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.

---

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

I bought Lycopene thru iHerb.com and use the normal post without tracking and all that. It was delivered about 3 weeks after ordering without any problem with customs.

Then again, I don't know about spirulina.

deym...

this really makes me nervous...

Bought myself 3 items from iherb.com. All less than RM500 equivalent. arrived after 4 days through DHL.

I think you should have some permit to clarify this from custom

Just wanted to let everyone know. I ordered two boxes from iherb.com Some supplements, some not (bentonite clay). Both boxes got confiscated. Received notice after 4 weeks that it's all confiscated.

This was sent via regular mail. I've been able to import before using FedEx, they gave hard time, but eventually got through.

My advice is, send through a friend. According to this: http://portal.bpfk.gov.my/index.cfm?&menuid=96

10. Can unregistered medicines for personal use be brought into Malaysia?
Under the Control of Drugs and Cosmetics Regulations 1984, the requirements for drug registration does not apply to a person who arrives in Malaysia and imports, as part of his personal luggage, any product for his use or his family's use, in a quantity that does not exceed one month's use by one person.

Actual law states:

(3) The provisions of subregulations (1) relating to importation do not apply to any person
arriving in the Federation from a place outside the Federation who imports, as part of his
personal luggage, any product meant solely for his use or for the use of his family in a quantity
not exceeding that which may be reasonably required for one month's use by one person, or to
any officer of the Government importing any product in the course of his duty, or to any person
who, in accordance with the written consent of the Authority, brings any product into the
Federation in transit.


So have a friend.. or better yet, have a friend in Government.

How much was the total of the items you bought?

I recently bought from iherb.com for the 3rd time and it took almost a month to be delivered to me. Had some probiotic supplements, pet food and pet shampoo but they declared everything as supplements for personal use. The last 2 times I bought from iherb.com, took less than 3 weeks to be delivered and it was purely supplements only.

About USD$75 per box. Going to go and plead my case, see if I can get some of the stuff. Some of it wasn't even supplements.. like bentonite clay.

Y not list out the items u plan to buy then make a call to MOH b4 placing order? Safer that way.

I've ordered 2 bottles of fish oil and 3 bottles of tea tree oil from iherb mid last month and until now, there no sign of delivery (send via normal delivery). i didnt get any mail from kastam as well.

it has been 5 weeks and still no sign of arrival....

If order from iherb, please pay little bit of shipping using the DHL because the free shipping without tracking is dangerous because I had bad experience of missing parcel. POS Malaysia HQ now under renovation, many missing parcels happen. All international parcels must arrive at HQ first, so you understand what I mean.

If you purchase below RM500, custom normally won't disturb. Otherwise 10% tax.

If buy from iherb, you can get $10 off if first order is more than USD40 or $5 off if below USD40. But you need to key in referral code (of anyone). My referral code is JZG052 if you don't mind to fill up this.

Happy shopping.

i just got the package after close to 6 weeks.

What for? All are illegal unless you have a license.

It's not the Customs you have to worry about, it's Farmasi Malaysia who confiscate.

Here's the letter I received (details redacted):

I actually read and heard that DHL is more strict with the customs declarations compared to the free shipping.

Using Fedex I imported a box of homeopathic meds once. FedEx called me asking for farmasi certificate. I said I didn't know about any certificate.... After a few days, they just released it. Go figure. ...

I also read that if you use DHL, they will likely open up your package to check the content and if you have supplements, they'll hold it. I want to buy spirulina and fish oil from iherbs, just a bottle each but now i'm confused - should I opt for non-tracking free delivery or should i pay for DHL only to risk confiscation?

If anyone has experience, please share which is better or at least has a higher chance of skipping the scrutiny of MOH/customs. Thanks.

Regardless of which courier you use, if you order just two to three
small to medium size bottles at a time, they will usually let it go.

I introduced this woman in my office to Nature's Best UK some years ago.
She had no problem bringing in their glucosamine and chondroitin sulfate,
quite big bottles of 180 too, around two at a time.


http://www.naturesbest.co.uk/glucosamine-cglucon/


She then bragged about their really cheap price to some relative or friend
who then conveniently asked her to order extra bottles.

