iHERB - Anyone know what their policy is about guaranteeing delivery?

[Kohsamida]

iHerb recently instituted direct delivery to Thailand where duty is prepaid so delivery should be right to your door.  Sounded great and I was preparing a rather large order when it occurred to me that they have no delivery insurance option during checkout, and there is nothing written on their website at all concerning delivery insurance.  I contacted a rep by Chat to inquire and was given VERY evasive answers!  

 

My question:  Does anyone really know what their policy is in regard to packages that do not arrive within the given timeframe.  Do they take any sort of responsibility or not?  The order I want to place is worth over 10,000 baht; I'm not about to risk this amount if iHerb does not insure delivery or take any responsibility for loss.

[Sheryl]

iHerb recently instituted direct delivery to Thailand where duty is prepaid so delivery should be right to your door.  Sounded great and I was preparing a rather large order when it occurred to me that they have no delivery insurance option during checkout, and there is nothing written on their website at all concerning delivery insurance.  I contacted a rep by Chat to inquire and was given VERY evasive answers!  

 

My question:  Does anyone really know what their policy is in regard to packages that do not arrive within the given timeframe.  Do they take any sort of responsibility or not?  The order I want to place is worth over 10,000 baht; I'm not about to risk this amount if iHerb does not insure delivery or take any responsibility for loss.

They might not let you place a single order that large. When I have ordered I found they seem to have a limit on amount for delivery to Thailand, probanly to minimize custom problems and it was low, well under US $100.

 

Bear in mind it is technically illegal to import any sort of pharmaceutical including supplements unless you have an FDA import license. In practice customs usually allows small amounts in if sent ny regular mail but they are unlikely to let a 10k baht shipment through.

 

Sent from my SM-J701F using Thailand Forum - Thaivisa mobile app

 

 

 

[robblok]

I had one delivery that did not come through.. i got it back on my creditcard but they said they would only garantee delivery next time if i used the more expensive method to send (courrier). But i still got the money back. But I am a regular customer. 

[Kohsamida]

Thanks guys.  I was thinking that credit card company would protect me in worst case scenario.  I was planning to split order up to keep each order under 1500 baht since shipping is only around 125 baht for each, but still I suspect Customs will be the real issue.  I've had issues with them several times already and that is automatically a no-win situation.

 

I've ordered the supplements in past from Amazon (USA) and not had issues with Thai Customs.  I can't imagine any of these items listed on attachment causing an issue with Customs, but do you think really think otherwise?

I've searched Lazada but generally their product listing provide little information so it's real sketchy knowing what you'll really end up getting and most of the Chinese-made stuff is very sketchy. 

 

If you know a good source for health supplements within Thailand that carry "trusted" brands with reasonable pricing, please let me know.  Here are most important items from my order, just so you know what I'm looking for.

[Sheryl]

Yes, these will; be an issue since most would be classed as pharmaceutical products. And the MCTbeing liquid is likely to raise all sorts of issues. If they consider it food stuff the tariffs are huge.

 

You can buy pysillium husk (loose, in bags, I think 400 baht for a large bag) at Villa Market and if you live far from any Villa you can order online and they will deliver by courier service (I forget the exact process but I emailed them and they replied with detailed explanation of how to do it as the online forms looked like only for Bangkok. My order arrived promptly).

 

Can also buy psyllium husk (organic, loose) online from Good Karma Health food store located in Phuket  https://healthfoodthailand.com/en/search?controller=search&s=psyllium

 

Both of these are local so no issue re customs

 

Lazada has name brand fish oil and Glucosamine  e.g. Kirkland, Schiff, Nature's Bounty, Mega, Puritan Pride, Blackmore, Vistra. True no details on the Lazada site but just look up the brand on another site like Amazonor iHerb for the specs.

 

MCT oil - Good karma also carries this as does Lazada

https://healthfoodthailand.com/en/search?controller=search&s=MCT+oil

https://www.lazada.co.th/catalog/?spm=a2o4m.home.search.1.1125719cu1pJ6k&q=MCT oil&_keyori=ss&from=search_history&sugg=MCT oil_0_1

 

Also some Collagen Hydrolysate on Lazada though only a few brand names I recognize (Kal-G and Mega) and not sure how comparable. But if you can get the order down to just that then should be fine.

