Is iHerb legit? A step-by-step guide to ordering, delivery and VAT

Is iHerb legit?

Yes. iHerb is a large online retailer of supplements and natural products. It was founded in California in 1996 and ships to the UK and most EU countries from its US warehouses.

It sells products from third-party brands, so treat it like any big shop: look at the expiry date, the Supplement Facts panel and, where it matters, independent testing seals such as USP, NSF or IFOS. Our label guide shows what to look for.

How to order from iHerb: the whole process

Your first order comes down to six steps. Tap one in the widget; the detail for each follows below.

Step 1. Set your country, language and currency

At the top of the iHerb site there’s a selector for shipping country, language and currency. Set your country first. It decides which products you see, delivery options and costs, tax, and limits on weight and quantity. UK shoppers usually pay in pounds, most EU shoppers in euros. Change country after filling your basket and some items may quietly drop out of it.

Step 2. Search for the form, not the “best brand”

Search by nutrient and form: “magnesium glycinate”, “vitamin d3 1000 iu”, “zinc picolinate”. You then see products in the right form straight away, instead of every magnesium on the site.

• Filters cut the list down: brand, format (capsules, tablets, powder, liquid) and attributes such as gluten-free or vegan.
• Sorting by rating helps, but reviews say more about taste and capsule size than about results.
• Compare the cost of a real dose, not the price of a bottle. Our label guide shows how.

Step 3. Check the product page

Before you add anything to your basket, look at:

• the Supplement Facts panel: how much active ingredient is in one serving, and how many capsules make that serving;
• the dose against UK and EU limits – the NHS caps vitamin D at 100 mcg (4,000 IU) a day and advises no more than 10 mg of B6 from supplements;
• the expiry date, which iHerb usually shows as “Best by” or “Expiration date”;
• the weight, because a tub of powder adds to delivery costs far more than a bottle of capsules.

Step 4. Basket: limits and restricted products

Your basket shows the delivery cost and warns you if you go over your country’s limits on weight, value or units of one product.

Some products are restricted by country. iHerb tries to block them, but rules change, so check anything unusual yourself:

• melatonin is a prescription-only medicine in the UK;
• some EU countries treat certain herbs or high doses as medicines;
• if in doubt, ask your national medicines or food safety authority.

Step 5. VAT, duty and payment

Ordering iHerb to the UK

iHerb includes VAT in its UK prices and pays it to HMRC. It also says it intends to cover import duty. If a courier still asks you for fees, contact iHerb customer service before you pay. The general UK rule is that the seller charges VAT at the point of sale on parcels up to £135. Above £135, VAT and duty can be due on import. Couriers and delivery options are in our iHerb UK guide.

Ordering iHerb to the EU

iHerb is registered for the EU’s Import One-Stop Shop (IOSS). VAT on parcels up to €150 is included in the checkout total. Since 1 July 2026 the EU also charges a flat €3 customs duty per customs category on low-value parcels; iHerb offsets it with a discount on orders over €10. Orders close to €150 can tip over the line if exchange rates move before customs clearance. Read more in iHerb shipping to Europe: VAT and IOSS.

To see what an order will cost in total, use our iHerb VAT and duty calculator for the UK and EU.

You can pay by card and other methods available in your country. If a payment is declined, open your banking app and check that the card allows international online payments.

Step 6. Delivery, tracking and problems

iHerb sends UK and EU orders by air from the US, and the checkout shows an estimated delivery date. In the UK, standard parcels may come with Royal Mail, Evri or Amazon Shipping, and faster options such as DHL Express are offered too.

Once your order ships, iHerb emails a tracking number, and the status appears in your account. If a parcel arrives damaged, contains the wrong item or is missing something, contact iHerb support through the help centre.

Stuck at one of the steps? Pick your situation in the widget.

What to check before you pay

The table below is a final check before you press “Place order”.

Common first-order mistakes

1. Buying on bottle price. A £10 bottle that lasts 30 days costs more than a £15 bottle that lasts 90.
2. Doses that are too high. iHerb has many bottles above UK and EU upper limits: vitamin D 5,000 IU, zinc 50 mg, B6 in “B-100”. Check our guides to vitamin D3, zinc and B vitamins first.
3. Doubling up. A multivitamin plus a separate zinc plus an “immune complex” with zinc can easily double your dose.
4. A year’s supply in one go. Omega-3 and probiotics may not last to the bottom of the tub, so buy what you’ll finish before the expiry date.
5. Going over €150 in the EU. Split a large order into two parcels if VAT and duty would otherwise be charged on delivery.