# vitamin shipment/international mail service



## Guest (Oct 1, 2011)

Hello, I am trying to place a vitamin order through VitaminLife.com: New Chapter Vitamins : Source Naturals : Enzymatic Therapy : Solaray : Solgar : Jarrow Formulas : Zyflamend : Gaia Herbs : Country Life Vitamins : VitaminLife.com. Everything is great with this company that I have ordered from for years. However, they don't give options for fedex/UPS in their international shipping to Mexico. It has to go through the Mexico postal system. I'm not terribly concerned with waiting for the package because I am buying in advance but I am concerned that I will never see my $200 order of vitamins. Is the Mexican postal system reliable? Will vitamins make it through customs. I brought them through on the airplane when we moved here and everything was cool, although we didn't get the red light. Thanks!


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## maryellen1952 (Oct 5, 2009)

if you websearch "vitamin shipping to mexico" you will find the information. 




Raquel'sCocina said:


> Hello, I am trying to place a vitamin order through VitaminLife.com: New Chapter Vitamins : Source Naturals : Enzymatic Therapy : Solaray : Solgar : Jarrow Formulas : Zyflamend : Gaia Herbs : Country Life Vitamins : VitaminLife.com. Everything is great with this company that I have ordered from for years. However, they don't give options for fedex/UPS in their international shipping to Mexico. It has to go through the Mexico postal system. I'm not terribly concerned with waiting for the package because I am buying in advance but I am concerned that I will never see my $200 order of vitamins. Is the Mexican postal system reliable? Will vitamins make it through customs. I brought them through on the airplane when we moved here and everything was cool, although we didn't get the red light. Thanks!


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## RVGRINGO (May 16, 2007)

An order that large will certainly attract the attention of customs and duty will probably be applied. However, smaller orders; say, under $50 USD, will arrive by mail without duty in most cases.
That said, why use vitamins at all? The fresh food in Mexico is full of them!


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## maryellen1952 (Oct 5, 2009)

I agree with RVGringo. With the abundance of fresh fruits and vegetables, there should be minimal use of supplments unless you have specific problems. GNC has a store in Rosarito so I assume you will find them in more areas of Mexico. You can buy regular vitamins at most grocery stores although they are usually more expensive but it would be less than the cost of shipping from the U.S. Also there are many local Mexican herbs that are plentiful and you can usually buy them in teas at stores. I think if you will do more research you will find substitutes available in Mexico.


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## RVGRINGO (May 16, 2007)

Most supplements are 'urinated' away before doing any good for your body, as they aren't absorbed very well; not nearly as well as from fresh food. It is quite a waste of money, in my rather scientific opinion. If you do want to improve health with that $200, buy rice and beans for an orphanage, or an old folks home in Mexico. I promise that you will feel better.


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## joaquinx (Jul 3, 2010)

Aside from the GNC stores, fresh vegetables and fruits, and supermarkets, Mexico has a large number of _naturalistic_ stores that sell a wide variety of vitamins, supplements, etc. Try these stores before an attempt to import.


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## Guest (Oct 1, 2011)

Hello, I am trying to find out about the reliability of the postal system in Mexico not whether to purchase vitamins or not. Giving to the poor and purchasing vitamins are two separate issues as is whether we give up our TV and give to the poor with that exsess money. (The bottom line is being a giving person not what areas we decide to make sacrifices.) In any case, I was fully aware of the duty charges and fully aware of the other healthy eating choices in Mexico. My question, is regarding having something shipped through the postal service as opposed to Fedex or UPS. The other issues were not part of my question.....Again, my question is related to having a box (8 bottles of vitamins) shipped through the postal service is a reliable way to receive these. Otherwise I will go with a vitamin company who ships Fedex. Thank you.


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## joaquinx (Jul 3, 2010)

Raquel'sCocina said:


> Hello, I am trying to find out about the reliability of the postal system in Mexico not whether to purchase vitamins or not. . . my question is related to having a box (8 bottles of vitamins) shipped through the postal service is a reliable way to receive these. Otherwise I will go with a vitamin company who ships Fedex. Thank you.


Mexican postal system: sometimes it's reliable and sometimes it's not. It's not that predictable.


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## pappabee (Jun 22, 2010)

You could have saved a lot of our time by asking your question correctly. In your first post you said that you were trying to order some vits from a supplier and were questioning what mode of shipping to use.

You got some answers and some suggestions that you were wasting your time getting standard vits from the states when there are many better choices right here in Mexico.

Please next time ask the question that you really want answered.


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## Guest (Oct 1, 2011)

My question was related to shipping not whether I actulaly wanted to purchase vitamins or not. I did ask the correc question but received answers way off the point. Thank you Joaguinx for answering my question about shipping.


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## diego1749 (Oct 1, 2011)

*shipping*



Raquel'sCocina said:


> My question was related to shipping not whether I actulaly wanted to purchase vitamins or not. I did ask the correc question but received answers way off the point. Thank you Joaguinx for answering my question about shipping.