 

 

 

 

[Kohsamida]

3 hours ago, Sheryl said:

Yes, these will; be an issue since most would be classed as pharmaceutical products. And the MCTbeing liquid is likely to raise all sorts of issues. If they consider it food stuff the tariffs are huge.

 

You can buy pysillium husk (loose, in bags, I think 400 baht for a large bag) at Villa Market and if you live far from any Villa you can order online and they will deliver by courier service (I forget the exact process but I emailed them and they replied with detailed explanation of how to do it as the online forms looked like only for Bangkok. My order arrived promptly).

 

Can also buy psyllium husk (organic, loose) online from Good Karma Health food store located in Phuket  https://healthfoodthailand.com/en/search?controller=search&s=psyllium

 

Both of these are local so no issue re customs

 

Lazada has name brand fish oil and Glucosamine  e.g. Kirkland, Schiff, Nature's Bounty, Mega, Puritan Pride, Blackmore, Vistra. True no details on the Lazada site but just look up the brand on another site like Amazonor iHerb for the specs.

 

MCT oil - Good karma also carries this as does Lazada

https://healthfoodthailand.com/en/search?controller=search&s=MCT+oil

https://www.lazada.co.th/catalog/?spm=a2o4m.home.search.1.1125719cu1pJ6k&q=MCT oil&_keyori=ss&from=search_history&sugg=MCT oil_0_1

 

Also some Collagen Hydrolysate on Lazada though only a few brand names I recognize (Kal-G and Mega) and not sure how comparable. But if you can get the order down to just that then should be fine.

 

 

 

 

Amazing!  Thanks so much!

[balo]

I did get a refund once , when my package went missing.  I have ordered at least 25 times with iHerb, and only one package went missing. They told me they would refund my money only one time, if it happens several times they will tell you the problem is inside Thailand and you need to change postal address. 

[eezergood]

7 hours ago, Kohsamida said:

Thanks guys.  I was thinking that credit card company would protect me in worst case scenario.  I was planning to split order up to keep each order under 1500 baht since shipping is only around 125 baht for each, but still I suspect Customs will be the real issue.  I've had issues with them several times already and that is automatically a no-win situation.

 

I've ordered the supplements in past from Amazon (USA) and not had issues with Thai Customs.  I can't imagine any of these items listed on attachment causing an issue with Customs, but do you think really think otherwise?

I've searched Lazada but generally their product listing provide little information so it's real sketchy knowing what you'll really end up getting and most of the Chinese-made stuff is very sketchy. 

 

If you know a good source for health supplements within Thailand that carry "trusted" brands with reasonable pricing, please let me know.  Here are most important items from my order, just so you know what I'm looking for.

As a side note you can find many of these for almost the same price in Thailand - collagen, psyllium husk (mush cheaper) & MCT oil easily available 

[balo]

48 minutes ago, eezergood said:

As a side note you can find many of these for almost the same price in Thailand - collagen, psyllium husk (mush cheaper) & MCT oil easily available

It depends , some of the products are more expensive here and not everyone trust the quality of what is locally produced, 

[Kohsamida]

1 hour ago, balo said:

I did get a refund once , when my package went missing.  I have ordered at least 25 times with iHerb, and only one package went missing. They told me they would refund my money only one time, if it happens several times they will tell you the problem is inside Thailand and you need to change postal address. 

Thanks for letting me know their policy.  I'm on the fence whether to order from them or not.  I don't like how evasive they are at answering whether or not they will guarantee delivery. 

 

They assure me that ALL products that are accepted into my shopping cart will be acceptable to Thai Customs but based on what Sheryl said in her post, I think they are being less than honest, and if they tell you that a change of address is necessary, then I think that's to circumvent Customs, which probably means a good deal of their shipments get confiscated by Customs.  If thats the case, I think iHerb is pretty sleazy not to admit that straight up.

