Guides: ordering from iHerb in the UK and EU, and reading supplement labels
Short guides for the moment a bottle is already in your basket: how to order from iHerb to the UK or the EU, what you pay in VAT and duty, and how to tell from the label how much active ingredient you really get.
Is iHerb legit? How to order
Is iHerb legit and safe to order from? How to place your first iHerb order from the UK or EU: country settings, restricted products, payment, VAT, duty and tracking.
9 min readHow to read a Supplement Facts label
Serving size, % Daily Value vs % NRV, "as" in brackets, proprietary blends, mcg vs IU, USP and NSF seals: how to read a supplement label and work out cost per dose.
7 min readiHerb UK: delivery, VAT and customs
Ordering from iHerb in the UK: VAT included at checkout for parcels up to £135, no customs duty below £135, delivery couriers, melatonin rules and how returns work.
8 min readiHerb in the EU: IOSS VAT and €3 duty
iHerb in Europe: IOSS VAT at checkout up to €150, the €3 customs duty per category since July 2026, orders over €150, and delivery to Germany and Ireland.
8 min read
Who these guides are for
If this is your first iHerb order, start with the step-by-step ordering guide. Then read the page for where you live: iHerb in the UK or iHerb shipping to Europe. The UK and the EU handle VAT and duty differently, so a tip that works in Manchester may not apply in Dublin.
If you’ve ordered before but still pick bottles by the price sticker, read the Supplement Facts guide. It explains why the price per bottle tells you almost nothing, and how to work out the cost of a real dose.
Where to start
Pick what’s on your mind right now, and the widget points you to the guide to open first.
Which guide to start with
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Your question
What to open
The step-by-step ordering guide
Six steps from setting your country to the tracking number: country and currency, searching by form, the product page, the basket, payment and tracking.
In short: Set your shipping country before you fill the basket
What to open
The iHerb UK guide
Couriers, VAT already included in prices, customs and the £135 rule, and returns.
In short: Melatonin is prescription-only in the UK
What to open
The iHerb Europe guide
IOSS VAT at checkout, the €3 customs duty, the €150 line and notes for Germany, Ireland and other EU countries.
What to open
The Supplement Facts guide
Serving size, elemental amount, % NRV and the cost of a real dose. After it, comparing bottles takes a couple of minutes.
In short: Compare the cost per day, not the price per bottle
What to open
The VAT and duty calculator
Pick where your parcel is going and see how VAT and duty are handled there.
What’s inside
Each guide takes about five minutes to read.
| Guide | What you’ll learn | Time |
|---|---|---|
| Is iHerb legit? How to order | shipping country, limits, payment, VAT | 5 minutes |
| iHerb UK: delivery and VAT | couriers, VAT included in prices, customs | 5 minutes |
| iHerb Europe: shipping and IOSS VAT | Germany, Ireland and other EU countries, the €150 line | 5 minutes |
| How to read a supplement label | serving size, elemental amount, % NRV, cost per dose | 5 minutes |
You can also check the numbers yourself with the iHerb VAT and duty calculator and the other supplement calculators.
Checklist before your first iHerb order
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The most common first-order mistakes
The same slips turn up again and again:
- choosing a bottle by price instead of cost per day;
- buying a dose above the safe upper limit, such as D3 5,000 IU, zinc 50 mg or “B-100”;
- forgetting country rules, such as melatonin being prescription-only in the UK.
You can catch all three before you pay, on the Supplement Facts panel and on the product page.