Where to Safely Buy Real Vitamins and Supplements Online, Not Fakes or Counterfeits

Grateful for this report and glad hear this feedback. I’ve not had these issues but will def be steering clear of Amazon. I use iHerb for most of my supplements and BJ’s for 2.

I almost never buy anything on Amazon for many reasons and have found that iherb.com is a great source for supplements and other healthful products. Furthermore, iherb's packaging uses cardboard boxes and pleated heavy paper instead of foam inside.

Thank you for bringing this issue up.
I had a terrible experience with a counterfeit product that I bought from Amazon. One day, I received an email telling me that the product I received was probably a counterfeit. It is distressing not to know what was actually in it.
I also had the same experience as other members: being unable to warn others by trying to give a negative review on Amazon.
Buying directly from the brand or going to a store in person are the best ways to protect oneself.

Making sure you get a real product is so important--thank you for this article. Are online merchants listed through Consumer Lab's "Price Check" feature vetted authorized resellers of that product?

I discovered once that a supplement I bought from the manufacturer had very different ingredients than the one from Amazon. The reason I checked because it was much less expensive on Amazon, but exactly the same box from the outside. Now I always compare the listed ingredients before I buy

I try to always purchase from the manufacturers website FIRST, unless the shipping is outrageous, then look to other places. I am an amazon prime member but very careful what I order.

Anyone who puts a substance in their body without knowing where it came from is endangering their life. It is just beyond comprehension how so many people do this without a moments thought. The consequences of this flawed thinking and decision making often reveals itself at some point later in a persons life in the form of pain, disease, sickness and dysfunction. The government has not intervened before and does not appear to be interested in intervening now. The only hope for the public at this time is to buy only products endorsed by CL and from companies who carry the CL seal of approval. The hope would be that this will become so valuable to supplement companies that they would be willing to conform to any criteria that CL has. Customers must know where the supplements they are taking are sourced from, as well as who the company is that is selling them.This would allow CL to "influence" higher standards of transparency for consumers. Don't put anything in your body that is not approved and endorsed by CL. The CL team cannot be applauded enough for their service to consumers.

A few months ago, I started using glycine powder for joint pain & it really helped. I tried different brands, all purchased on Amazon, just because I could. Then I purchased a canister of glycine made by Horbaach. Unlike other glycine powders, this one had the consistency of wet sand. I figured that Horbaach simply made theirs differently. But my joint pain slowly began to return. And I had gone past the "return window" at Amazon. I took pictures of the Horbaach product, including a picture that proved the powder was very moist. I sent it directly to Horbaach's website & got a response from them to "stop using it immediately & contact Amazon," since I had purchased it there. I called Amazon & explained the situation to the rep, & even though the return window had come & gone, she immediately refunded me. I don't purchase glycine from Amazon anymore:)

Amazon won't allow returns for such supplements (I called customer service and got refund but had to do some talking -- it was this or dispute charge on Am Ex).

I am a longtime subscriber to consumerlab.com & have given it as a gift to my special people. Instead of mindlessly scrolling through social media I can improve my health by reading these detailed reviews- I learn something new each time I login .

I was notified by Amazon that the Preservison I purchased was counterfeit long AFTER I finished the bottle. They issued a refund but made no mention as to what it was I consumed! It’s me, that’s the worst of it.

Great information…so thankful for this site! I did want to mention, about a year ago I received the most disgusting “moist” package that I ordered from Amazon which contained a body wash product in a bottle that had a grocery bag wrapped around it several times, and Body wipes that were filthy on the outside. I couldn’t even bring myself to even take the items out of the box. I was thoroughly disturbed to put it mildly. I noticed right away the box didn’t look like anything else I have ever received from Amazon. Thats because it didn’t. It had a man’s name and info (like a package you might receive from family or friends. Of course I went straight to Amazon to return. That is when I noticed the “Sold/Shipped by” on the checkout page. I guess I had just never paid attention to that. I learned my lesson (so I thought) and always made sure I purchased products from the Brand or “Sold or Shipped by Amazon”. Over the last few months I have been purchasing a lot of skin care items and have been shocked by what I have received. Many products missing the seal, have clearly been used, and in some cases, no product at all in the container! Your article comes at a perfect time. Just as we have to be careful in terms of what we eat, we have to be just as careful with what we put on our skin!
P.S. I did get a VERY fast response to my request (more like demand) for a refund on the body wash products. I mean within like 5 minutes fast. Considering it was directly from the seller, I had to assume he knows at least some people are going to complain. Sadly, some people don’t and that’s how sellers like that exist.