Without thinking, she promptly ordered 4 bottles, which were all confiscated.

If you order several bottles of the same product at a time, they will think
you are some distributor or retailer.

Thanks for the advice. Will make sure to only buy 2 bottles at a time. Hope they'll be no problem.

There was once they had a promo for the supplement that I was taking. 4 bottles at a lower price, so I bought 4 one shot.

Didn't have any issues with the customs though. But it's still best to not buy too many of the same product.

Customs are more strict these days - they have 'quota' to meet

My last 5 parcels with DHL (although not supplements), above RM500 all kena tax. Previously only 1-2 times out of 10 times.

I made few orders end of December 2012, until now i have not receive the parcel. I used the free delivery.... i guess its as good as gone... sigh...
However anyway i can at least know whats the reason? I dont receive any letter from kastam or MOH... it has been 2 months.

Most of the stuff i ordered were supplements however some are just essential oil or even tea... none arrived.

how much did u import?

Ive been considering to order on iHerb, but worry about custom duty as my intention total order can't be made through normal delivery.
was wondering how much did u get taxed for orders above RM500?

Again, are protein powders considered as supplements?

I've made 6 orders from iherb and so far with no issues with custom. Each order is about usd 60-90.delivery time is normally 3-6 Weeks using the cheapest delivery fees. My orders are mainly vitamins.

I think the key is not to order too many of same product at the same time and make suite the order amount is not too much.

If you're making your first order in iherb, you can use my referral code JUT477 to entitle for discounts

Noted. I know that with the cheapest delivery there wont be any problems with custom. Since my orders are above 2lbs i wont be able to use the cheapest delivery either. Hence, was wondering what are the rates the custom would charge (if any) on iHerb orders (not supplements or vitamins).

max amount i dare to buy for similar product is 2 only..
i bet u were using the signature-unneeded postage way.. if not sure tahan one if not confiscated..

o..ok.. noted.. rm500 would be taxed.. my max taxless purchase was around rm300..
u were taxed 10 percent?

Yea, the cheapest postage method. Have purchased from iHerb few times already using that postage method, so far no problems but sometimes need to wait very long for it to be delivered. Have bought all sorts of stuffs, from supplements to shampoo to dog food.

From what I read, if you use registered one, sure kena tahan and kena taxed.

received my item from bb.com today without any problem, package reach within 1 week. i took a glance at the kastam statement and it says anything under RM500 would be tax free...

Customs started getting stricter from about Sep 2012. As you said they have a quota to meet and are also being audited for performance.

Hmm... that is a bit long. Anyway, by today still not arrived yet?

Using the cheap shipping method with no tracking is a bit risky - the risk being on the Malaysian side. I don't know what goes on in Malaysia, whether it is kastam or Pos Malaysia, etc which is giving the problem with late delivery or in many cases, non-delivery. Oh well, if wanna save cost then have to face some risk.

Use the cheapest method will saved you from Kastam..10-20days to arrive n must check with Pusat Mel within that time..if DHL,must go through clearance..I ordered many time using cheapest method(below rm300),no problem..order two times using DHL one go through mo prob n 2nd one they put warning letter inside my parcel...so how to apply license to import herb/supplement?btw I ordered Now Hawthorn Berry,good for hypertension..

You can't apply a license to import herbal products. You need to register the product or products with the Pharmaceutical Department. The process may take up to 2 years and it would cost a few thousand bucks per product. Once approved, you will be given MAL # and you can import them legally.

How u know its stuck in customs?,

Hi, I would like to share my experience of importing supplements through courier service, the vendor is Puritan Pride and I m using DHL (not express)
. They are total of 5 orders make since mar 2013 and for each order the total amt is less than RM 500 and the total bottles per order is from 15 to 33 (max is 9 bottles per 1 product). Fortunately my orders is never been confiscated by MOH or Kastam.
Normally I received my parcel after 14 to 21 days from confirmed shipment date.

