Georg
8/14/2015 12:24 EST
I caught a posting in Ecuador forum that Customs was going to send back an immigrant's supplements because they weighed more than 4 kilos. Has anyone found a similar problem with either initially bringing supplements in to Peru or ordering, say from Swanson or Puritan's Pride while there. I had called both companies and they reported that they both ship to Peru, Ecuador, Panama, Columbia, etc., so expats have been receiving this. Perhaps governments are just tightening controls on what is brought in initially?
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pistachio
8/15/2015 10:39 EST
Supplements in Peru are rare but lately I have seen an uptick it availability. In fact, I have seen some label looking a lot like Puritan's and Swanson. You can see supplements being sold in kiosks center aisle in the malls and in Inkafarma and other boticas.
There is a limited amount of product diversity where for instance in GNC or other stores in the states have several thousand sku's on the shelf.
Customs is no doubt difficult and where I have had the absolute Least difficulty is with Amazon. That is for what you can get to Peru from them that will ship internationally.
I think the 4 kg. prob could be due to Customs thinking you are bringing them in for resale. A smaller amount than 10 lbs might be considered ok for Personal use and just slides right in.
In the States I know every Latin American in the store was buying to bring back because of lack of availability in their home country.
No doubt it is a project with customs every time. Cost of shipping is also very pricey.
I do not have a good remedy.
pistachio
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Bachonysus
8/20/2015 13:11 EST
My wife is from Peru and we tried to send vitamins through the mail to Lama. They got all the way to the post office but the post office would not allow them to be picked up by her sister and then they sent them back to us. The package was clearly marked "vitamins", I don't know if that is why they were rejected or not as we have not tried to send any more that were not marked as vitamins.
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pistachio
8/20/2015 15:15 EST
That is a tough one,, you lost your shipping and probably had to pay shipping for the return... and it is not inexpensive.
I can't say what the hangup with Vitamins & Supplements is.
On a trip to Peru Twice I got the Red light at entry so they open your luggage. Seeing my Vitamins the told me that this was now allowed.
I told them that they were for Personal Use and I got through. I think possibly they do not want to pass items through that could be for Resale - but I am not sure about this.
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Georg
8/20/2015 18:18 EST
i vaguely recall a place called, I think, FASA, a pharmacy, that seemed to have GNC stuff on the shelf, and it was about 40% above US prices.
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CasiPeruana
9/25/2015 10:23 EST
Hi. Ever since like January of 2014, you are required to have a doctor's prescription for any imported vitamins and supplements. I didn't know this until I had a box arrive in customs in Lima last year and it didn't go to Cusco. I had to find a doctor here in Cusco to write a prescription for everything in the box (even Stridex pads!) and I had to mail the prescription to Lima. Huge pain in the ass. There's more and more vitamins available here, but they are all the cheap, artificial versions and they are more expensive because they are imported.
Since then, I have found a woman who lives part-time in Lima/part-time in NY who has a business bringing in items from the US. (I stayed at her house when I was in Lima for a week.. she's on AirBNB.) They usually make 2 trips per month (her or someone in her family). The cost is by the pound.. I believe it's either $8 or $10 per pound for vitamins. You can pick up your items in Lima or she will ship from Lima. She charges $15 to ship everything (not per pound) to Cusco. If you like, I can give you her contact info.. just send me a private message.
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TominWisc
9/29/2015 10:50 EST
I am told that when a package arrives in Peru, the postage has been paid in say the USA, The Peruvian post office makes nothing for delivering it, so often they don't, they just send it back. Happened to us.
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pistachio
10/2/2015 10:36 EST
Wisconsin Tom,
I don't think that is true about the postage but do not know for sure....
but............!
go here USPS and see that VITAMINS are not permitted to be shipped to Peru,,, Why?,, I don't know
http://pe.usps.com/text/Imm/ps_005.htm
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JerryinBA
10/21/2015 21:49 EST
Four kilos seems like an awful large of vitamins. Whe I lived in Barcelona, a Brit had the same problem. The Customs folks thought that the guy was going to sell what he tried to import.
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