What is really wrong with buying supplements from Amazon? Why is it being discouraged? Sometimes a patient will say “Oh, I just bought it on Amazon or eBay.” Then I have a moment where I cringe.
Yikes! Don’t buy your supplements from third-party sellers on those sites. It’s not safe. Sure Amazon and eBay are fine for clothing, office supplies or other such items, but NOT for supplements. I get it, things are cheaper on these sites but don’t play around with your safety.
“Little do they know that these “bargain” vitamins and capsules are worthless at best, and at worst may cost them and their children their health, and possibly their lives.” (Gary Collins, special agent and forensic investigator for the U.S. Food and Drug Administration/FDA).
Here is what Gary shares from his experience working in the FDA.
There are three main ways that supplements end up on the market at unbelievably cheap prices:
- They are counterfeit and probably dangerous.
- Could be useless expired products that have been repackaged as new.
- They are stolen products released on the black market without any quality control.
Counterfeit
Can you believe people actually make a fake pill and copy the bottle brand and sell it? Yep. They do. You can bet, if the supplement is popular in the US then a counterfeit is being produced, usually in China or India.
Here’s a link if you want to read more on this. https://www.yahoo.com/finance/news/amazon-counterfeits-put-mans-business-140007731.html
That’s why it’s so important to buy directly from the manufacturer or your practitioner.
Expired Products
I’m sorry to say that some distributors buy too much product and then dump it cheaply as it’s about to expire or already expired. This happens with USANA products as well. Actually, USANA does not permit its products to be sold on Amazon, but some people still do it.
I’ve seen this done with Health Concerns brand of Chinese Herbal Formulas as well. I had a patient buy some HC herbs and they weren’t properly sealed and the color of the pill was different than then ones she got from me.
Stolen Products
Pretty straight forward here. Either someone steals products from a warehouse or employees steal products directly. Well, you might logically think that those products, even though stolen, are legit. Not really, those stolen products get mixed in with the counterfeit and expired products so it’s a crapshoot as to which you would end up with.
If you’ve known me for any amount of time, you know the only supplement I suggest is USANA. They are the #1 rated supplement in the US by the Comparative Guide to Nutritional Supplements. It’s an independent guide based on science. So I trust the guide. They are the only supplements I’ve ever taken and actually feel the difference.
If you have any questions about supplements or would like me to look up your brand, I’m happy to help. You can also read more about USANA’s supplement rating, in this link to more in-depth info.
If you need help with any of this, I’m here to support and guide you. Have a great week. Donna