Anyway I never order supplement from IHerb

Its been 22 days and my iherb parcel has not arrived yet. Does anyone know who to call regarding this? Is it with poslaju or the customs dept?

My 2nd iherb last order was via normal delivery and it took 2 months for me to get the shipment. I last ordered via dhl and I got it in 4 days with no oasis

Two months? That is just insane, did u call dhl to find out?

the 2 months delivery was for iherb order for normal delivery method. the order that was shipped by dhl arrived in 4 days.

Do you know who handles the normal delivery here in malayia? My parcel must have ended up somewhere..

it must be stucked in kastam. my parcels are always stucked in kastam for ages even though it's cleared by them...no idea it took them so long to release the items

K, i'll try looking up the contact for the customs dept.

JutaMind,
How many botol of supplements in your last order via DHL ?

Total value of the offer is about usd 70, consisting of 2 bottles of supplements & 3 bottles of creams

if I want to order 4 bottles of different product of supplement from IHerb via DHL, don't know whether it will confiscate by kastam or not.
Normal Mail is take too long to reach here

If you choose DHL or UPS International as your shipping method, they'll send an itemized invoice along with your order. These invoices will indicate the name of each product you ordered, the quantity of each item, and the cost.

If it's indicated health supplements, it will be checked by the medical team, then pass to Customs...

If it's held in the Customs, DHL has to go n collect on behalf of their customer and charged the fees incurred to the customer...

Hi All, I ordered through iHerb on last week, and receive the parcel a week after. Unfortunately, in my box comes with the warning letter from the Pharmacy Department. I just bought 6 different bodybuilding supplements which is just multivitamins, omega 3 and digestive enzymes. There are supplement company in Malaysia but they markup their price so high. At iHerb you can get the same thing with such a good bargain. Hmmmm. It seems I cant buy it anymore in near future. Luckily I didnt get to repeat my order yet.

I hate to dig up old threads but I really think this law is ridiculous. I just ordered some vitamin D3, K2, krill oil and astaxanthin and the reason I did that is because the ones sold on Lazada or other Malaysian websites are unfairly priced at 5x the prices on iHerb. The problem is that I’ve already made my orders and they’re already shipped, only to know that they might get stuck at the customs.

Some crucial supplements are just not available in Malaysia and even if they are, they are prohibitively expensive. I hope they’ll be changes to this ridiculous law and that all Malaysians are allowed to enjoy affordable supplements.

Did your shipping go through?

Just Ordered from iHerb , hopefully can get the items within 2 months ..... i had separated 2 orders which each parcel less than 2lb weight .

will try to update over here once receive it .
iHerb > Just key in the coupon code AOG4856 for US$10 discount[SIZE=7]

https://www.iherb.com/?rcode=AOG4856

This post has been edited by collarpinmalaysia: Jul 7 2018, 12:00 AM

Nah , its about RM160 each parcel . Just test out if everything ok . I dont wanna wait 2 months for first parcel then place order again and wait for another 2 months.....

if it come through then i will get both parcel in the same time . if it doesn't then ....let it be .

The estimated delivery day is --- Friday, July 27th - Wednesday, August 8th .

iHerb > Just key in the coupon code AOG4856 for US$10 discount

https://www.iherb.com/?rcode=AOG4856

look how slow it is ........ it's been 4 days and the parcel still at melrose park.............

Jul 7, 2018
6:06
AM CDT
UNITED STATES
EN ROUTE TO DHL ECOMMERCE DISTRIBUTION CENTER
5:51
AM CDT
UNITED STATES
ELECTRONIC NOTIFICATION RECEIVED: YOUR ORDER HAS BEEN PROCESSED AND TRACKING WILL BE UPDATED SOON

Jul 9, 2018
4:16
PM CT
Melrose Park, IL, US
PROCESSING COMPLETED AT ORIGIN
7:30
AM CT
Melrose Park, IL, US
PROCESSED
5:38
AM CT
Melrose Park, IL, US
ARRIVAL AT DHL ECOMMERCE DISTRIBUTION CENTER


This post has been edited by collarpinmalaysia: Jul 16 2018, 04:09 PM

Latest update ,

both parcel arrived KL ,malaysia .

