a third party to complete our transaction and it is not your fault either if the PO loses an order. I reship when an order is lost by the third party transporter. Some seed companies will not do this. I feel it is my job to deliver viable seeds to you, but not to pander to sudden personal changes or to guarantee all growing methodologies. To do this for a few would raise prices for everyone. Please communicate any problems! I am also a consumer and believe in fairness and Karma. Please work with me for a win-win solution to any problem. Returns are subject to a 10% restocking fee, which may be waived at my discretion whenever it feels appropriate. You are responsible for entering accurate shipping information. You may be required to pay an additional full shipping fee if you do not enter proper address information and your seeds are returned to me, or have that deducted from any full credit. If you enter a wrong address and your order goes there instead, it is up to you to retrieve it. Be responsible. I will do my best to make you a happy customer who wants to come back.
© All Contents are Copyright 2012-2024, Datura Don, White Buffalo Trading Company. All rights reserved.
White-Buffalo-Trading.com is Shaman Certified as "The Real Deal" by Datura Don.
Accept No Substitutions.
This Website is Gluten-Free & Free of all Artificial Flavors, Fillers, Additives, Negatives, and/or Preservatives.
Mild Psych Warning: Close-minded people who visit this website may experience fits of judgmental negativity and feelings of just not being cool enough!
(Consult your local shaman for help should this problem happen to you.)
Accept No Substitutions.
This Website is Gluten-Free & Free of all Artificial Flavors, Fillers, Additives, Negatives, and/or Preservatives.
Mild Psych Warning: Close-minded people who visit this website may experience fits of judgmental negativity and feelings of just not being cool enough!
(Consult your local shaman for help should this problem happen to you.)