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Frequently
Asked Questions
Where
do we ship and what are our shipping charges?
Some on-line retailers break even on the products they
sell and make their profit with exorbitant shipping charges. We try
to keep the shipping charges equal to or lower than our shipping
costs. Our shipping charges show up in the shopping cart when you
are checking out. No matter how much you order (with a few
exceptions for very heavy items being shipped overseas), our shipping
charges are:
- $5 anywhere in
the USA
- $5 APO and FPO
military addresses anywhere in the world
- $5 Puerto Rico,
US Virgin Islands, American Samoa
- $16 Canada
- $25 England, Hong
Kong, Ireland, Japan, Monaco, Northern Ireland, Scotland, Singapore,
Switzerland, Wales
- $30 Australia, Netherlands,
New Zealand, Norway, South Africa
- $35 South Korea
Please click here for International
sales information.
Can I
pay by check or money order?
We will be glad to
accept payment by check or money order. Please remember to include
$5 shipping (if you are in the U.S. - see above chart if outside the U.S.)
and sales tax if you are located in California. We generally ship
orders the same day we receive your check. Please send us a list of
what you want with your check or money order payable to Discount Vitamins.
No fancy order forms are necessary, just be sure that your note is
legible. If you include your email address, we will send you a
shipment confirmation when the order is shipped.
Discount Vitamins
811 N. Catalina Ave. Suite 3208
Redondo Beach, CA 90277
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How do we
have prices so low?
Probably
the most frequently asked question is "How does Discount-Vitamins-Herbs.net
have prices so low, in fact lower than anyone else? And still remain in
business?"
Discount-Vitamins-Herbs.net
can provide such great value to you because . . .
We buy in large
quantity and also purchase
great deals when they become available. Then pass the savings on to
you.
Some of our products are
nearing their "sell-by date." We fully disclose this information, rather
than just making general assertions that the vitamins and herbs are fresh,
full potency, or direct from the "distributor." The products we sell are
fresh, full potency, and direct from the manufacturer. Some are also approaching
the date printed on their labels. These deeply discounted vitamins, herbs and minerals
that we sell range from 3 months to 1 year from the label date. Look for
hot deals on items very close to the label date. These are all top quality
products from some of the largest nutritional supplement manufacturers
in the United States. They are guaranteed to have at least 100% of their
potency at the date listed on the bottle.
"These products
are guaranteed by the manufacturer to maintain potency and contain 100%
of nutrient label claims at expiry date."
Because these
special products
are approaching the label date, they can no longer be sent through normal
slow retail channels to sit on some retailer's shelf for an average of
six months. They are brought directly to you, Discount-Vitamin-Herb.net
customers, who want to pay less and understand the meaning of the label
dates. Most of our customers use what they buy within a few months, so
they appreciate the cost savings without any concern for the label dates.
Occasionally, retailers
change the look of their labels. We also carry items with old style labels
and manufacturer's overruns. For example, if the minimum run a manufacturer
does is 1,000,000 bottles, but they only have orders for 900,000 bottles,
they will do the run to keep their production line in operation, satisfy
their primary customers, and sell the excess inventory to us. That explains
some of the bottle dates that are 4 years out and are available at great
prices.
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What do
label dates mean?
The label
date is sometimes known as the restock date, sell-by date, use-by date,
or expiration date. Vitamin and herbal manufacturers are allowed to choose
their own standards. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and various
state laws require:
- that the dates
(of the manufacturers' choosing) appear on the bottle
- that the contents
meet or exceed the label potency on the label date
- that the product
is not sold after the label date.
We know that the potency
of various herb and vitamin supplements gradually decreases over time.
Generally manufacturers place a higher potency than stated on the label
in the product at the time of manufacture. Allowing for shelf life, this
assures that when the label date is reached, the potency will still be
greater than or equal to the stated potency on the package label.
Some products age
better than others. (Know anyone like that?) As a general rule, physicians
and pharmacists that we have asked, fall into either of two camps when
asked about vitamin, mineral, and herb potency and safety. The more conservative
ones tell us that nutritional supplements should be fine for 6 to 12 months
or longer after the date on the bottle. About half of the physicians and
pharmacists we asked say that vitamins, minerals, and herbs will be good
for 2 to 5 years after the label date. Note that some prescription medications
should not be used beyond the bottle date. Check with your doctor or pharmacist
the next time you see him or her.