Hopefully can get it soon .

fast huh ~ Let see if i can get'em by these few days .


ARRIVAL AT DESTINATION COUNTRY – TRACKING UPDATES MAY END HERE, DELIVERY SHORTLY

July 15 2018 10:06:00

KUALA LUMPUR , MY ,


This post has been edited by collarpinmalaysia: Jul 16 2018, 04:09 PM

Hi

This post has been edited by behzad_alemi: Jul 29 2018, 10:46 AM

Received both parcels today ~ everything fine no kacau from custom .

Just took about 12 days from usa to malaysia , i would say not bad .

remember to keep the total amount below usd 40 each parcel and the weight should not exceed 4. lbs / 1.8kg per parcel

Choose Global mail by DHL - Free shipping for orders over RM161.64

Due to price so much different. I purchased supplements for my family members from iHerb few times since June, every time around USD100 and delivered within 4 working days without issue.
Today, my supplements worth USD275 arrived but together with a warning letter stating illegal import can be fine RM25,000 or 3 years imprison!
After you or anyone received Warning letter and still buying without problem? Cause Im expecting last order worth of USD 400 weighting 5.6lbs!

That is why you need to choose Global Mail by DHL instead of DHL Express

I tried Global Mail by DHL once, it took more than 1 month and tracking stop when it reached Malaysia custom. 2 weeks later, I called up to check with DHL, the person in charge said they already handled it to local post to deliver. The disadvantage is if nobody available during the parcel delivery. The delivery is consider unsuccessful and the parcel will return to vendor. I think this is too risky

AnY way to bypass the love letter yet if dnot want normal mail?

Any way to track local post if I call up Pos Malaysia with only the DHL Global mail tracking number?

This post has been edited by sagethesausage: Oct 12 2018, 12:44 PM

I ordered 2 items from iherb. 1 was preworkout, the other was theanine pills. 1 bottle of each, obviously for personal use.
DHL message me to say the health department are holding it and I cannot collect unless i regsiter as an importer with FOSIM.

I tell them clearly 2 bottles is personal use and this is not even prescription medication, its supplements, i.e. FOOD. They say procedure is I need to register with FOSIM or they will return to sender.

FOSIM is basically you need business permit number, and you need to register yourself as an importer of food. Which obviously is ridiculous to receive 2 supplements, so I just told them to forget it.

I'm not really happy with iHerb and I advise Malaysians to not use the site. I've ordered from many Malaysian sites and never had a problem. THis one seems to have a .my website, but it's actually importing from Korea or somewhere overseas, so there's a high chance your shipment will get stopped and if it does, forget about it. There's no warning on their website. It's not like we're ordering illegal or even borderline stuff. This is stuff I can go to the mall and buy from GNC (same ingredients different price/quantities only).

So lesson learned is don't use iHerb, or other foreign sites to import supps.

Actually any supplement needs to be registered (that FOSIM) before it can be legally brought into our country. Not just iHerb, but any other sites that ship your supplement from overseas to Malaysia will get stuck. If somehow it passed through, it's your own fortune but you may not be lucky all the time.

yeah that's what I said, iHerb or any foreign site. Be careful as some sites have .my in the name but are not Malaysian, always check first they should tell you where they ship from

Aiyo why so ma fan need to import from overseas? Local don't have sell meh. Search harder mah. Now local brands got more extensive product portfolio. Why need to use iherb?

Hello! As I understand, this is a problem for many people. Not everyone needs extra vitamins or protein if you get it from food. You always need a doctor's consultation.

i bought 1 bottle of vegan protein from My protein (RM70++) last week. Sent from Singapore via DHL, today received the bill from DHL said I need to pay RM 80++ (import tax + service charge) for my parcel.

This is ridiculous, they put my tariff code as 2106.90.4900 (classified under 'others - 20%'). Anyone have any similiar experience? I called DHL and asked them to open a dispute case already.

Hi guys, i bought some pre workout supplements that contain chems not approved by FDA and its currently stuck with customs. Seller used DHL Express (damn didn't know this). So how now?