 

Still though, I guess I could order with my credit card and if I don't get delivery, my credit card company will handle refund.

 

Just getting a little peeved how ridiculous Thai Customs makes such a simple thing as ordering vitamins!  Grrrrrr!!!!!!

 

[Kohsamida]

1 minute ago, balo said:

It depends , some of the products are more expensive here and not everyone trust the quality of what is locally produced, 

Yep, Lazada seems like a super rip-off for almost all supplements that are a recognizable brand, and the unrecognizable Chinese brands could contain God-knows-what!  Never imagined such a simple thing as ordering health supplements could be such a pain in the *ss!

[balo]

6 minutes ago, Kohsamida said:

I guess I could order with my credit card and if I don't get delivery, my credit card company will handle refund.

Yes but IHerb would probably blacklist you next time. They hate losing money, that's for sure. 

[Kohsamida]

4 minutes ago, balo said:

Yes but IHerb would probably blacklist you next time. They hate losing money, that's for sure. 

TO be honest, I am beginning to feel they are not the most trustworthy place to buy health supplements.  As far as I'm concerned their customer service leaves a lot to be desired.  I just found another thread here on ThaiVisa with people saying all sorts of nasty things about lost and confiscated shipments and iHerb's unwillingness to do anything for the customer.  The fact that they do not offer any sort of delivery insurance is a red flag for sure!  Also, even though they seem to try and hide the fact, they are US based.  

[Kohsamida]

On 6/27/2019 at 8:21 AM, robblok said:

I had one delivery that did not come through.. i got it back on my creditcard but they said they would only garantee delivery next time if i used the more expensive method to send (courrier). But i still got the money back. But I am a regular customer. 

@robblok  Considering you are a "regular" user of iHerb, I'm wondering if you see any item on my proposed order that might get flagged by Thai Customs. 

 

Sheryl seems to think I'll have a problem (and I respect her judgement on most things here on ThaiVisa) but I know that MCT Oil, for instance, is sold in many Thai brick & mortar stores and gyms, and many of the other items on my list appear to be sold here in Thailand as well.  I just don't recognize or trust the brands I see in Thailand so would prefer to order brands I know are high-quality from iHerb. 

 

The reason I'm being so careful about this is that if only one item is flagged by Customs, their policy is to confiscate the entire shipment (and won't even send it back to shipper!  I had that happen once on a 10,000 baht shipment because only one 300 baht item was flagged!

 

What do you think??

[Sheryl]

What wikl cause them to fkag it is thw sheer quantuty/vslue
..but as I said before in my experoence Iherb will refuse to ship large value orders to Thailand anyway.

Also as I explained before it is illegal to import ANY pharmaceutical including supplements without a license from the FDA. Has nothing at all to do with it being contraband in Thailand. Could be paracetemol or Vitamin C. Same difference. In practice SMALL shipments sent by regular mail usually get through. IHerb is well aware of this and limits size/dollar value of individual shipments accordingly.

If you want to order these one by one (or at least in shipments valued say nor much more than $50) they'll probably arrive OK.

Plenty of international brands on Lazada.

And Good Karma's MCT and psyllium is very good quality.

Sent from my SM-J701F using Thailand Forum - Thaivisa mobile app

[Kohsamida]

14 minutes ago, Sheryl said:

What wikl cause them to fkag it is thw sheer quantuty/vslue
..but as I said before in my experoence Iherb will refuse to ship large value orders to Thailand anyway.

Also as I explained before it is illegal to import ANY pharmaceutical including supplements without a license from the FDA. Has nothing at all to do with it being contraband in Thailand. Could be paracetemol or Vitamin C. Same difference. In practice SMALL shipments sent by regular mail usually get through. IHerb is well aware of this and limits size/dollar value of individual shipments accordingly.

If you want to order these one by one (or at least in shipments valued say nor much more than $50) they'll probably arrive OK.

Plenty of international brands on Lazada.

And Good Karma's MCT and psyllium is very good quality.

