🔍 Buyer & Visitor Guide

Find suppliers and get quotes — fast

Everything you need to know about browsing the Cannbus.org directory, contacting businesses, and sending multi-vendor requests for quote.

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Browsing the Business Directory

The Cannbus.org directory lists licensed cannabis businesses across the United States. You do not need an account to browse or contact a business.

Using search & filters

The directory page gives you 14 ways to narrow your search so you find exactly the right supplier or partner.

1
Keyword search

Type any word or phrase in the search box — business name, product type, licence number. Results update automatically.

2
Category & business type

Filter by category (e.g. Dispensary, Cultivator, Distributor) and business type using the checkboxes in the left filter panel.

3
Location

Select a State to narrow to that state. Once a state is selected, the County dropdown populates automatically. You can also filter by City or ZIP code.

4
Licence filters

Filter by licence status (Active / Expired), licence type, issue date range, and expiry date range — useful for compliance research.

5
Sort results

Use the Sort toolbar above the listing grid to sort by name, state, city, county, category, licence date, or newest listings first. You can apply multiple sort levels.

💡 TipYour filters are preserved in the URL — copy and share the URL to send a filtered view to a colleague.
✉️

Contacting a Single Business

Every published listing has an inline inquiry form. This is the fastest way to reach one specific business with a personalised message.

How to submit an inquiry

1
Open a business listing

Click on any business card in the directory. The listing page opens and shows the "Contact this business" form below the business description.

2
Fill in the form

Required fields are marked with an asterisk (*). Fields vary by business — some have custom questions. All forms ask for your name, email, and message at minimum.

3
Submit

Click the Send button. A security check runs in the background (invisible reCAPTCHA). If it passes, your inquiry is sent immediately.

4
See the confirmation

A success message appears on the page. The business is notified by email, dashboard bell, and (if opted in) SMS. You will receive an email when they reply.

What information the form collects

FieldRequired?Who sees it
NameRequiredThe business owner and their team
Email addressRequiredStored encrypted — visible to business only via dashboard (masked display)
PhoneOptionalBusiness team only, stored encrypted
Company nameOptionalBusiness team only
MessageRequiredBusiness team only
UTM tracking parametersAuto-capturedBusiness owner analytics only — never shown publicly
ℹ️ Email & phone privacyYour email and phone are stored in encrypted form in the database. Only the business's team can view them through the secure dashboard — they are never sold, rented, or displayed publicly.

What happens after you submit

Submission triggers an automatic sequence on the business side:

  • The business owner receives an email notification within 60 seconds.
  • A bell badge appears in their dashboard.
  • If they have opted into SMS, they receive a text message alert.
  • Your inquiry appears in their Leads inbox with status New.

You will receive a reply directly to the email address you provided when the business responds. Response times vary — most businesses aim to reply within 24–48 hours.

📋

Multi-Vendor Request for Quote (RFQ)

An RFQ lets you send one inquiry to up to 10 businesses simultaneously. Each vendor receives your message independently and responds to you directly. It is the fastest way to gather competing quotes.

When to use an RFQ instead of a single inquiry

Use single inquiry when…Use RFQ when…
You have one specific supplier in mindYou want to compare pricing from multiple vendors
Your message is highly personalisedYour requirements are the same for all vendors
You are following up an existing conversationYou have not worked with any of the vendors before

How to send an RFQ — step by step

1
Browse the directory and tick checkboxes

On the directory page, you will see a checkbox on each business card. Tick the businesses you want to include. A floating panel appears at the bottom of the screen showing how many you have selected.

2
Click "Send inquiry to N vendors"

The blue button in the floating panel opens the RFQ modal. It shows the names of all selected businesses as chips at the top.

3
Fill in your details and message

Name, email, and message are required. Include as much detail as you can — quantity needed, delivery location, compliance requirements. The same message goes to all selected vendors.

4
Submit

The form closes and shows a confirmation screen listing all vendors who received your inquiry. If any vendor was temporarily at capacity, they are noted as unavailable (your inquiry was not lost — they just were not included in this send).

5
Receive a confirmation email

You receive an email listing every business that received your inquiry. Replies arrive individually — each vendor's reply comes as a separate email.