I understood your question from the beginning. You just wanted to know about shipping. I have had supplements and other things mailed from the U.S. to various cities in Mexico by national postal service and actually prefer them. I have had really serious issues with Fedex and DHL after the exorbitant prices they charge. I have absolutely no complaints with the national postal service. In fact, you are a lot less likely to be charged customs dusties with Correos de Mexico than with one of the expensive services. I have only paid duties with Correos once, and that was one of my shipments from China. If you do get stung, there's no way out but to pay, but, I figure I got away with a lot of them by that time. My money's on Correos de Mexico.


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## Guest (Oct 1, 2011)

Thank you Diego, your kindness means a lot to me given our need for particular suppliments etc. In any case, I appreciate your input regarding the postal service. It would save a lot of $$. thanks again!


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## Ulev (Jul 9, 2011)

Raquel'sCocina said:


> Thank you Diego, your kindness means a lot to me given our need for particular suppliments etc. In any case, I appreciate your input regarding the postal service. It would save a lot of $$. thanks again!


Hola
I also just have a question regarding the MX postal system.
I enjoy cigars of Havana lineage ...
Given the proliferation of fakes in Cabo,
I am considering having some shipped from Switzerland to my address in Cabo.
It is NOT. a time share address....
Any advice/comments ?


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## AaronD (Feb 24, 2010)

*MexPost, slow but generallly reliable. Some items CANNOT be imported readily*

MexPost (Sepomex). I have found the Mexican post here in Mérida to be generally reliable, though letter mail typically takes 1 mo. in either direction (US-Mex, Mex-US) as US airmail down here has to go through Mexico City and then, perhaps, by burro to the Yucatán. Magazines get delivered to my mail box, though some magazines get delivered by a courier service (many to Mexico City, where the service then posts them to me via Mexican mail!). If a package, the mailman deposits a slip that I need to show within 10 business day to collect at the local station serving our codigo postal (CP). If your mailman is incompetent or lacking a gasoline allowance, delivery can be even slower. Happily, the two _letreros_ in the two neighborhoods where we have lived here have been competent.

If your package shows a Mexican return address, and you do not pick it up in a timely fashion, the package may be forwarded to that return address, where there is another 10 days to collect.

Whoever collects the mail must have official ID on them and be named as the addressee. For expats here, the post office requires seeing our passports, and does not accept the Mexican Immigration card.

I always have mail here addressed to me and my wife if there is a chance that one of us will be away within a 2 month period after the order.

Non-personalized PRINTED matter enters duty-free and without the IVA tax, at least via the postal mail. (A book with an author´s greetings penned in could trigger tax as a personalized item.) 

Medicines CANNOT be imported via post or courier without (and forget trying this route) specific permission per shipment from the federal Ministry of Health. I do not know if vitamins fall under this virtual prohibition. If no one knowledgeable on this matter answers (even though this was not your actual question), check with a Mexican consulate (though their answer may or may not be reliable). Most vitamin companies should know whether or not their product can be shipped to private individuals in Mexico.

You are allowed to bring originally packaged vitamins and medicines for personal use in with you to Mexico, but that is not your question. Technically you should bring your Rx per medicine with your name, doctor, his/her registration, etc., but in practice I have never carried such nor been asked for such.


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## Guest (Oct 5, 2011)

Thank you Aaron the additional information on shipping is very helpful. As you mentioned I would "assume" that the vitamin company would not have shipping to Mexico if it wasn't allowed but I amy send an e-mail to their customer service dep. I don't think that vitamins are considered medicine but then I don't think that there is every a strict rule that is always followed, so some officials might consider them medicine and others not. I did check with the Mexican consolate in Denver about taking them iwth us on our arrival and he said that there was absolutly no problem with that. I didn't ask him about shipments now that we are living here. I think what I might do is order a half batch and see what happens. That way if there is a problem I haven't lost the whole amount invested. Thanks for your input, this is our first mailling of any sort to our address in Mexico so we are a bit uncertain about the whole thing. Thanks again!


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## pappabee (Jun 22, 2010)

FYI, you are allowed to bring in both RX and vitamins for personal use when you travel into Mexico and there are some restrictions. But your question is cn you ship vitamins into Mexico. That is an entire different set of concerns. First of all the shipment will probably be held by customs for some time. They must decide if these are truly vitamins. or something else. Also remember that, in Mexico, disbursing Rx's is entirely different than in the states. In the states you need a prescription for almost everything but in Mexico for many drugs you just need to go and tell them what you want and they give it to you. 

Just the fact that a company will ship something to Mexico does not mean that customs will accept it. For the most part, totally natural vitamins can be sent into Mexico without much problem. Customs will check that the vitamins are completely natural or that any additives are on the approved list. (if that list exists at that customs station) Then they must decide if any of the 'all natural/organic' contents are on the prohibitive list. Grass might be all natural/organic but you can't have it mixed in with B12 and consider it allowed. 

For the most part the vitamins should eventually get to you. Now there are some companies (I understand that Mail Box Etc is one of them) that have contracts with the Mexican customs to ship certain vitamins into Mexico. ((this is something I was told by an employee at MBE--no proof or not))

Best thing to do is to find someone who is coming into Mexico and ask them to bring them in for you. Just be sure that you're not ordering so many that it looks like they might be for resale. Neither you or your friend really want to see the inside of a Mexican jail, do you?


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