According to recent statistics, more than half of all adult Americans take supplements. If you’re one of these people, you may be interested in buying your supplements online rather than in stores.
There are a lot of good reasons to buy supplements online. If you want to find good, low-cost supplements, the internet is a good place to look. However, you need to be cautious: there are a whole lot of scammers online who will happily rip you off.
If you’re the victim of fraudsters, you might receive nothing, sugar pills, or supplements that are actually dangerous. This means that when you’re looking for the best place to buy supplements online, you need to put your detective hat on and do some thorough research.
Yet what should you look for? What are warning signs that you should avoid? In this guide, we’ll show you some examples of both so that you can make a better purchasing decision.
Are you ready to learn more? Then let’s get started!
1. Avoid Sites That Make Sweeping Health Claims
When buying supplements online, you should always avoid websites that make any sweeping health claims. These range from claiming that a certain supplement can cure cancer all the way down to promising that you’ll feel a thousand times better if you take this one little pill.
Supplements and medication are regulated differently in most countries, which means that supplements shouldn’t make any particular health claims. You should also consider the fact that while we know some vitamins and minerals are important for us (for instance, vitamin C), they aren’t a substitute for medicine in any way.
If the website makes a lot of different claims, this should set your alarm bells ringing. Go to websites that are in line with the law regarding how supplements are regulated.
2. Do They Offer Samples?
Supplements affect all of us differently and you may find that some supplements aren’t right for you. If you have to buy a full pack of the supplement and it’s not what you need, guess what, you’ve just spent a lot of money on something that you’ll never use.
For instance, let’s say that you want to try kratom for the first time. A site that offers a kratom sample pack with different types of the supplement would be a better place to start than one that expects you to buy a huge bag of one type right off the bat.
3. Avoid Supplements That Aren’t Made in the US
When you’re trying to find the cheapest place to buy supplements online, you’ll doubtlessly come across listings for supplements that were made in China or other foreign countries. While you might trust a TV that was made in China, you shouldn’t trust supplements that are made in these countries.
Countries like China tend to have laxer production regulations, which means that the supplements might be contaminated with poisonous substances. Consider the Chinese baby milk scandal, where several children died after consuming milk that was tainted with melamine.
Stick to supplements that are made in the United States, Canada, and countries that are in the European Union. These countries have stringent regulations that minimize the risk of contaminated supplements.
4. Is the Website Well-Made?
While not a bulletproof indicator of trustworthiness, a well-made website may assuage some of your fears. Many scam websites will be poorly made with bad web design, a lack of spelling and grammar throughout their content, and general shoddiness.
If the website looks professionally made, you may be on to a winner. However, the next step will help you confirm this.
5. Check Out Online Reviews
If you want to find out more about what it’s like to buy from a company, the best thing to do is look at online reviews written by people who did buy from them. Reviews on Google, Facebook, and even the Better Business Bureau are likely to shine a light on common issues and problems that customers have experienced.
They will also highlight the best aspects of the company, which will allow you to come to a reasoned conclusion about whether or not the company is the right choice for you.
While many websites have a testimonials section, you should take these reviews with a huge grain of salt. The company will have selected the reviews on this page, which means that they’re hardly going to be unbiased.
6. What Is Their Returns Policy?
Before you buy anything from a company, you should check out their returns policy. Mistakes happen and the company might send you the wrong supplement, the wrong number of pills, or may make another kind of mistake.
If this happens, you should be able to return the supplements. You should be able to do this for any reason if you’re not satisfied, and they should give you enough time to return the goods (e.g., the returns window should not be 48 hours).
7. Always Speak to Your Doctor Before Taking New Supplements
While this may not be related to finding a great supplement seller, it’s a very important safety tip. While supplements aren’t medications, they’ll still have an effect on your body and they may interact with certain medications that you’re taking.
For example, taking 5-HTP while you take SSRIs is generally a very poor idea, as they could cause serotonin syndrome. Never take a new supplement without running it past your doctor first.
Now You Know How to Buy Supplements Online
We hope that you’ve enjoyed this look at how to safely buy supplements online. Always do your research and make sure that you’re buying the right supplements for you from a legitimate site, and always speak to your doctor before taking them.
For more helpful content like this, check out the rest of our blog!