Sports Nutrition, Supplements, Vitamins & Weight Loss Products For Less - The Vitamin Bin
Written: Jun 14 '03 (Updated Sep 27 '04)
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There is a very good chance that if it weren't for Epinions, I would have never come across The Vitamin Bin. When I was looking through the sport nutrition section and saw the store listed as one of the vendors for products that I use on a regular basis, I clicked on the link to see exactly what they had to offer – and more importantly – what their prices were like. Well folks, I can say that this is a great site with a tremendous amount of inventory, excellent customer service and your order is shipped so fast you’ll be amazed. As with all internet storefronts, there will always be some items that aren't exactly the lowest so this is where the shipping costs have to be looked at as well. If a site if going to offer a flat rate shipping fee on top of great prices – chances are they'll get a ton of word of mouth advertising. So far I've placed [and received] three orders from The Vitamin Bin and am pleased with the service, navigation, prices, shipping costs and method of packaging.
Navigation
There are a few different ways that you can get around the site – by product, manufacturer or category. The search engine is always helpful for getting suggestions but if this is your first time at the site you might want to just cruise through some of the larger sections to see what they offer, prices and the information that they provide. If you start to browse using the category section it is important to make sure that you look for the links that will lead you into the sections. When I first started visiting the site I would click on a topic and be led to a page that listed a single item – I never bothered to click on it and assumed that there weren't any products listed. Boy, was I ever mistaken! For the most part all the items that are listed at the site are featured with a color photo, detailed explanation of what they will do for you, price and ingredients. IF you have any questions about a product please call the toll free number for more help.
Selection
The one advantage that Vitamin Bin has over other sites is the number of products that they sell. You might assume that they sell vitamins, sport supplements and weight loss products but there is so much more to the site than that. You can pick up athletic clothing, fitness books and videos, energy bars, protein powders, meal replacements powders, hair removers, stop smoking aides, posing oils and more. There are so many products at the site that you could literally get lost trying to go through them all – if you get a little confused just click the "home" tab to go back to the main page. Some of the manufacturer names you will come across at the site include Champion Nutrition, HDT, Jan Tana, Zone Nutrition, Cytodyne, Syntrax, TwinLab, Optimum Nutrition, SportPharma and about a hundred more – and that's just the sport nutrition and supplement section! If you are having trouble finding a specific product or are unsure about the manufacturer, give the search engine a try. If all else fails, call the toll free number to speak with someone that actually knows something about the products that are listed at the site.
Products Purchased
I've made a lot of purchases through the site but I'll admit that about half of what I've picked up have been for other people. I have a lot of friends that are into lifting weights and body building so when I come across a good deal I'll stock up on products for birthdays, holidays or just for a surprise. The Vitamin Bin has a wide selection of sport bars [energy, meal replacement, high protein, low carb etc] and I've gotten some great prices on them when they have been on sale – and even when they weren't on sale – the prices were extremely competitive with my local retail sport supply stores. The real kicker is if you can get free shipping – that really sweetens the deal and could end up saving you more than a few dollars.
This is one of the few sites that carries all of the NVE Pharmaceuticals products – if that name doesn't sound familiar – maybe Stacker will. They carry all the generations of Stacker 2 as well as Stacker 3, multi packs and other NVE products. They have the best price when you combine it with free shipping offers. I've picked up Universal Nutrition's Animal Paks, Optimum Nutrition Creatine Liquid Energy, Syntrax Beta 3, Muscle Tech Hydroxycut and TwinLab Glucosamine Fuel. All of these products were brand new, still factory sealed and had expiration dates of at least nine months. There's no need to worry about getting 'close to expiration date' products, items that have been purchased in bulk due to misprints or any shady deals. They offer you the best price because they purchase directly from the source – no middle man means no middle man commission.
Prices
Stacker 3 [100 count bottle]
The Vitamin Bin: $26.95
Global Netrition.com: $27.95
Powerhouse Supplements: $24.95 [sale price]
ViaCities: $28.95
Cytodyne Xenadrine RFA-1 [120 count bottle]
The Vitamin Bin: $29.95
BeyondMuscle.com: $ 29.95
MuscleDriver.com: 39.95
Affordable Supplements: $26.99
Syntrax MM-4 [90 count bottle]
The Vitamin B: $24.95
Netrition: $23.94
MuslceSurf.com: $24.95
NirvanaNutrition.com: $27.95
Please note, these prices were taken from websites on June 12, 2003 and may not be accurate to the penny. Please double check all prices before you place and order as well as any specials and shipping discounts that may have been recently added.
Return Policy
You have 30 days to make a return to VitaminBin in the event that you do not wish to keep an item. To avoid the 15% restocking fee you should arrange to send back the item within ten days by requesting an RMA [Return Merchandise Authorization] number. Please make sure that you obtain an RMA and write this on the packing slip when you make your return so you can avoid a restocking fee as well as expediting your refund. If you have any questions about how to return your item please call the toll free number at [800] 817-7724 so you can be assured that you'll receive your credit in a timely fashion.
Payment Options
You can pay for your order with your MasterCard, Visa, American Express or Discover Card. If you prefer to pay with a money order it must be from an American bank and made payable to The Vitamin Bin. Personal checks are accepted but your order won't ship until the check clears and the funds have been drawn from your account. I've used both MasterCard and Visa at the site and have never had a problem with processing, billing or being charged an amount other than what was listed during the check out process.
Customer Service
The Vitamin Bin
153 Northboro Road, Suite 15
Southborough, MA 01772
[800] 817-7724
www.thevitaminbin.com
info@thevitaminbin.com
Customer service is simply exceptional on every level. When you call with a question or concern you will be speaking to someone that has working knowledge of the product line and if they can't answer your question they will be able to direct you to someone that can. You'll get emails when your order is processed and shipping, the tracking number if applicable and updates if there is a problem with something that you ordered. When you deal with this site you'll be treated with respect and more like a friend than an unseen customer that's referred to by a number rather than a name.
The Bottom Line
Overall I am really impressed with the site, customer service, prices, selection and shipping times that Vitamin Bin offers. If you are looking to save a little money when purchasing sport supplements, weight loss products or herbal blends, I highly suggest that you check out what the site has to offer. You'll get pop up free browsing, tons of areas to explore, details about products and great deals on shipping from time to time. If you are sick of getting ripped off, slow delivery times, over priced products and less than exceptional customer service, check out Vitamin Bin for the cure!
As always, thanks for the visit!
^V^ Freak ^V^
© 2003 Freak369
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Recommended:
Yes
What product did you purchase or try to purchase? Energy products, weight loss bars, low carb meal replacement powders.
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