⚠️ Maximum 10 vendors per RFQYou can select up to 10 businesses in a single RFQ. Once 10 are selected, additional checkboxes are disabled. To contact more businesses, send a second RFQ.

Vendor privacy — what each vendor sees

To encourage vendors to respond quickly and competitively, Cannbus.org applies strict privacy rules to RFQs:

  • Each vendor sees only their own inquiry — they never see the names of other vendors you contacted.
  • Vendors are told a count ("this inquiry was also sent to 2 other vendors") so they know to respond promptly, but they do not know who the others are.
  • The vendor list is never accessible via any public or vendor-facing page.
💡 Why this helps youVendors who know others were contacted respond faster and often with better pricing. You benefit from competitive urgency without revealing your full vendor strategy.

When a vendor replies to your RFQ

When any vendor responds:

  • You receive an email with their message and their contact details (email, phone, location).
  • The email shows you the vendor's name and business details so you can follow up directly.
  • Other vendors who have not replied yet do not know that a competitor has replied.

You can then continue the conversation offline via email or phone — no need to stay within the platform.

After You Submit

Here is what to expect after sending a single inquiry or an RFQ.

Confirmation emails explained

Email typeWhen you receive itWhat it contains
RFQ ConfirmationImmediately after submitting an RFQList of all vendors who received your inquiry; any excluded vendors noted
Vendor ReplyWhen any vendor respondsThe vendor's reply message, their name, email, phone, and location

For single-business inquiries, you do not receive a separate confirmation email — the success message on the page is your confirmation. You receive a reply email when the vendor responds.

What if no one responds?

If you do not hear back within 48 hours:

  1. Check your spam/junk folder — filter rules sometimes intercept Cannbus.org reply notifications.
  2. Try contacting the business directly using the contact details on their listing page.
  3. Consider sending an RFQ to additional vendors — casting a wider net increases your response rate.
Note about excluded vendorsIf a vendor was at their monthly inquiry capacity, they were excluded from your RFQ. Your confirmation email will note this. You can contact excluded vendors directly via their listing page.
🔒

Privacy & Your Data

Cannbus.org takes privacy seriously, especially given the sensitive nature of the cannabis industry.

What is stored and how

DataStorageWho can access it
Your namePlain textThe business you contacted only
Email addressEncrypted at restBusiness team only (via secure dashboard)
Phone numberEncrypted at restBusiness team only
Your messagePlain textBusiness team only
IP addressStored for 90 days (fraud prevention)Cannbus.org operations team only
UTM / source trackingPlain textBusiness owner analytics only

How email is shown in vendor dashboards

Your email address is never displayed in full in the lead inbox list view. Vendors see a masked version (for example j***@example.com) when browsing their inbox. The full address is only revealed when they open a specific lead to respond to it.

Spam & bot protection

Cannbus.org uses multiple layers of protection to ensure only genuine inquiries reach businesses:

  • reCAPTCHA v3 — an invisible Google security check that scores each submission automatically.
  • Honeypot field — a hidden form field that bots fill in but humans leave blank.
  • IP rate limiting — limits the number of submissions from a single IP address per day.
  • Duplicate detection — if the same email address contacts the same business within 24 hours, the duplicate is filtered silently.

If your legitimate submission was filtered, it may be because your email address was recently used to contact the same business. Wait 24 hours and try again, or contact the business directly via their listed phone number.

Frequently asked questions

Do I need an account to contact a business? +
No. You can submit an inquiry or an RFQ as an anonymous visitor — no account required. You only need an account if you want to list your own business.
Is my information shared with advertisers or third parties? +
No. Cannbus.org does not sell or rent your information. Your data is only shared with the specific business(es) you choose to contact.
Why is the checkbox disabled after I select 10 businesses? +
Each RFQ is capped at 10 vendors to keep inquiries manageable for both sides. To contact more businesses, send a second RFQ. There is no limit on how many RFQs you can submit.
Will the vendors see each other's names? +
No. Vendor names are never revealed to other vendors. Each vendor sees only their own inquiry and a count of how many others were contacted (never names).
What if I submitted the wrong message? +
Submissions cannot be recalled once sent. Contact the business directly (using the email or phone on their listing) to clarify or correct your message.