Comparing supplement prices across countries fails on numbers you cannot see
Comparing supplement prices across countries on the shelf price doesn't work, because the landed cost depends on duty, tax and the panel itself. A jar listed at $27.99 with 120 capsules that does not move for 12 months has a different cost basis from the same 120 capsules sold at $19.99 and repackaged every 6 months. That gap shows up in freshness, in label changes, and in what happens when a batch gets pulled.
If you want to see this on a real label, the Aged Garlic Extract Gummies 90 Count - 45 Day Supply, Subscribe and Save Available product page carries the full Supplement Facts panel.
Tax, duty, and the threshold that changes the answer
A US order carries state sales tax, disclosed at checkout. A cross-border order often carries none of that, which is why the shelf price looks lower, and instead carries import duty, a customs handling fee and a carrier brokerage charge that turn up at your door rather than on the product page. Two jurisdictions can land the same item differently depending on declared value.
Take the landed cost, the price plus shipping plus tax plus any duty, and divide it by servings. A 120-capsule bottle at two capsules a day is 60 servings, so $27.99 with $6.00 shipping works out at $0.57 per day. A 60-capsule bottle at $21.99 with shipping included is 30 servings at $0.73 per day. The second has the lower headline price and the higher daily cost.
You're comparing the panel next, and that is where it breaks down
Two products with the same name can carry different actives, different doses and different serving sizes. Magnesium taurate at 1800 mg per serving isn't interchangeable with another magnesium salt at 300 mg per serving, and a count of 60 means nothing until you know whether the serving is one gummy or two. Compare the stated amount per serving first, then divide the price by the days the container actually covers.
That's the only comparison that survives a currency change. It normalises the tax treatment and the shipping structure in one move, and it works the same way whether the label is in dollars or euros.
A 2 minute check before you order anything
Open the label, find the stated amount per serving, and write down the days of supply. Total the price, the shipping and any duty you can estimate. Divide one by the other. It's dull arithmetic, and it beats discovering the real cost at the doorstep.
You might find the imported option wins by a few cents. You might find it loses by $4.00. Either way you'll know which one you're buying, rather than guessing from a price that stops at the border.
The limits of the method, stated plainly
Per day cost ignores quality differences you can't price, and it assumes you finish the container. If a formula doesn't suit you, a lower cost per day on a 120 count means a bigger write-off than a lower cost per day on a 60 count. Serving-based maths also breaks down when you split a dose, since half a serving is not a documented unit.
We ship within the United States only. That's a limit, not a boast. If you live elsewhere, the arithmetic above is the reason we don't quote a shelf price and pretend it's the final one.
A second case, where the cheaper shelf price lost
A reader in a neighbouring state found the same 120 count at $23.00 and ordered three. Shipping came to $11.00, the carrier billed a $7.50 handling charge on the declared value, and one bottle arrived with a damaged lid. Per day, the "cheaper" order landed at $0.74. Our single bottle at $27.99 with $6.00 shipping was $0.57. The lesson isn't that one shop is better. It's that a $4.99 gap on the label is well inside the error band of the extras.
Frequently asked questions
Why does the same product cost less elsewhere?Show answerHide answer
Different taxes, different distribution costs and sometimes a different formulation.
Can I order from another country cheaper?Show answerHide answer
Occasionally, before shipping and customs. Rarely after.
What is worth comparing then?Show answerHide answer
Cost per serving within a single market, and the panel itself.
These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.
