Amazon vs iHerb: How to avoid fake supplements

In this article we’re going to look at the risk of receiving fake supplements on Amazon, and how this can be avoided.

Both in the USA and abroad (where it can be an even bigger issue).

To begin, I want to clarify that I’m a huge fan of the convenience of Amazon, and personally continue to buy lots of products from there.

However, the way Amazon’s marketplace is architected leaves particular room for counterfeit supplements ⚠️.

If this sounds dramatic, don’t take my word, take a look at these Reddit threads:

• PSA: Fake supplements are all over Amazon – Feb, 2025
• Got 2 Fake suppliments from Amazon – March, 2025
• Thoughts on COUNTERFEIT SUPPLEMENTS SOLD BY AMAZON? – Feb, 2024

(The above is just a small sample of discussions that you can find online)

As you may already be aware, when you’re buying from Amazon, sometimes you’re buying from Amazon directly. See the “sold by” section in the image below:

However, at other times you’re buying from third parties who are marketplace sellers. See below where it says “Sold by Highland Health Foods”.

Third party marketplace sellers are a core part of Amazon’s business model, and allow Amazon to sell a much wider range of products than they would otherwise

Unfortunately, this comes with some added risk. Amazon can only do so much due diligence on these sellers, and it means that sometimes fake products will slip through the cracks.

How can you avoid this?

Broadly speaking there are 3 main ways to avoid this issue:

1. Buy direct from the manufacturer’s website
2. Buy from a supplement website, such as iHerb, who buy direct from manufacturers and trusted resellers, and do not allow third party sellers on their website
3. Using Amazon, buy from sellers that are either the manufacturer, or “Pattern” (more on them below)

Let’s talk more about these options:

Buying direct from the manufacturer’s website

Pros/Cons:

• ✅ You can be confident about what you’re receiving
• ❌ Shipping can be expensive if you want to buy from multiple brands at once
• ❌ Shipping can be slower than you’re used to (it varies)

Buying from supplement websites

There’s a range of websites out there, such as iHerb (who are an affiliate I work with), who buy their products direct from the supplement brands, and resell them to consumers.

iHerb, for example, pride themselves on their service, and therefore can’t risk selling fake products.

The downside with iHerb, versus Amazon, is shipping is typically slower. In the US iHerb quote 1-3 business days. Whereas with Amazon Prime it’s often just 1 day delivery, 7 days per week.

Pros/Cons:

• ✅ You can be sure on what you’re receiving
• ✅ You can buy multiple brands at once
• ❌ Shipping is slower than on Amazon

Using Amazon Carefully

Given there’s a risk of fake supplements on Amazon, how can they be avoided? Well, there’s a few ways:

1. Use brands that sell directly on Amazon (and double check that it’s really them!)

Brands like Tru Niagen, a supplement company selling Nicotinamide Riboside, sell directly on Amazon to consumers. You can click their name to see their seller reviews, business address and more:

So once you’re convinced the seller is who they say they are, that can be a good option for safely using Amazon.

2. Buy from brands that sell via Pattern

Another option is to check if the brand sells through a company called Pattern.

Many supplement companies now use them for fulfilment (storage + shipping) on Amazon. Meaning that the supply chain goes:

Brand > Pattern (in Amazon’s warehouse) > Customer

Which should eliminate risk of counterfeits.

However, they only partner with some brands in some countries, so it’s not a universal solution!

One Bonus Benefit of iHerb

Let’s suppose you’re shopping for a specific supplement and the brands you ordinarily use don’t sell it. Think “methylene blue” or similar.

If you’re shopping on Amazon, there are often “fly by night” brands that pop up, make a quick buck and then disappear.

Don’t believe me? See this old article about when Chromadex decided to test 22 of the top selling NMN brands on Amazon.com.

They found 14 of the 22 brands (64%) tested had less than 1% of the NMN they advertised!

So how is this relevant?

Amazon has an easy pathway for new sellers to setup shop quickly. Whereas a supplement reseller like iHerb works with established brands, not brands that have just started.

This means that if you’re using iHerb to search for a novel or unusual supplement, you’re far less likely to come across sham brands who pop up briefly then disappear.

Roundup

So to wrap up this article.

• ✅ Yes, there is a risk of counterfeits on Amazon
• 💡 However, once you understand the risk, there’s steps to mitigate it
• 📝 Above we explained the steps to use Amazon more safely, and why you might also want to consider other supplement stores like iHerb for certain use-cases

If you’ve any further ideas or suggestions that I’ve missed, please leave them below in the comments.