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  #1   ^
Old Tue, Apr-06-10, 07:42
deb34 deb34 is offline
Senior Member
Posts: 1,902
 
Plan: IF/Keto OMAD
Stats: 236.9/214.1/199 Female 66 inches
BF:Why yes/it/is !!!
Progress: 60%
Default Any canucks order from Iherb?

if so, were there any problems at customs? How are the shipping charges and how is the real life shipping time?

I'm considering ordering some supplements but not sure I want to go through the hassle of scanning and emailing bank info....that makes me nervous.

Quote:
Credit card verification for first-time customers:
For your protection and ours, it is important to make sure credit cards are being used by their proper owners. So, it is possible that customers ordering for the first time from iHerb.com may need to fax or email us information. If that is necessary, we will let you know by email. If so, we may need you to fax (001.626.338.1326) or email ( info~iHerb.com ) a copy of the front page of your monthly credit card statement or bill. (This is the document that shows your charges for that month.) Another option is to send us a copy of the front and back of the credit card along with a utility bill (water, electricity, or gas) that shows your mailing address. Your privacy is assured. Please understand that we respect your privacy and have no interest in your personal spending habits. (We do not sell or distribute any of your personal information.) If you are sending us a copy of your credit card statement, you may delete any purchase history from this document if you like. All we need is your credit card company's logo and address, your name and address, and the last 4 digits of your card.
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  #2   ^
Old Wed, Apr-07-10, 08:43
GlendaRC's Avatar
GlendaRC GlendaRC is offline
Posts: 8,787
 
Plan: Atkins maintenance
Stats: 170/120/130 Female 65 inches & shrinking
BF:
Progress: 125%
Location: Victoria, BC Canada
Default

Yes, I have Deb. Only once so far but I will again. I didn't have any credit card hassle and the order sailed through Customs untouched - I can't remember how long it took to get here but it wasn't as long as I expected. I had them send it by the post office rather than rather than their usual courier shipper - I've heard too many horror stories of brokerage fees charged by courier companies!
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  #3   ^
Old Wed, Apr-07-10, 11:33
Shyvas's Avatar
Shyvas Shyvas is offline
Senior Member
Posts: 560
 
Plan: Vegetarian LC
Stats: 148/137/132 Female 5.4
BF:
Progress: 69%
Location: Brit in South of France
Default

Quote:
Originally Posted by deb34
if so, were there any problems at customs? How are the shipping charges and how is the real life shipping time?

I'm considering ordering some supplements but not sure I want to go through the hassle of scanning and emailing bank info....that makes me nervous.


I've made numerous orders with them and customs have never peeked inside a parcel. I pay a flat rate of $4 for P&P (shipping). It takes between 8 and 15 days to Europe. An averageshipping would be 10 days.
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  #4   ^
Old Thu, Apr-08-10, 13:33
deb34 deb34 is offline
Senior Member
Posts: 1,902
 
Plan: IF/Keto OMAD
Stats: 236.9/214.1/199 Female 66 inches
BF:Why yes/it/is !!!
Progress: 60%
Default

Quote:
Originally Posted by glendarc
Yes, I have Deb. Only once so far but I will again. I didn't have any credit card hassle and the order sailed through Customs untouched - I can't remember how long it took to get here but it wasn't as long as I expected. I had them send it by the post office rather than rather than their usual courier shipper - I've heard too many horror stories of brokerage fees charged by courier companies!


Glendarc; so you were ok with scanning and emailing your CC/bank info? that's the part that scares me...do all international customers go through that or is it only in case there's some question about the ownership of a CC?

also, how did you get them to send it by post office? Is there that option on the site for International customers?

I just had a customs broker fee nightmare from another company which charged me $40 to pick up my package!!!!
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  #5   ^
Old Thu, Apr-08-10, 15:50
GlendaRC's Avatar
GlendaRC GlendaRC is offline
Posts: 8,787
 
Plan: Atkins maintenance
Stats: 170/120/130 Female 65 inches & shrinking
BF:
Progress: 125%
Location: Victoria, BC Canada
Default

Quote:
Originally Posted by deb34
Glendarc; so you were ok with scanning and emailing your CC/bank info? that's the part that scares me...do all international customers go through that or is it only in case there's some question about the ownership of a CC?

