Vitamins at Wholesale Prices!
Written: Feb 04 '02 (Updated Feb 04 '02)
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When going to this website you will immediately be redirected to vitacost.com. Vitacost recently acquired vitaminsplus.com. They sell the same items plus more.
The thing about vitamins, is that you really can't buy them in the traditional stores. I have never been able to find what I was looking for in the stores. Sure, they all carry A, B, C and E but they don't get past the single letters.
I was flipping between 4 online vitamin shops and ended up ordering from this site primarily due to the inexpensive WHOLESALE prices, the second being shipping cost, and finally the guarantees.
Drawbacks
I'm going to start with the drawbacks to get them out of the way. These are comparisons to other similar website, and nothing is particularly important enough to take away from the site.
Somewhat Poor Descriptions
I'm not a doctor, I don't know the benefits of each vitamin. I had to do my research online for the vitamins that could take care of my symptoms and then search for them on the vitacoast website. If you click the "Info" button next to the product it will give you a short and long description of the product. In most cases, it doesn't tell you what it is known to help or improve as some of the other vitamin websites do.
No Pictures
There were not pictures for most items which was disappointing to be because I like to see what I'll be getting. I was searching for a particular item that I saw elsewhere and wanted to see it was the same which was not possible. You can also tell quickly if it is liquid, drops, or tablets.
Selection
There were 2 particular items that I really wanted that I could find on 3 other websites that but could not find (of any brand) on this site. (On the other hand, I found some other helpful vitamins I didn't see on the other sites.)
Backorders
Unfortunately your whole order is held up if one item is on backorder. If something goes on backorder, they will notify you in writing via postal mail. In my case, it was going to be 30 days before an item I ordered would be in stock so they canceled that particular item and processed the rest of my order.
Pros
Prices
Prices were consistently cheaper than any other vitamins store that I looked at on the web for the items I ordered both per item and total shipping.
Policies
EVERYTHING you need to know about the company, policies, shipping, returns, etc. are all located on the "Help" tab. All information is complete, detailed, and easy to find.
Shipping
Shipping prices are VERY reasonable at just $4.95 for priority shipping no matter how much you order. Items ordered before 1:00 PM ship the same day, all others ship the next day.
Overnight and international shipping is available only by phone orders.
Important Business Practices
- 30-day money back guarantee (unopended products minus shipping)
- Verisign - secure credit card
- Better Business Bureau (BBB) online
- Trust-E - privacy practices
- Online tracking of order
- The site does not carry vitamins that have been proven ineffective by the CDC
- Safety Pledge - They won't sell vitamins that are proven harmful (specifically diet aids)
- Newsletters
- MD message board (mentioned below)
Ordering Process
You can order online, by fax, or phone.
Ordering at this site is very easy. Simply search for what you are looking for, or browse by topic. When you find what you are looking for, click the icon that says "buy". When you are finished, you can check out.
All that is needed to check out is a mailing address, billing address, and credit card number. No unnecessary information is requested.
After confirming your order, there will be an online invoice you can print. You will also receive an e-mail.
If you have questions later about what you ordered, you can click "Your Account" at the top of the home page and it will list your invoices.
Payment Methods:
Order by Web, Fax, Phone, or mail and pay with Visa, Master Card, American Express, Discover/Novus. check/money order is available by mail only. Customer Service is available evenings and weekends.
Website Features
Ask the Doctor
There is a message board for questions about vitamins and health which are answered by a doctor. You can look through the questions from the last 30 days or ask your own. They of course will not give out medical advice.
Product Categories
On the product tab you'll find a list of categories with recommended vitamins for common circumstances. For example it is first separated by type: body care, herbs, minerals, specialty, formulas, grocery, food bars, homeopathy, supplements, sports, low carb, vitamins. Under each of these are specific needs such as diet, cold, arthritis, etc.
Under this section is a list of all manufacturers. By clicking the manufacturer's name you'll see the items they sell.
If you scroll down to the very bottom, there is a list for health concerns such as cardiovascular, weight management, mens health, womens health, vision, etc.
My experience
I ordered 11 items Wednesday evening and received 10 of them Monday. It was scanned by the post office which delayed delivery.
My items came safely and well packaged in a priority box. Items that were in glass bottles were wrapped securely with bubble wrap.
Although delivery included a tracking number, I was unable to check the status online. In order to track your order, you'll need to call customer service.
One of my items was on backorder. There was a very polite and professional letter attached to my invoice indicating one of my items would be on backorder for 30 days. They credited my account for the item and indicated that I will need to re-order it.
Recommended:
Yes
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About the Author
Location: Nashville, TN
Reviews written: 723
Trusted by: 187 members
About Me: DNT TXT & DRV
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