A few supplements
will begin to smell as they age. This is especially true for the B complex
vitamins and garlic. Herbs often have a natural smell no matter what their
age. Herbs such as Valerian probably can't smell worse - they already
smell pretty bad.
Here are a few excerpts
from a variety of sources that discuss expiration dates:
From: Good
Housekeeping:
"Although not required
by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), most vitamins do carry expiration
dates, which, experts say, represent the latest date the manufacturer
is willing to guarantee the product contains the amount of nutrients
listed on the label. Thus John Hathcock, Ph.D., the director of Nutritional
and Regulatory Science for the Council for Responsible Nutrition, reveals
manufacturers often put extra vitamin power into each dose when manufactured:
If the label says each tablet contains 100 units of vitamin E, odds
are the tablet was originally manufactured with a 150-unit bang. By
expiration time, it's down to [maybe 110, still safely over their minimum
labeled target of] 100. One month past the expiration date, [a range
of maybe 108 to] 98 or so. However, vitamin C, folic acid, and riboflavin
(B2) tend to lose their potency faster than other vitamins [so manufacturer's
put more into these supplements at time of manufacture]. "
How to store:
in a dry, cool, dark place, like your kitchen cabinets, or even in the
fridge. Keep bottles closed. "
From: The Dietary
Supplement Quality Initiative, www.dsqi.org/label/expiration.html:
"An expiration date
indicates the date after which a product may no longer contain the labeled
potency levels. This date reflects the disintegration rate of its ingredients
as well as any overage built into the product.
While expiration
dates are desirable, they are not always necessary. Certain substances
such as calcium carbonate have an extremely long shelf life. Lack of
an expiration date in this case is inconsequential.
Because of these
uncertainties, it is always best to ask your manufacturer or dealer
to explain how expiration dates were determined as well as to justify
why they are missing when this is the case."
Discount-Vitamins-Herbs.net
is the only e-commerce site (that we know of) that posts the label date
of the nutritional supplements that are sold. It is important to us that
we provide full disclosure to our customers, rather than vague or general
claims of freshness and potency. Most of our customers use the products
within a few months after purchase anyway, so the label date is not of
consequence, except the great prices save them lots of money.
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How is the
scientific information on our web site prepared?
The information on vitamins, herbs and other nutritional
supplements from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) is prepared by
registered dietitians at the clinical research hospital at the National
Institutes of Health in Bethesda, Maryland. It then undergoes extensive
scientific review by recognized experts from the academic and research
communities. The information is also reviewed for scientific accuracy
and for consistency with dietary guidelines for Americans by the Nutrition
Education Subcommittee of the NIH Nutrition Coordinating Committee, the
U.S. Department of Agriculture Dietary Guidance Working Group, and the
Department of Health and Human Nutrition Policy Board Committee on Dietary
Guidance.
Information from other
sources is likewise prepared according to the Dietary Supplements Health
and Education Act of 1994 (DSHEA) guidelines,
undergoing rigorous preparation and peer review. These guidelines are
the reason that you see the disclosure "This statement has not been evaluated
by the Food and Drug Administration. This product is not intended to diagnose,
treat, cure, or prevent any disease." through out the web site.
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When will
your package arrive?
Most orders are shipped the same day or the next day
after the order is received. We do recommend that our customers allow
7 to 10 days for
receipt of their order, even though about half of the orders arrive in 2
to 3 days. This allows for time in transit, and weekend time for some
orders. Heavy orders going from our warehouse in California to the East
Coast do take a week in transit using standard, best price shipping. We hope that you recognize that we pass
these cost savings to you in low product prices. But we
encourage you to order early (and often).
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How are
products shipped?
Normal orders are shipped by USPS priority mail. Together
with the post office, we provide tracking service on your shipments. The
e-mail confirmation you will receive will have a tracking number that
may be entered into the tracker on our contact
us page and you will be able
to see the status of your shipment. This is a new service offered by the
post office. We would appreciate your comments. Often the post
office only enters information after the order has been
delivered.