Sent from my SM-J701F using Thailand Forum - Thaivisa mobile app
 

I was actually looking at Good Karma MCT Oil but not sure if it has the same amount of MCT's as other brands I've used.  I mean, isn't there a difference between 100% Coconut Oil (which is how Good Karma is labelled) and a product that is 100% MCT Oil?  Maybe I'm confused on that point.

 

Also, I do in fact plan to split up order if I go with iHerb.  Do you think I'd be OK with the Collagen Hydrosalate, Glucosamine/Chondroitin/, and Now high potency EPA/FHA fish oil?  Those three items I can not find a good-quality alternative in Thailand.

[Sheryl]

It will depend on quantity and total cost.

As I have said repeatedly iHerb has a built in limit for shipments to Thailand. If you order too much you'll get a message saying cannot ship above x dollars to Thailand.

Sent from my SM-J701F using Thailand Forum - Thaivisa mobile app

[Kohsamida]

On 6/27/2019 at 11:43 AM, Sheryl said:

Yes, these will; be an issue since most would be classed as pharmaceutical products. And the MCTbeing liquid is likely to raise all sorts of issues. If they consider it food stuff the tariffs are huge.

 

You can buy pysillium husk (loose, in bags, I think 400 baht for a large bag) at Villa Market and if you live far from any Villa you can order online and they will deliver by courier service (I forget the exact process but I emailed them and they replied with detailed explanation of how to do it as the online forms looked like only for Bangkok. My order arrived promptly).

 

Can also buy psyllium husk (organic, loose) online from Good Karma Health food store located in Phuket  https://healthfoodthailand.com/en/search?controller=search&s=psyllium

 

Both of these are local so no issue re customs

 

Lazada has name brand fish oil and Glucosamine  e.g. Kirkland, Schiff, Nature's Bounty, Mega, Puritan Pride, Blackmore, Vistra. True no details on the Lazada site but just look up the brand on another site like Amazonor iHerb for the specs.

 

MCT oil - Good karma also carries this as does Lazada

https://healthfoodthailand.com/en/search?controller=search&s=MCT+oil

https://www.lazada.co.th/catalog/?spm=a2o4m.home.search.1.1125719cu1pJ6k&q=MCT oil&_keyori=ss&from=search_history&sugg=MCT oil_0_1

 

Also some Collagen Hydrolysate on Lazada though only a few brand names I recognize (Kal-G and Mega) and not sure how comparable. But if you can get the order down to just that then should be fine.

Thanks for the heads-up on Good Karma.  In addition to coconut oil, they also make a refined 100% C8 MCT oil, which is actually better than the US brand I've bought in the past..  I'll buy the psyllium locally, and then just order the vitamins supplements from iHerb with multiple orders so each order (including shipping)  to under 1500 baht.  Shipping is only 100 baht per order so that's cheap enough, and that should keep it from Customs causing me problems (hopefully).  Thanks again.

 

[robblok]

20 hours ago, Kohsamida said:

@robblok  Considering you are a "regular" user of iHerb, I'm wondering if you see any item on my proposed order that might get flagged by Thai Customs. 

 

Sheryl seems to think I'll have a problem (and I respect her judgement on most things here on ThaiVisa) but I know that MCT Oil, for instance, is sold in many Thai brick & mortar stores and gyms, and many of the other items on my list appear to be sold here in Thailand as well.  I just don't recognize or trust the brands I see in Thailand so would prefer to order brands I know are high-quality from iHerb. 

 

The reason I'm being so careful about this is that if only one item is flagged by Customs, their policy is to confiscate the entire shipment (and won't even send it back to shipper!  I had that happen once on a 10,000 baht shipment because only one 300 baht item was flagged!

 

What do you think??

I think you will be fine if you cut it up in 50-60$ shipments but not a big one they wont even allow it. I buy my MCT oil from Thailand the site that Sheryl mentioned. 

 

I don't know exactly what they will or will not allow. I also use the Pysllim from good karma. 