I didn't have to do that at all - I think it must be only if there's a question or a problem with your card.

Quote:
Originally Posted by deb34
also, how did you get them to send it by post office? Is there that option on the site for International customers?

Actually, we have a PO Box address, so I gave them that and they automatically sent it by the post office. Just add a little note that you would prefer shipping by USPS and I'm sure they'll oblige.

Quote:
Originally Posted by deb34
I just had a customs broker fee nightmare from another company which charged me $40 to pick up my package!!!!

That's the kind of horror story that makes me demand post office rather than courier shipping - if I was faced with that kind of charge, I'm afraid I'd have refused delivery and told them to return it to sender! Then I'd have sent an email or a phone call to the sender explaining my reasons. With the post office, the worst that can happen is having to pay sales taxes and $5 to the post office for handling it.

But no, there was no indication that Customs cared - there was a declaration label on it specifying nutritional supplements, and a fairly low value so it may have slipped under their radar.
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  #6   ^
Old Wed, Jul-14-10, 09:49
RavenJasp RavenJasp is offline
New Member
Posts: 2
 
Plan: Atkins
Stats: 175/172/135 Female 5'6"
BF:
Progress:
Default

I am in Calgary and order from iHerb sometimes once a month since 2006. It is the best place in the world. I find their prices usually less than half of my local health food store/Superstore. I get my order usually in 2 days. I only use DHL (never UPS - that's where the large brokerage fee is). Usually with my large orders I am looking at paying about $13 - $17 for taxes/fees with DHL. I can certainly live with that for 2 days shipping. I have tried USPS (post office) but it can take upwards of 3 weeks. I never get anything from UPS - learned the hard way with the $35 + brokerage fee even for a little item. Always USPS for other places except iHerb. No issues at all with credit cards. They are a reputable company so there are no concerns.
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  #7   ^
Old Thu, Feb-23-12, 18:54
Melaniesre Melaniesre is offline
New Member
Posts: 2
 
Plan: PINK METHOD
Stats: 140/140/120 Female 5;5
BF:
Progress:
Thumbs down Iherb - Candians Beware

WARNING TO CANADIANS BUYING FROM IHERBS

I WAS NOT AWARE THAT THE PRODUCT I BOUGHT IS PROHIBITED IN CANADA AND HAS BEEN SEIZED AT THE CANADIAN CUSTOMS AND WILL NOT BE RETURNED SO I AM OUT THE MONEY.

I BOUGHT MORE THEN ONE AND NOW OUT THE MONEY I PAID OF OVER 120.00.

I SPOKE WITH A REPRESENTATIVE AND SAID THEY HAVE A DISCLAIMER TO CANADIAN CUSTOMERS, I WAS NOT ABLE TO FIND THIS DISCLAIMER ON THERE SITE.

THE PERSON I TALKED TO WAS ROBERT HE WAS NOT HELPFUL, HE KEPT SAYING WE HAVE A DISCLAIMER TO CANADIANS.

I WAS TOLD BY CUSTOMS THAT IHERBS AND OTHER COMPANIES DO THIS A LOT TO CANADIANS

Robert the supervisor told me they ship 7 keto to canada with a precription. After talking to Canada Customs they said that Robert is being dishonest,
that this product is a controlled substance and not even a precription can get it through the Customs. I was also told by
Customs that this is not the first time I HERB has done this too Canadians who buy through them.

IHERBS DOES NOT CARE WHO THEY SELL TO AS LONG AS THEY GET YOUR CREDIT CARD. IHERB IS AWARE OF
PRODUCTS BEING BAND IN OTHER COUNTRIES BUT THEY STILL SEND THEM OUT AS LONG AS THEY GET THERE MONEY.

THIS IS FRAUD

I AM DISAPPOINTED THAT IHERB DOES NOT HAVE A SYSTEM SET UP STOPPING PURCHASES THAT ARE NOT ALLOWED IN OTHER COUNTRIES.

