Hi,

Has anyone imported supplements for personal use before? I ordered some from iherb.com and seems its stuck in kastams for 1 week already. Wondering if anyone has experience in this and whether its normal that kastam take so long to clear it.

I think yours have been confiscated by MOH. Herbal supplements need registration with MOH. There will not be problems if you purchase 1 or 2 bottles. If you buy in bulk, it would be classified as illegal import even though for personal use.

Did you receive a letter from MOH?

I bought 4 bottles. So far I haven't received any letter. Called up the courier and they said just have to wait cause its still at kastam.
So if its confiscated, I should received a letter from MOH?

In that case, I think you have to wait for clearance. If it was confiscated, MOH would send you a letter.
Usually custom clearance is pretty fast if you are not tax.

not really 4rings.
bought some stuff from bb.com.
stuck for a good one month.

guess if stuck for on month, probably better than confiscated
fingers crossed that they release it fast. Wonder what they need to do that takes so long for them to release

I never had problem with that. Mine usually arrived within 2 weeks. The fastest was 5 days. Got confiscated once when I bought 10 bottles of assorted products. 700+ gone. I don't buy more than 2 bottles now.

bro...the RM700+ is the confiscated product? not that you just pay the taxes and they should give you the goods? then if order those whey protein from Bodybuilding.com, still possible to get through without being held / confiscated / being taxed???

would love to learn more about this...thanks bro...

I did too many years ago.
I ordered Spirulina from Japan. Only 1 pack (2000tabs) for own consumption but it was also confiscate by MOH.
I then received letter from them. If i can remember it correctly is was a warning letter stating supplement need registration from MOH Malaysia.

this is the risk u take when u buy it urself rather than get it from local importers, if there is.

Some updates. Finally found out from DHL what happened to my supplements. Apparently now its being held by the pharmacy department of Jabatan Kesihatan Sabah. They told me its not approved to go in. So later this week I have to go to their office to find out if I can get it out.

Stupid DHL, never tell me that till I go and chase them.

My advise is that do not collect it as you are importing supplement without approval from the MOH Malaysia. I did not collect mine as I was advise by my pharmacist friend, do not collect & let them confiscate it as it's already an offence for not getting approval.
Anyway u can try your luck whether u can successfully collected them or get warning on the spot from them.

Good Luck!!!

Don't waste your time going there. You cant get them back once they are confiscated.

I just came back from Jabatan Kesihatan, 4Rings is rite, Once confiscated, can't get it out since its already against the law. They don't even look at the contents of the box. As long as its labeled health supplements its confiscated.

There are a few options, the staff there were pretty friendly at explaining the law to me. Seems I can do one of the following:

1. File a complaint with the courts and fight it out there.
2. Register a company and register the products to be imported in.
3. Write an appeal letter to get the item sent back to the supplier.

I'm probably going with option 3 since the others might involve spending more money.

Apparently, for personal use, u can write to MOH first before you import it in. There's a catch though, this is valid ONLY if you have a life threatening illness.

For those who managed to import in supplements successfully, did you use normal post? I heard that using couriers increase the likelihood that it would be confiscated.

It should be the same since sending by normal post, u too have to declare what is being send.

Whey protein is a food product. So there is no problem.

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Added on July 14, 2010, 8:20 pmIt would be better to get a doctor to write a letter for you for the application. A doctor's letter is more valid than a letter written by you.
A friend did that for her daughter who was suffering from leukemia then.

So far there is one guy here who managed to get in unregistered products in successfully. He is selling the products on this forum.

Most of the time the sellers used normal mail when I bought online. I just received 2 bottles of melatonin.

This post has been edited by 4Rings: Jul 14 2010, 08:20 PM

I'm planning to buy some spirulina from iherb.com

However, done some extensive search online and concluded that the items might get confiscated.

It's in powdered form. 1lbs tub.

Any opinions guys? Should I buy?



This post has been edited by entryman: Sep 14 2011, 10:46 PM

if i order muscletech weight protein and lipo 6 fat burner, are they safe from confiscation since it's protein and caffeine .

Depends on your luck. Caffeine in supplements is banned in malaysia.

There are many sellers here selling bodybuilding supplements, dietary supplements, and also those that are conducting bulk orders for different products at once. All these products certainly do not have BPFK or MAL registration.

How do they get it past customs?????

This post has been edited by entryman: Sep 16 2011, 02:00 AM