[robblok]

15 hours ago, Kohsamida said:

Thanks for the heads-up on Good Karma.  In addition to coconut oil, they also make a refined 100% C8 MCT oil, which is actually better than the US brand I've bought in the past..  I'll buy the psyllium locally, and then just order the vitamins supplements from iHerb with multiple orders so each order (including shipping)  to under 1500 baht.  Shipping is only 100 baht per order so that's cheap enough, and that should keep it from Customs causing me problems (hopefully).  Thanks again.

 

Yes I use the 100% MCT oil and the Psyllium husk from good karma (and other stuff like raw cacao). Not sure how good all these things are but they seem good. I still use I herb a lot and only ever lost one package.

 

Like the other poster mentioned they don't like to refund. They did refund me but I am a regular. I can understand that they only refund for the more expensive way of shipping. Why should a shop bare all the risk ? But i think if you use the more expensive way to ship its a courier and that has its own problems.

[bkkbudddy]

Greetings, 

I also had shipping problem with iHerb and after 6 weeks, customer service agent told me that  one time refund will be initiated!  What happens next time, I don't receive the shipment? 

 

[Kohsamida]

4 hours ago, robblok said:

Yes I use the 100% MCT oil and the Psyllium husk from good karma (and other stuff like raw cacao). Not sure how good all these things are but they seem good. I still use I herb a lot and only ever lost one package.

 

Like the other poster mentioned they don't like to refund. They did refund me but I am a regular. I can understand that they only refund for the more expensive way of shipping. Why should a shop bare all the risk ? But i think if you use the more expensive way to ship its a courier and that has its own problems.

eHerb rep told me that all of their products are pre-screened to be sure they will not be flagged by Thai Customs.  According to them, If you put such a product in your shopping basket, their system will inform you that it can not be shipped to Thailand.  Do you believe this is true?

 

As I said, my experience with Thai Customs is that if even one item in a shipment is banned, the entire shipment will be confiscated.  I had that happen last year and it was pretty costly to me.  I don't want to have it happen again.

 

I know for a fact that iherb had some serious issues in the past with Thai Customs, but (again, according to this rep), they were able to negotiate a settlement with Thai Customs and now use a new shipper, SFExpress which you pre-pay Thai Customs Duty, and they have a good working relationship with Thai Customs.  Not so sure how honest they are being about this but it sounds positive.

[Kohsamida]

4 hours ago, robblok said:

Yes I use the 100% MCT oil and the Psyllium husk from good karma (and other stuff like raw cacao). Not sure how good all these things are but they seem good. I still use I herb a lot and only ever lost one package. ...

I am impressed by Good Karma.  Most MCT oils sold in the States are not 100% C8 MCT oil.  In fact many of the popular brands in the USA are pretty sneaky and refer to their MCT oil as 100% MCT coconut oil, which really means it is just plain coconut oil, not refined MCT.  So, Good Karma brand is actually quite impressive in that it's not only refined MCT oil, but the 100% C8 type, which is the most active form.  Nice to find a brand sold in Thailand that is actually better than brands sold in USA!  Strange, but this brand (Healtholicious) is from Germany, and not even available in the States...go figure???

[robblok]

13 minutes ago, Kohsamida said:

eHerb rep told me that all of their products are pre-screened to be sure they will not be flagged by Thai Customs.  According to them, If you put such a product in your shopping basket, their system will inform you that it can not be shipped to Thailand.  Do you believe this is true?

 

As I said, my experience with Thai Customs is that if even one item in a shipment is banned, the entire shipment will be confiscated.  I had that happen last year and it was pretty costly to me.  I don't want to have it happen again.

 

I know for a fact that iherb had some serious issues in the past with Thai Customs, but (again, according to this rep), they were able to negotiate a settlement with Thai Customs and now use a new shipper, SFExpress which you pre-pay Thai Customs Duty, and they have a good working relationship with Thai Customs.  Not so sure how honest they are being about this but it sounds positive.

The I herb rep might be right but what are you going to do when Thai customs has a bad day. I have had them tell me (their system) that i could not have certain stuff because i was in Thailand.

 

Just do multiple orders of relatively small amounts and you will be golden. 