Where is the FDA? Government agencies as well as Amazon should verify the validity of the products that are advertised on their site!

I also had an issue with Cortisone ear drops I bought for my dog on Amazon. It wasn’t until Amazon contacted me and let me know that they were counterfeit that I stopped using them! They did give me a full refund.

I got an item that had the sell by date covered up. It turned out to have less than a month in its "sell by " time. After contacting the company and Amazon, I did get a refund.

We have used CocoaVia for several years. We buy directly from the website and gain points that can be used to reduce the costs in the future. We have also been with Consumerlab for some time and greatly value its presentation of the relevant information regarding products.

Such a helpful article! I’ve returned Dr. Whitaker’s Berberine to Amazon twice, because it arrived with the safety seal broken and discoloration around the opening. The return policy is described as “No returns accepted,” but when I called the support phone number and described the problem, they issued the refund. I definitely recommend calling them if you find yourself in a similar situation!

This is incredibly helpful. I didn't realize I was buying Natrol Melatonin from a non Amazon shipper that had only been in business since 2023 It was a little less expensive than buying the one shipping from Amazon. I cancelled the order from the original shipper and found same product I needed through Amazon as the shipper. This is why I subscribe to Consumer Lab and recommend to all my friends that they subscribe too.

I'm so grateful for this review! Thank you Consumer Labs. Information like this is why I just renewed my membership for Two Years!

I will now be more careful and just avoid buying any supplements from Amazon. I admit, the convenience Amazon offers is sooo seductive. Ordering things when I need them without having to plan too far in advance just makes my life easier! But I generally avoid buying any product from a "third party seller." After reading this article, though, I will have to strengthen my vigilance and make sure not to buy Any supplements from Amazon.

BTW, couldn't help noticing the irony that Amazon's Transparency program is anything but! ...Sheesh

I will now stop buying anything I consume on Amazon. this is out of control IMO

I do not buy any supplement without first consulting with CL. thanks for your support

Wish I had seen this before. About a year ago I bought some Pure Encapsulations melatonin (3mg) on Amazon and it had absolutely no effect to help me sleep. I threw it away. I've tried other brands of melatonin and they do work. A few years ago I bought a different product (from Hammer Nutrition) and was suspicious because the capsules were a different color. I threw those out too. No more buying supplements off of Amazon for me.

I quit buying anything on Amazon that said "Made in China" about 5 years ago, but I didn't think about fake supplements being on Amazon. I just renewed my ConsumerLab account. I'd rather pay ConsumerLab than Amazon any day. Now we just need ConsumerLab to start a streaming TV service.

very glad you are in to tell the variifyable truth god bless your future

Is the Swanson store on Amazon legit?

I too, avoid buying supplements on Amazon.

Oh My OH My Oh My.. I have been buying my supplemetns on Amazon for at least 4 or more years. Unless, the ones that CL recommend are only at other stores. I stricktly go by CL. But Oh I have seen photos of supplements on reviews and just ignored them as being spam. I also have had a reaction on a certain supplment purchased on Amazon, then found the original website had them cheaper and tryed them with no reaction. I will be more careful from this time forward. Trying to save money on health, is smart, but be smart about saving. THANK YOU CL FOR THIS REVIEW. OH I FEEL SO MUCH BETTER INFORMED AND THIS IS IMPORTANT information to all of us CL subscribers!

