Shipping and handling fees: what a supplement really costs per month

Shipping and handling can add anywhere from about $5 to $20 to a supplement order, and on a one-bottle purchase that is a 7 to 17 percent increase in the price you saw on the page. The way to see the real cost is to add the fee to the product price first, then divide by the number of days the order lasts.

Below are worked examples from our reviews, with the fees exactly as we recorded them, plus a short list of places where shipping costs hide and how they affect refunds.

How much does shipping add to a supplement order?

On the offers we audit, the fee is usually a flat amount that depends on the package size and on where you live. The most common numbers are $9.95 and $9.99 for a small US order and $19.95 for international delivery. Bigger packages usually ship free in the US.

Here are some real examples, all recorded on the order pages we reviewed:

• iGenics: one bottle at $59 plus $9.99 shipping, confirmed on the ClickBank order form as $68.99 charged.
• Neura: a flat $4.95 shipping charge on the $59 single bottle, itemized on the sales page.
• Gluco6: $9.95 in the US on the 2-bottle package, free on 3 and 6 bottles, and $19.95 for international delivery on anything under six bottles.
• Finessa: $9.95 shipping and handling added at checkout on the 1-bottle and 3-bottle packages, free on the 6-bottle package.

The percentages are easy to check. $9.99 on top of $59 is 17 percent. $9.95 on top of $138 is 7 percent. The same fee looks small on a big order and large on a small one, which is one reason the fee is so often left out of the headline price.

How do you work out the true price per month?

Use one formula for every offer: (product price + shipping + tax) divided by days of supply, multiplied by 30. Days of supply come from the servings on the label divided by the daily serving. Our review pages record this for each product, so you do not have to guess.

Here is the formula applied to three packages, using the price and days of supply recorded in our reviews:

Offer and package	Product price	Shipping	Total	Days	Per 30 days
iGenics, 1 bottle	$59	$9.99	$68.99	30	$68.99
iGenics, 3 bottles	$147	Free	$147	90	$49.00
LeanBiome, 2 bottles	$158	$9.95	$167.95	60	$83.98
LeanBiome, 6 bottles	$294	Free (US)	$294	180	$49.00

The iGenics single bottle costs about 41 percent more per month than the three-bottle package once shipping is included, even though the bottle price is $59 versus $49 a month in the bundle. Without the shipping fee, the gap would be 20 percent. The shipping line moves the comparison, not just the total.

Why does free shipping sit on the biggest bundle?

Because it is a sales lever. Look at the pattern in the examples: shipping is charged on the smallest packages and dropped on the largest. In practice, the fee acts like a nudge toward a bigger first order. A buyer who came for one bottle sees "$9.99 shipping," then sees "free shipping" three lines below on a package that costs $88 more.

That is not automatically bad. A fair way to read it is that free shipping is a discount on the bigger order, and the math of the bigger order is still the one to check. Before you take the offer, also check the refund window, because it often covers only a fraction of a six-bottle supply.

What matters is that you compare on price per month, not on the presence of a "free shipping" badge. Two packages with the same price per month, one with a fee and one without, are not the same deal, and the FTC advises online shoppers to learn the total cost of a product, including shipping, handling, taxes and other fees, before they compare offers.

Where do shipping fees hide?

Four places come up again and again in our reviews.

• Only at checkout. Our iGenics review flags that the shipping fee is only disclosed at checkout. Finessa's fee is likewise "added at checkout." You cannot compare offers until you reach the order form.
• Missing from the page. The Liv Pure review records the 2 and 3 bottle packages as "plus shipping," with the fee not shown on the page. Until you see the order form, the total is unknown.
• Different fees by country. Gluco6's $19.95 international fee is double the US fee for the 2-bottle package, and it applies to the 3-bottle package too. For a buyer abroad the 3 bottles cost $166.95, or about $55.65 a month, rather than the $49 shown.
• The "handling" part. Shipping and handling is often a single number. It is a flat fee, not the postage, and it does not always come back with a refund (see below).

The FTC's advice on free trials makes a related point: if you have to pay for shipping or fees to get a "free" trial, it is not really free. Most of the supplement offers we review are not free trials, but the same logic applies to any offer that shows one price and charges another.

Does shipping come back if you ask for a refund?

Often it does not. Several of the guarantees we reviewed refund the price minus shipping and handling. The Gluco6 guarantee refunds the money after the bottles arrive, minus a shipping and handling fee. The Breathe FAQ says the refund is "minus s&h" on your most recent order, and the Liv Pure promise is also minus shipping and handling.

So the fee is at risk twice. You pay it going out, and you lose it if you ask for your money back. Return shipping is a third cost. The Neura review records a policy where the buyer pays return shipping, and the FTC tells online shoppers to find out who pays it before buying. If you return a large bundle, that could be another $10 or more.

Put the whole thing in one sentence: the worst-case cost of a $59 bottle with $9.99 shipping and a refund minus shipping and handling is $9.99 plus your own return postage. That is a modest amount, but it is real, and it is worth knowing before you order. Our ClickBank refund guide explains how to request a refund and what to keep.

How long should shipping take?

Delivery time is part of the cost, because the refund window often starts at purchase and the product may take a week or more to arrive. Some pages state a delivery window: the ProDentim review records free US shipping in 5 to 7 working days and $15.95 to Canada, the UK and Ireland, Australia and New Zealand.

In the US, the FTC's Mail, Internet, or Telephone Order Merchandise Rule requires a seller to have a reasonable basis for any shipping time it states, and if the seller states none, to have a reasonable basis to believe it can ship within 30 days. If the seller cannot ship in time, it must ask for your consent to the delay or refund you. Keep the order email, so you can check what was promised.

A quick checklist before you enter your card

1. Find the shipping fee for your country and package on the order form, not only on the sales page.
2. Add product price, shipping and tax. Divide by days of supply and multiply by 30.
3. Compare every package on price per month, including the free-shipping ones.
4. Read whether the refund is minus shipping and handling, and who pays return postage.
5. Note the delivery time and the date the refund window starts.
6. Look for optional add-ons ticked by default before you pay.
7. Save the receipt and order number.

FAQ

Is shipping and handling refundable on a supplement order?

It depends on the seller. Several refund policies we reviewed refund the purchase price minus shipping and handling. Read the refund terms for the exact page and confirm with support before you return anything.

Why is shipping free on the 6-bottle bundle but not the 1-bottle one?

Sellers use free shipping as a discount that nudges you toward the larger order. It is a legitimate offer, but check the price per month and the refund window before you accept it.

Is international shipping more expensive?

In the offers we reviewed, yes. Gluco6 charges $19.95 outside the US on packages under six bottles, against $9.95 or free inside the US, and the ProDentim page lists $15.95 for several countries.

Does sales tax get added too?

It can, depending on where you live and how the seller is set up. The FTC's shopping advice lists taxes alongside shipping and handling as part of the total cost, so look for the final line on the order form.

This article is general consumer information, not medical advice. If you are considering a supplement, ask your doctor or pharmacist whether it is right for you.