[robblok]

9 minutes ago, Kohsamida said:

I am impressed by Good Karma.  Most MCT oils sold in the States are not 100% C8 MCT oil.  In fact many of the popular brands in the USA are pretty sneaky and refer to their MCT oil as 100% MCT coconut oil, which really means it is just plain coconut oil, not refined MCT.  So, Good Karma brand is actually quite impressive in that it's not only refined MCT oil, but the 100% C8 type, which is the most active form.  Nice to find a brand sold in Thailand that is actually better than brands sold in USA!  Strange, but this brand (Healtholicious) is from Germany, and not even available in the States...go figure???

I don't know how good it is I use it and if it has benefits I will have to guess. Just like protein powders and most supplements.. you never know. But i still use it. I take some with my musli (to add healthy fats) and protein powder and yoghurt and berries. 

[CGW]

On 6/27/2019 at 8:21 AM, robblok said:

I had one delivery that did not come through.. i got it back on my creditcard but they said they would only garantee delivery next time if i used the more expensive method to send (courrier). But i still got the money back. But I am a regular customer. 

Had a very similar experience, got the money back, then two weeks later the parcel showed up. I informed them off this and they said that they were happy for me to accept goods as a gift from iherb, cost about USD 98, I will have no issues continuing ordering from them in the future, good company, refunds not an issue.

[Kohsamida]

16 minutes ago, robblok said:

The I herb rep might be right but what are you going to do when Thai customs has a bad day. I have had them tell me (their system) that i could not have certain stuff because i was in Thailand.

 

Just do multiple orders of relatively small amounts and you will be golden. 

Yes, exactly my plan.  I like the fact that iHerb now has this "direct" shipping where duty (if payable) is prepaid so you don't have to waste time making a trip to the special post office that handles customs.  Since SFExpress shipping is so cheap, multiple orders of only 1500 baht to avoid Duty are feasible.

 

Thanks everyone for making me feel a little more trusting in iHerb BTW ????

 

[moe666]

On 6/27/2019 at 8:21 AM, robblok said:

I had one delivery that did not come through.. i got it back on my creditcard but they said they would only garantee delivery next time if i used the more expensive method to send (courrier). But i still got the money back. But I am a regular customer. 

My last order took over 8 weeks which is the only kind of gurantee they give, it finally arrived after being shuttled around Germany for a few days and then back to Frankfurt. I was told by Iherb that my order had arrived in Thailand went to post office where is this order. Sorry your order has not arrived. Ok another phone call to the states actually talked to someone who made an effort to listen and do something. A week later my order arrived with a hole in the box and the most expensive item missing. The Thai post office had placd the order in a plastic bag. My order was pilfered in Germany or the US. I have not ordered any thing in awhile but will need to soon. This snafu happened after years of good service delivery within 3 weeks max. and robblok I consider myself a good customer but guess what I do not think they care what you think

[moe666]

21 minutes ago, robblok said:

The I herb rep might be right but what are you going to do when Thai customs has a bad day. I have had them tell me (their system) that i could not have certain stuff because i was in Thailand.

 

Just do multiple orders of relatively small amounts and you will be golden. 

They use to use DHL which talking to lots of people has been a nightmare in Thailand, they are the same people who shuttled my package around Germany a few days

[Kohsamida]

40 minutes ago, robblok said:

I don't know how good it is I use it and if it has benefits I will have to guess. Just like protein powders and most supplements.. you never know. But i still use it. I take some with my musli (to add healthy fats) and protein powder and yoghurt and berries. 

Well, it depends on why you are using it I guess.  Regular coconut oil can be healthy for many reasons but the big draw of refined C8 MCT is that it does not contain any Lauric acid (C12) which makes up about 50% of regular coconut oil.

 

Even though lauric acid is a medium chain triglyceride, it is, in essence, a pseudo MCT because it responds in the body as a long chain triglyceride.  Since C8 MCTs easily enter your cells without being broken down, they can be used as an immediate source of energy, compared to C12 found in regular coconut oil.

 

C8 MCTs can also be converted into ketones in the liver.  These ketones can pass through your blood-brain barrier, making them an efficient source of energy for your brain cells.  For those on a keto-style diet, that's particularly important.