I avoid buying anything from Amazon, especially supplements. Lately I’ve read several articles about fakes and bad practices on Amazon. It’s really a shame. So many people have been duped or worse, ingest a fake product. Hopefully the word will get out and if people stop buying perhaps Amazon will take notice!

Thanks for publishing folks' experiences purchasing supplements on Amazon, and thanks to ConsumerLab's (CL) most welcomed research and reporting on issues of supplements generally. I intend to spend less time shopping on Amazon, and more reading and studying on CL. As others here have mentioned, CL's web content is well worth annual subscription fees. After all, our health is at stake.

I only buy from Amazon is if it's either actually sold by Amazon itself or by the Company and Amazon fulfills it, like Bronson and Carlyle and a few others. If I want to try something new I pay a higher price at my local health food store first.

I buy items from Amazon on occasion, but never supplements. I use Shaklee products. I am a Shaklee distributor now, but I used to look for Shaklee product on Amazon, where they are priced higher and realized that I was actually buying from an illegal distributor, so I only purchase from Shaklee now.

Thanks for a very helpful article. I learned a long time ago to always check who the seller is and how it is shipped on amazon. I have seen so many reviews on how things were badly packaged, condition received, open & spilled in etc. Each time people were blaming Amazon for the packaging when in reality it was not shipped by them. Quick shipping and easy returns are important to buying anything on line - so sometimes buying on Amazon does work well. Glad you encouraged us to do our own assessment and due diligence for any site we are considering. I am finding that vetting sellers on Ebay and Etsy are also extremely important.

scary stuff! i will check more carefully. i use your site to know which supplements to buy, but now will be more careful where they come from.

Recently I called the manufacturer of a probiotic to ask if they sold through Amazon because I received a product (Microbiome Labs MegaSporeBiotic) that didn't seem right. They do not and have a fraud team looking at the problem. Not only does the fraudster have a full brand page, they direct the purchaser back to the real manufacturer for returns!!! Customer service rep said it's a huge issue in that they can't take the stuff back and the consumer is stuck. I talked to an Amazon customer service person by phone who refunded my money and promised to report the seller so the page could be taken down. Guess what, still there. Also the recommendation about reading reviews won't work either as I submitted one outlining my discussion with the manufacturer, and it was promptly rejected. No more supplement purchases from Amazon for me.

This is just one of the reasons I stopped using Amazon.

Thank the Lord for Consumerlab! I wish the FDA would assume responsibility for monitoring supplements but like so much in government...!

Thank you for bringing this to my attention. I do, indeed, buy NOW products on Amazon because they are often not available locally, and they ship for free. I live in Hawaii, and without Prime shipping the cost of shipping when buying from other sources can equal the cost of the product. I am careful about vetting sellers other than Amazon, though.

you are doing such a great job....thank you for keeping this old lady healthy

I love how you guys sniff out the bad guys and keep us informed. I use a lot of supplements so it's important to me to know who the good and bad guys are. My annual membership fee well spent. Thanks!

I stopped shopping on Amazon a long time ago!

I have relied on your expertise for many years. Thank you for all you do to keep us safe and healthy.

Appreciate the coverage of this potential problem. I always refer and research through ConsumerLab. com to help reduce the risk of counterfeits and low-to-no quality control when purchasing.

Thank you Consumer Labs, you are SO ON TOP of the problems that consumers face today--- You are my favorite clean/reputable/ and yes, truthful resource in today's conflicted markets!

Very helpful. Thank you.

Thank you so much for this info! I’ll be more careful in the future.

Very helpful article - thank you!

I try not to buy anything from Amazon because of this problem.

It SHOULD BE AMAZON'S PROBLEM if they are selling fake products. AMAZON SHOULD be held liable. They make TOO much money to NOT be liable for is on their website IN ANY WAY.

So appreciated this review of counterfeit products and how to deal with it. Buying from trusted source is important. Buying from trusted source is important. What is you thoughts of buying from Fullscripts? Thanks

Good suggestions! I just don't buy from Amazon.