DISAPPOINTED CUSTOMER FROM CANADA
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  #8   ^
Old Fri, Feb-24-12, 11:59
deb34 deb34 is offline
Senior Member
Posts: 1,902
 
Plan: IF/Keto OMAD
Stats: 236.9/214.1/199 Female 66 inches
BF:Why yes/it/is !!!
Progress: 60%
Default

I'm glad you posted your experience. Even from the first post I've felt leary about this company and have never ordered from them. At one point I thought I saw something about a disclaimer for Canada implying that it is the customer resposibility to find out if the product we order is on the controlled substance list of Canada Customs. That sent up a red flag for me telling me that if I ordered and my product "happened" to be on the restricted list, I would be out a good chunk of money...I'm sorry you've been burned, but I'm also glad I listened to my instints and gave this company a pass...
here;s what I could find out:

Quote:
iHerb will not be liable for packages refused or held by customs for delivery:
We request that you contact your customs office, and ask about import regulations and restrictions before placing your order. It is important for you to become familiar with the Customs policies for your specific country before ordering. Customs regulations differ by country and not knowing their regulations can result in your order incurring high import duties, delivery being delayed, or returned to us. Please check with your Customs office to see if your country permits the shipment of the products you are going to order from us and if any additional licenses or permits are needed.

Please Note: If your order is returned to us due to banned / restricted products, a wrong address, refusal to pay customs fees, refusal to accept order, or because no one was there to accept delivery of your order, we will refund your credit card as follows:

You will be refunded the total amount of the order minus the shipping charge and 20 percent of the value of the order as a re-stocking fee. We will also subtract any other outside charges we have incurred during shipping, such as warehousing fees, return postage fees, etc.

If the cost to return the product to us is larger than the cost of the refund due, we will instruct the carrier to abandon the order and there will be no credit for the order. If the product(s) is seized by customs there will be no credit processed for the product(s).

Refunds are not available if you choose International Airmail shipping methods and your order is lost.

For further shipping information regarding your country, please add a product to the shopping cart, choose your country from the pull-down menu, and then click on "calculate". If there are issues we are aware of, we will let you know there.


The highlited in red is their "get out of jail free" card. All they have to do is claim ignorance of said product being on a restricted list from other countries...

I did a dummy purchase to test: here's what it says when I calculated the shipping for 7-keto

Quote:

Some of the products in your basket are not allowed to be shipped to your address. Please remove them from your basket and try again.


so maybe they've recently added this feature...I'm not sure how your order got past the shipping cost calculation stage...this must be a very recent development.

Last edited by deb34 : Fri, Feb-24-12 at 12:04.
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  #9   ^
Old Fri, Feb-24-12, 22:51
Karhys's Avatar
Karhys Karhys is offline
Senior Member
Posts: 324
 
Plan: Primal-ish
Stats: 172/158/132 Female 5'2"
BF:
Progress: 35%
Location: Rural NSW, Australia
Default

iHerb have had the system in place for some time that prevents you from purchasing certain items if you live in a certain country. I hit against it a year and a half ago when trying to ship to Japan. I've hit against it several times since moving back to Australia. The thing is, they need to actually be aware that the item itself cannot be shipped to your country before they can flag it as such. I think whenever they get reports from customers saying "customs refused to let this item through to me" they will flag it that way -- but if customers don't tell them, they won't know. That's probably why the item is now flagged that way, because they were informed and wanted to stop it happening again. And that's probably why you can find spotty management in the system. For example, I found a regular item that couldn't be shipped to Australia, but the same product from the same company but with lavender scent could. Someone got a report about one product, but overlooked the others. Things happen. People are human.

I find that iHerb provide a huge amount of information about shipping problems and possible restrictions and the like for the country I'm living in whenever I'm making a purchase, including a lot of information that I don't find available at other similar companies. I appreciate this because it's often info I'm not aware of. (I can't order products with Xylitol in them to be imported to Australia? Why? I can buy it off the shelf here! Etc, etc.)

I also think it would be an impossible task for them to know the specific customs regulations of every single country that they ship to, because they ship to a huge number of countries, and customs regulations change all the time, and with no rhyme or reason. Also, from my experience (I've worked with a company that ships overseas to many, many countries) customs officials are often really, really difficult to work with, and may refuse to let something through just because they're having a bad day, and will make up reasons and lie through their teeth to customers. We had trouble more than once with customs and the postal service in Canada. And we were shipping toys. Nothing harmful there. Even if iHerb had all their customs stuff correct, items could get refused because of one crabby customs officer.

