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Buyer Beware
         When Sex Toys Shops Are Inaccurate About Safety

When we started Holistic Wisdom, Inc. it was primarily an informational web site with very few products offered. My goal as the founder and as a mental health therapist was to provide a free educational resource as I feel strongly that the world is a better place when we empower one another. As we began to grow and the demand for more products became clear, we carefully selected items we felt are not only of highest quality but are also healthy for our customers.

Lisa S. Lawless, Ph.D., C.E.O. Holistic Wisdom Founder

What We Provide On This Web Site

I am proud to say that at this time there is no other sex toy shop that provides the level of information that we do about sexual health and that sells only non-toxic, high quality sexual products. With our sex toy articles outlining what makes a safe sex toy, we have warned you that there are toxic sex toys out there and is why we have provided information on sex toy materials.

Why We Work With Our Competition

We at Holistic Wisdom are a very collaborative company with our competition, especially through our organization the National Association For Sexual Awareness & Empowerment (NASAE.org). We feel that by working with our competition, we can make positive change for all.

NASAE (Na-Say) is an association that supports those in the field of sexuality as well as the sexual rights of the general public. We provide education, resources and support. We are united for sexual freedoms and allow our visitors the opportunity to become more aware & empowered.

What Some Sex Toy Shops Are Doing Wrong

Recently, we were shocked to find out that some main stream sex toy shops are making attempts to appear to educate consumers on toxins in sex toys, when in reality, they are providing false information. We are reporting this to you to provide a warning as we fear that you may be purchasing items you think are safe but are not. You may also be missing out on some great products that are safe and have been rumored to be toxic using erroneous information.

What we found some of the sex toy shops doing were showing a "toxicity scale" measuring the safety of their sex toys from one to ten, the latter being the safest level. These scales claim to be measuring several factors including how porous and sterile it is as well as what the main material is in the sex toy.

The problem with the scales is that you should not measure whether a sex toy is a little safe or very safe... we feel that either a product may cause harm or it will not. This gimmicky scale method seems a rather poor way to inform customers what is safe and what isn't because it is confusing to determine what is actually safe. Say you want to buy a sex toy that is ranked a seven, what does that mean exactly? Does it mean it is safe or not? We say that if you sell sex toys, they should ALL be safe... why would you sell sex toys that are possibly unsafe?

The other issue, which is of greater concern, is that some sex toy shops are just flat out giving consumers the wrong information. For example, one web site falsely claims that the Rabbit Habit made by Vibratex is made from Jelly and then proceeds to give it a low safety rating. However, in reality, the Rabbit Habit is made from food grade vinyl which is nontoxic The information this other web site provides is not only wrong, but hurts the reputation of Vibratex which is an outstanding sex toy manufacturer.

We continued to find all kinds of mistakes from web sites saying something was 100% silicone when it was a blended silicone to finding sex toys that were said to be safe because they were made with Pyrex Glass but were spray painted glass with paint that contained toxic chemicals.

As the list of errors we found on other web sites grew, we felt a strong need to warn you that not all educational web sites on toxic sex toys should be trusted no matter how clever their gimmicks are at getting you to think they know what they are talking about.

What You Should Look For In A Sex Toy Shop

It is challenging for us to tell you just one sure thing to look for when evaluating the quality of information on a web site as there are so many things that can vary, but here are some general guidelines-

Clear Communication

A web site should be clear about the information it provides. It should make it easy for you to find out the following about a product-

Business Reputation

Make sure you are doing business with a reputable company with a knowledgeable sales staff. You should have no problem asking tough questions and getting accurate answers.

Things to be careful of-

• Beware of sales people who are more interested in making a sale than providing something that works with your needs and budget.

• Look out for the sales representative that tries to tell you that the only way to get a discount is to purchase something right now. If they really respect your business, they will offer it to you when you are ready to make your purchase.

• Avoid offers that sound too good to be true. Often times there is a catch to that incredible offer they are making you. Remember, all businesses must make a profit to survive and when they start luring you in with offers that seem exaggerated (beyond typical offers such as low price guarantees, free shipping, free sample products, reduced prices) and everything seems too peachy keen... it probably is.

• Beware of wholesale web sites for the general public. There are some companies that sell wholesale to non-business owners. This is forbidden by the manufacturers that supply the products they sell and they are at risk of not being able to carry such products once the manufacturer discovers this violation. These extremely low priced products may be stolen or refurbished (used sex toys). We suggest you use extreme caution when purchasing products that are well below the manufacturers suggested retail price (MSRP).

• Beware of sites that claim the best customer reviews but don't allow YOU to submit a review. A good web site will provide you with a way to submit your review and listen to your concerns.

• Look for sites that not only give you good customer reviews but negative sex toy reviews as well.

• Make sure you are working with a company that will not sell your personal information and that uses safe credit card processing.

• Sex toy shops should offer you a no hassle replacement of a defective product.

• Beware of sex toys shops that allow you to return a used sex toy when it is not defective. Believe it or not there are sex toy companies that will resell that product. Despite health risks and how absolutely unethical it is, it is a very real possibility.

• Look for a sex shop to have special security tape or stickers that seal their products. This type of sticker or tape will show if an item has been opened.

• Cheaper toys are made with lower quality parts and mechanical difficulties often occur. Your sex toy could last for a very short time period as compared to the higher end sex toys that are made with stronger, more durable parts. Even if you have a tight budget, there are still many great sex toys and romantic gifts from reputable companies to choose from.

• Sex toys that are put in porous parts of your body should be made of nontoxic materials to prevent possible health risks.

• Investing in separator bags or storage bags that have antibacterial qualities and allow you to keep the products you have purchased separate from one another prevent the toys from having chemical reactions with one another. Even nontoxic products can cause harm to one another if they touch. Some people are often shocked when they put two sex toys in storage together only to find they have melted together when they go to pull them out.

In Closing

No matter what you decide to purchase or from whom, we wish you the very best and hope that this information has allowed you to be an empowered consumer.