Buying Phenylpiracetam After the Amazon Ban: The Ultimate Guide

Racetams, including phenylpiracetam, are banned on Amazon.

Nootropics remain legal in the US, but operate in a grey area. The regulatory environment is becoming more stringent. Among nootropics, Phenibut and Tianeptine have the highest likelihood of being banned in the US in the future. This is due to their higher than average abuse potential. Phenibut behaves like a benzodiazepine (e.g. Xanax). Tianeptine is an opioid with some addictive potential.

Many nootropics have subtle effects, but is not one of them. It is one of the most potent racetams, on a milligram-for-milligram basis. Phenylpiracetam feels like a psychostimulant. It's not technically a psychostimulant like Adderall. But it does share the same backbone as phenylethylamine (PEA), which is an endogenous stimulant.

Sourcing obscure nootropics was challenging a decade ago, but is quite easy now.

There are many reliable nootropics vendors to choose from. The most well-regarded are (in no particular order):

• BlueBrainBoost
• Nootropics Depot
• Ceretropic
• PowderCity¹
• LiftMode / NewMind
• New Star Nootropics

BlueBrainBoost

Price: $21.95/5g

Container type: jar

Quality control: third-party laboratory analysis by Colmaric Analyticals

Perks: free shipping over $20

Comments: rock-solid customer service; fantastic packaging. Phenylpiracetam is available from BlueBrainBoost here

Nootropics Depot Phenylpiracetam

Price: $10.99 / 2.5g

Container type: jar

Quality control: in-house (e.g. HPLC machine)

Perks: free shipping over $50

Comments: Originally owned by hard rihino, the supplement wholesale company. Nootropics Depot is now owned by Ceretropic. Nootropics Depot represents a good compromise between quality and value. After Nootropics Depot’s was acquired by Ceretropic, the brand was overhauled. The new packaging looks pretty nice.

Ceretropic Phenylpiracetam

Price: $11.99 / 2.5g

Container: jar

Quality control: in-house laboratory testing

Perks: premium brand

Comments: Ceretropic has successfully positioned itself as a premium nootropics brand by offering innovative products. Consequently, many of their products are pricey.  In 2015, Ceretropic has had issues with payment processing. They are currently accepting bitcoin and use an off-shore, Chinese payment processor for credit card processing. Ceretropic customers seem loyal and satisfied. Ceretropic acquired Nootropics Depot in 2015.

PowderCity Phenylpiracetam

Price: $16.99 / 5g

Container: foil bag (scoops included)

Quality control: third-party laboratory analysis by Colmaric Analyticals

Perks: free domestic shipping over $20, frequent sales and discount codes

Comments: I like PowderCity. They’ve got a great value proposition, offering some of the lowest prices in the nootropics space. They also evaluate their products using independent laboratory testing, and have the widest selection of any nootropics vendor. Some people don’t like PowderCity because of their aggressive, sometimes spammy, marketing tactics. Phenylpiracetam is available from PowderCity here.¹

LiftMode Phenylpiracetam

Price: $6.88/1g

Container: jar

Quality control: mixed; some products are independently tested, but for others no documentation is posted

Perks: free domestic shipping

Comments: Based on their Reddit comments, the owners of LiftMode seem like good people. It is difficult to evaluate their quality control practices because certificates of analysis are not posted for all of their products. I think that LiftMode has the most aesthetically pleasing packaging of all the nootropics brands. However, their phenylpiracetam is pricy compared with competitors.

NewStarNootropics Phenylpiracetam

Price: $12.95 / 2.5g

Container: amber vial

Quality control: independent laboratory testing by Colmaric Analyticals

Perks: Free shipping over $25

Comments: Some people really like NewStarNootropics’ amber packaging. NSN has a loyal following. But their brand declined in popularity since they were penalized by Google, and no longer show up in the Google search engine results page. Their phenylpiracetam is priced a little steep, compared to Nootropics Depot and PowderCity.