Orders weighing over
2 pounds are shipped UPS ground. These orders generally take between 1 day
and 1 week for delivery, depending on the distance. Orders are shipped from beautiful
Redondo Beach, CA.
Customers closer will receive orders sooner than those who are farther
away. Please plan accordingly. We also provide a shipment tracking service
for UPS orders. See our contact us page.
Note that on 7/1/02,
the Post Office raised mail prices from $.34 to $.37, about a 10%
increase. But they raised priority mail prices by almost 60%: a 2
pound package which used to cost $4.35, now costs up to $6.20; a 3 pound
package which used to cost us $5.60 now costs up to $9.00, a 60% increase;
a 4 pound package which used to cost $6.80, now costs up to $10.80.
We are using UPS more frequently now, since they are reliable, moderate
cost, provide tracking, and insurance on the first $100 of value. Any suggestions would be
appreciated.
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Are prices
subject to change?
Yes, we reserve the right to lower prices on your
order if our published prices decrease. We will never raise prices once
you have placed an order. If we make a mistake, we pay for it, not you.
Over time, prices may change up and down depending on our supply of product.
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What do
we do if we run out of a product?
We will take several actions in the following order
if we run out of a product.
- First we will
check the manufacturers warehouse for any additional product. This will
take a couple of days.
- Next we will
attempt to substitute
the identical product with a different size bottle. For example,
we might substitute 2 bottles of 100 tablets for 1 bottle of 180
tablets, if we run out of the 180 size. Also we may substitute a
longer bottle date. They are always in your favor, and we never charge extra for these substitutions.
Usually we will be able to fill any orders in
this manner. We will not notify you if we are able to make this type
of substitution.
- Occasionally, we
will place part of an order on back-order if we are expecting a new
shipment shortly.
- Lastly, we will
ship your partial order (including everything that was available) and
provide a refund for the unshipped product to your credit card. You
will receive an e-mail notification of the actions taken.
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How often
do we run out of product?
In our business this happens, especially for the really
great deals. So if you see something that you think is a great deal or
you use a lot, buy some. We may run out of stock, but will probably carry
it again soon.
We fill orders in the
sequence they are received.
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Do we carry
thousands of products from hundreds of manufacturers?
We carry hundreds products with a variety of
brands. We don't try to be all things to all customers. We're just the
lowest price source of quality vitamins, herbs, and minerals.
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Can you
change your order?
We strive to keep our costs low so that we can bring
you these bargain prices. The less time we take to handle an order, the
lower our costs. But if we have not shipped your order, we will be glad to
make any changes that you desire. You can contact us via phone or
e-mail with your special request.
If we see two orders
from the same person with the same shipping address come through, we will
combine them and refund the duplicate shipping charge.
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Why do
we charge for shipping?
Our flat $5 U.S. shipping charge accomplishes several things
for us.
- It covers our
cost of shipping, boxing, and the extra cost of tracking service that
we find our customers like. It covers these costs on small to moderate
size orders.
- It encourages
customers to order several items at a time, which helps keep our costs
down. Our typical customer will place an order every couple of months.
They will order 9 items and spend an average of $75 every other month.
The more you order, the more you save. For our typical customer ordering
9 items, the cost of shipping is about 56 cents per item. Including
shipping cost, our prices are still lower than anywhere else.
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What should
I do if my package arrives damaged?
Your shipment is professionally packaged to undergo
the normal rigors of shipment. However, on occasion packages are damaged
in shipment. If this should occur, carefully open the package and check
if the contents are damaged. If they are damaged, save the damaged packaging
material. Then go to the shipment tracking button on our website. There,
you will find additional instructions to file a damage claim when you
click on the shipment-tracking button. If you need help, please send us
an e-mail.
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Is your
credit card information safe with us?
Credit card information is received on a specially
encrypted link on our secure server. It is as safe as we can make it.
For details, see our full Privacy Policy.
- Look for the url
to read: https://www.discount-vitamins-herbs.net
when you enter your personal information. The s in https
indicates that the page is on a secure server. Also, the lock
icon should appear in the bottom right corner of your page indicating
that the page is secure.
- We don't make
an impression of your credit card, so no employee can slip your information
into their pocket.
