Everything to Consider When Choosing an Online Supplement Store
Table of Contents
Dietary supplement use is at an all-time high. Taking a daily supplement is a good way to ensure you’re getting enough vitamins and minerals. In addition, certain supplements can help you accomplish your fitness goals. And buying supplements is easier now than ever, thanks to the internet and online supplement stores. Your favorite supplements are often cheaper online. But not all supplement online stores are legitimate. Before you order supplements, you’ll want to do some vetting to ensure the source is trustworthy.
Here are all of the factors you should consider when choosing an online supplement store. This way, you’ll not only find a trustworthy store but one you can go back to regularly.
Look at the Ingredients
The first place you should look is the ingredients list. The label can reveal this information:
- Amount of the supplement per serving
- Active and inactive ingredients
- Binders
- Fillers
- Flavorings
How do you read labels on products? First, make sure the supplement’s active ingredient is the supplement you’re wanting to consume. For example, that would be vitamin B12, Zinc, whey protein, etc. for the respective supplements.
While this advice might sound silly, you’ll be surprised how many products mislabel their supplements, stating they contain the supplement when they really don’t.
Even if the supplement is the active ingredient, you’ll want to continue doing your due diligence. That’s because of the chance that your supplements may be cut with other ingredients.
Research the recommended daily dose of the supplement and ensure the supplement contains the entirety or close to that percentage.
You’ll want to look at the label closely and know what you’re consuming. If there are other ingredients, research them to ensure they’re safe.
Read the Return Policy
All online stores have different return policies. It’s useful to know these policies before placing your order. The last thing you want to do is waste money when you weren’t satisfied with the order.
For example, some stores offer return policies for a certain number of days after you place you receive your product (let’s say 30 days as an example).
In addition, most stores have guidelines about returning used and opened products. Some are stricter about this rule while others are more lenient.
You’ll also want to consider the method of return payment. Most stores will give you a refund on the original form of payment, though others will only offer merchandise credit.
Read Customer Reviews
Reading online customer reviews can give you insight into the legitimacy of the business and the quality of its products. Make sure you read a combination of positive and negative reviews to create an accurate view of the brand.
What if the brand has only received positive reviews? While this may seem promising, make sure the reviews are all verified to ensure they’re from real customers. You’ll also want to look for red flags, such as oddly worded reviews and several reviews that lack details.
What if the store doesn’t have reviews? This may not be a bad thing. It could mean the store is new. But you’ll want to move to the next step if this is the case.
Visit Their Social Media Pages
Even if the store is new, they’re bound to have some social media pages. Look at what they post. Are they promoting their products? How often do they post?
You’ll also want to search their hashtags. See if others are posting about the company, are promoting their products, and even if they have influencers.
If the company doesn’t have social media pages or isn’t active on them, it’s definitely a red flag. Social media, for the most part, is completely free. It’s also easy to get in the habit of posting, even if a business doesn’t have a social media manager.
In other words, there’s no excuse for a company to not be active on social media.
Look for Experience
Sure, new stores are likely completely legitimate. But this is your money you’re spending. It’s best to find a store that has plenty of experience and a devoted customer base.
This is also important regarding returns and exchanges. If you don’t like your product, experienced stores will likely have better return and exchange policies compared to newer stores.
What kind of experience should you look for? Find a brand that has at least a year’s worth of experience. You can usually find this information in the brand’s About section on their website.
This is enough time to develop a secure checkout process and create a robust return policy. They may also carry better quality products compared to smaller stores.
Pay Attention to Claims
Yes, you likely take supplements for fitness to enhance your performance and reach your fitness goals faster. But be realistic — there’s a difference between claims backed by evidence and claims that are untrue.
Before buying supplements, research the supplement you want to take and the results you can expect. Compare this research with what the brand is saying about the products. Are they saying anything new? Are their claims backed by evidence or research?
If they’re overstating any claims, this is a major red flag. The FDA also has strict standards regarding what a company can say about its products. So much so to where recently, the FDA had to send warning letters to 10 different companies because of untrue claims.
All supplement stores should know about these guidelines. If they fail to follow them, that’s a huge red flag.
Know What You’re Looking For
When buying supplements online, you should know exactly what you want. Especially since there are so many options for supplements.
You should first start by identifying your goals. For example, are you trying to increase muscle mass while bodybuilding? What if weight loss is your goal? Identify your goals and conduct research to find a supplement that will help you accomplish your goals.
Once you find a supplement, conduct more research. Discover the potential side effects and the average dosage of the product. You’ll then want to know how you take the product, which brings us to our next section.
Administrative Methods
While taking a pill or chewable orally is the most common way to take a supplement, supplements now come with different administrative methods. These include:
- Tinctures and oils (for plant-based supplements)
- Topicals
- Vape (for certain supplements)
It’s definitely recommended you look into these different administrative methods. If a store also has a diverse catalog, it’s also a good sign. That means they likely have a large customer base and can offer a variety of products to satisfy their buyers.
Consider Your Future Goals
The goals you identified previously are likely goals you created for yourself now. But what about the future? Let’s say weight loss is your goal now. What happens when you reach your goal weight? Will you want to focus on maintaining your weight or maybe you’ll want to build muscle mass?
Considering your goals now and in the future is important to select the best supplements.
Let’s take the current weight loss goal and future muscle-building goals as examples. To lose weight, you may take a supplement like carnosine. After you reach your goal weight, you may want to start taking protein supplements to maximize your strength training results.
Make sure the supplement store carries these supplements and more.
Check the Price
Supplements are typically cheaper online, but you also don’t want to pay too little for your supplements. The “too good to be true” pricing usually means the product is of lesser quality.
That doesn’t mean a cheaper product is always bad. Some stores offer sales and deals on a regular basis. However, it’s recommended you compare products and pricing on different company websites. This way, you can buy your supplements at a great price.
Look for Site Security
One of the biggest problems of shopping online is security. Hackers can easily steal your credit card information, making purchases that leave you in debt or rack up your credit card.
The best way to prevent credit card hacking is to only buy from websites that offer website security.
Most browsers offer a convenient way to look at the exact type of site lock security and encryption the website has by clicking the padlock icon on the left side of the site URL. Another way to do this is by ensuring the website URL is HTTPS and not HTTP.
Choose the Best Online Supplement Store
When choosing an online supplement store, one of the crucial parts of your search is to know the best supplements to take. Don’t worry, you can get this information from our website.
From vitamins to CBD, we offer resources on all different types of vitamins. The advice we offer includes everything from the best supplements to take and how to ensure they’re safe.