I'm not saying that this is what happened here -- I can't possibly know the truth of the situation. But I'm just saying to be aware that it's every bit as likely that Customs was lying about the situation as it is that iHerb was. Just because they're Customs doesn't make them more honest. Customs are just as happy to "pass the buck".

Anyway, I just think iHerb do the best they can, and that they're just human. I've been ordering from them for some time now and always been satisfied, and they treat me well. YMMV. If you're disappointed in them, then I suggest you look elsewhere.
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  #10   ^
Old Fri, Jul-13-12, 11:21
jofus jofus is offline
New Member
Posts: 5
 
Plan: Bees Healing
Stats: 210/155/185 Male 6'0
BF:
Progress:
Default

IHERB is my primary source of vits and such. I have never had a problem with them or any of the orders. I have ordered so much from them that I now get a discount everytime I order, and they already have the most reasonable prices and great selection. I highly recommend them, although I did not have to submit any such information on my first order like what they are requiring from you.
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  #11   ^
Old Fri, Jul-13-12, 12:31
deb34 deb34 is offline
Senior Member
Posts: 1,902
 
Plan: IF/Keto OMAD
Stats: 236.9/214.1/199 Female 66 inches
BF:Why yes/it/is !!!
Progress: 60%
Default

well I have an order coming by International Airmail that should be arriving very soon, so we'll see how it goes or doesn't go as the case may be....
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  #12   ^
Old Thu, Jul-19-12, 19:42
Melaniesre Melaniesre is offline
New Member
Posts: 2
 
Plan: PINK METHOD
Stats: 140/140/120 Female 5;5
BF:
Progress:
Default Don't buy from IHerb

I refuse to order anything from Iherb because they sold me an illegal product that was not allowed in Canada. They got my money and customs has the product.

I have found a Canadian based company called well.ca. I have ordered from them several times and had no problems plus they offer FREE SHIPPING.

First time customers do get a discount which is great plus they email you when they have a sale.

they shipped to me in 3 days with no hassles.

People who are thinking of buying online I would go with www.well.ca
plus you don't have to pay on the dollar converting Can. to US

Hope this helps
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  #13   ^
Old Fri, Jul-20-12, 06:31
deb34 deb34 is offline
Senior Member
Posts: 1,902
 
Plan: IF/Keto OMAD
Stats: 236.9/214.1/199 Female 66 inches
BF:Why yes/it/is !!!
Progress: 60%
Default

Quote:
I refuse to order anything from Iherb because they sold me an illegal product that was not allowed in Canada. They got my money and customs has the product.


maybe you didn't see this on their International shipping page.

Quote:
Customs information: iHerb will not be liable for packages refused or held by customs for delivery:
We request that you contact your customs office and ask about import regulations and restrictions before placing your order. It is important for you to become familiar with Customs policies for your specific country before ordering. Customs regulations differ by country and not knowing their regulations can result in your order incurring high import duties, the delivery being delayed or even returned. Please check with your Customs office to see if your country permits the shipment of the products you are planning to order from us and if any additional licenses or permits are needed.

Please Note: If your order is returned to us due to a banned/restricted products policy, a wrong address, refusal to pay customs fees, refusal to accept the order or because no one was there to accept delivery of your order, we will refund your credit card as follows: You will be refunded the total amount of the order, minus the shipping charge, and 20% of the value of the order, (as a re-stocking fee). We will also subtract any other outside charges iHerb.com has incurred during shipping, such as warehousing fees, return postage fees, etc.


It sounds like you ordered without checking about restricted products first? and have you even contacted them about a refund? Try contacting them about the partial refund as is their policy as stated above. According to their policy they didn't act improperly towards you. The policies are very clearly stated regarding International orders and countries restricted products as being the customers responsibility to educate themselves on or risk losing the product and part of the cost.

BTW, my order to Canada came in just under two weeks and the shipping cost was very minimal. I will be ordering again.

Last edited by deb34 : Fri, Jul-20-12 at 06:51.
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