- Our computer system
is designed to confirm your billing address and only ship to your billing
(or other registered) address. So no one else can misuse your credit
card to ship to anywhere other than your address.
- Our computer system
is designed to limit orders to one order per day per credit card to
prevent abuse of your credit card should it fall into the wrong hands
(and some health fanatic criminal gets hold of it).
- Your credit card
company generally guarantees to protect you against misuse of your credit
card for amounts over $50. See your credit card statement for further
details. Discount Vitamins & Herbs will guarantee against misuse of
your credit card related to any transaction with us for the amount up
to $50. Please tell us if there is anything else we can do to assure
you that use of your credit card is safe with us.
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What methods
of payment are accepted?
We accept Visa, MasterCard and American Express and
Discover cards. There are a number of protections built into the use of credit cards. They are listed above. Should you desire to use an alternative
payment method, mailing a check or money order with your order to our
land-mail address is just fine.
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Where do
we ship outside the United States?
We now ship to APO/FPO addresses, to Canada, to the
U.K, Switzerland, Monaco, Japan, and Hong Kong, and to
resellers in select other countries. Click here for International
sales information. We would love to do business in
all kinds of exotic locations through out the world. But as a small business,
the rules and regulations for export outside the United States and for
import into your country are huge, complex, constantly changing, often
printed in a language we do not speak fluently, and beyond our expertise.
These regulations are especially complex for nutritional supplements,
for which every herb may be treated differently in different countries
-- as a food, drug, pharmaceutical, or additive. If your country is not
listed on our standard list of countries supported, please send us an
email with your request. If you give us a general idea of what you
intend to order, we can respond best.
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Why do
we charge sales tax to customers in California?
That's the law. We are required to charge sales tax
on transactions shipped to locations within our home state. Companies
who provide us with a valid resale certificate are exempt.
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Is your
information confidential?
We hold our customer information in the highest regard.
We never sell, exchange, give away, or rent information about our customers.
We believe that the products you use are a personal matter, and we would
not breach the confidence you have demonstrated in us by ordering from
us. For our Privacy Policy statement click
here.
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Here is
our guarantee again
We are so confident in the quality of our products
that Discount-Vitamins-Herbs.net provides an unconditional 100% money
back guarantee on all of our nutritional supplement products to our retail customers.
Discount-Vitamin-Herbs.net guarantees:
- If you are unhappy
with the products for any reason, simply return
the product in new condition within 30 days of your receipt of the product. We will
provide a refund for any number of unopened bottles and 1 opened
bottle (even if it is completely empty!) that you purchased from
us. Return procedures
are listed below.
- The vitamin, mineral,
herb manufacturer states: "Our products are guaranteed to maintain potency
and contain 100% of nutrient label claims at expiry date."
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What are
our return procedures?
In trying to keep our business simple, we have established
the following procedures for customers who have purchased products from
us. You don't need a return authorization. You don't
need tracking numbers. You don't need permission. You don't need to call
us and explain anything.
Just include your
name, address, credit card number and expiration date on a slip of paper.
Please write clearly so we can get your money back to you quickly. We also
would appreciate your noting the reason for your return, but it is not
necessary.
Mail products to be
returned, postage paid, within 30 days of your receipt, with the above
information included in the package to:
Returns
Discount Vitamins & Herbs, Inc.
811 N. Catalina Ave. Suite 3208
Redondo Beach, CA 90277
We will promptly issue
a refund of the price you paid to us to your credit card upon receipt of your package. We require products to
be returned for a refund to be issued. This keeps those few customers
who are so inclined from taking advantage of our return policy.
Sorry, no returns
accepted on Avemar because it is so fragile - heat sensitive.
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Are these
quality products?
The manufacturer of the brands Your Life, Nature's
Origin, Council Labs, Nutra Choice and Pharmacist Formula makes the following
statement about product quality:
- Our products
are guaranteed to maintain potency and contain 100% of nutrient label
claims at expiry date.
- Our product
labels are accurate and informative so consumers understand why they
need the product and how to use it for best results.
- Our facilities,
equipment and manufacturing systems undergo continual validation to
ensure that every product meets strict specifications and quality standards."
Natrol, Source Naturals and other manufacturers make similar quality statements.
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Many of
our products meet United States Pharmacopoeia (USP) certification:
A "USP" insignia indicates that the manufacturer is
claiming that certain vitamin and mineral ingredients contained in the
product have an FDA-approved or USP-accepted use, have been used extensively
without a significant safety risk, and meet the compendial quality standards
published in the United States Pharmacopoeia. These standards specify
allowable rates of disintegration and dissolution, strength (range of
dosage variance), range of acceptable impurities, and existence of an
expiration date.
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How does
our shopping cart work?
An e-commerce shopping cart is designed to simulate
your experience in a regular store. A button titled "Add to
Cart" is located
next to the various product descriptions. Click on this button and one
item will be added to your shopping cart. You can also specify a quantity
if you want more than one package. The shopping cart will collect a list
of the products that you click on. The shopping cart will keep a running
total of the items and the prices. It will automatically add the $5 shipping
charge for U.S. customers. At any time up until the final step, you can quit and your credit
card will not be charged. If you follow a link to another site to check
some information, the information in your shopping cart will be stored
for you for your return.
When you are done
shopping, you proceed to the check out area. In this window, you will
be able to review the items that you clicked on earlier in the session.
You will be able to delete them or change the quantities. After you have
approved the items that you want to purchase, you will be asked to enter
your name and shipping address. The page where you enter your personal
information is on a secure server. Then the shopping cart will be able to
automatically compute sales tax (if you are located in California).
Finally, you will
be asked for credit card information, and final confirmation. Then your
credit card will be verified, and the address you entered will be compared
to your credit card address. If there is a discrepancy in the credit card
information or the address you entered, the system will ask you to review
the items and click on the confirmation button again. If everything checks
out OK, your credit card will be billed and your order will be on its
way to you soon. It's that simple. Your credit card is not charged until
that final step. If you quit anywhere along the way, the items stay in
your shopping cart, but no charge is placed on your credit card.
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What are
our hours?
Our e-commerce store is open 24/7 (24 hours per
day, 7 days per week). Back home in California, we work 6 days per
week, updating product information and searching for more products to
bring to you. We process inquiries by e-mail and via out toll-free phone
number listed in the top right corner of every web site page. Since we use USPS, products are delivered
Monday to Saturday, except holidays.
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How can
you contact us?
We are exclusively an e-commerce business. We have
a highly efficient business model when we operate in this mode. We
respond to inquiries by e-mail or toll free phone. We will be glad to
accept your order over the phone if you want to talk to a real
person. We
will do our best to accommodate any special requests that you might
have.
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What professional
affiliations does Discount-Vitamins-Herbs.net have?
Discount-Vitamins-Herbs.net is a member in good standing
of the Herb Research Foundation and The Herb Growing and Marketing Network.
We are a member of the Better Business Bureau. We are also honored to be an important contributor to the American Red
Cross and the Sequoia Fund.
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What discounts
are available for resellers and charitable organizations?
Most products have discounts for quantity
purchases. Discounts
are automatically computed by the shopping cart. Anyone is eligible for these discounts,
including retail customers and charitable organizations. Discounts are
simple to compute to minimize complexity and keep our costs of doing business
low. Please call or e-mail us for further discounting should you
wish to purchase in large quantity.
All
orders require payment at the time the order is placed. California state
sales tax will be added to all orders shipped within California unless
a current approved resale certificate is on file with us. A copy of the
resale certificate may be faxed to us at (310) 374-9839.
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How do
we prevent fraud?
First, the reason that this is important to you is so that
we can maintain the lowest possible prices.
We take several
steps to prevent fraud:
- We ship only to
the credit card billing address or other registered addresses on file
at the credit card provider.
- We track shipments
so that they can be located if not received by the proper person.
- We use a service
which rejects orders from credit cards that have habitual returns.
- The credit card
companies verify unusually large orders.
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And finally,
why does our name end in .net, rather than .com?
Someone else got there first and reserved the other name,
but they haven't used it. Our name: Discount-Vitamins-Herbs.net is so
descriptive of our business that we wanted to use it even if it ended
in .net. So remember, Discount-Vitamins-Herbs.net is the place for the
best prices on brand-name vitamins, herbs and other nutritional supplements
on the net.
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