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Paul Rodriguez

Jan 26, 2004, 9:36 PM

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Getting Vitamins and health oils into Mexico

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I have been informed that I cannot get any vitamins or health items sent to my P.O. Box in Mexico - that it is in fact illegal to do so. I found this hard to believe and I wanted to check out with the rest of you. Can any one other there give me a valid answer. Can the postal service handle this type of item? Any info will be of great help.

Paul Rodriguez

Carol Schmidt

Jan 27, 2004, 9:05 PM

Post #2 of 9 (438 views)

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Re: [Paul Rodriguez] Getting Vitamins and health oils into Mexico

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I can't answer your question but I can say that I see several health and nutrition stores in San Miguel de Allende, including a big GNC, and there are small shops selling various kinds of homeopathic remedies as well. If you are moving to Mexico it may be that you will be able to buy what you want here.

But if you're already here and can't find what you want where you live, you may have to rely on friends going back and forth to the States. If they're not bringing back cases of something so that looks like they're going to sell it, they'll probably never be asked about it. I've had people I've met here on MexConnect offer to buy stuff for me in the States before they come down.

I think I've heard people here say that they order prescription drugs from Canada, where the drugs might even be cheaper than in Mexico, so there must be some way to do it. Wish I could be more specific.

Carol Schmidt

Paul Rodriguez

Jan 27, 2004, 9:19 PM

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Re: [Carol Schmidt] Getting Vitamins and health oils into Mexico

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Thanks Carol. I'll keep trying. Paul

TomG

Jan 28, 2004, 11:42 AM

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Re: [Paul Rodriguez] Getting Vitamins and health oils into Mexico

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One of the major package services down here in southern Mexico will simply not carry medical stuff. For stuff they will carry their service is 3 day - with un-FedEx type waiting in lines in their office . Mexicans don't really like this kind of service, but what are you going to do. That was the only package service that the US Consul could even image would possible ship it. Getting important medicines that are not sold in the drug stores here, and are not in the Mexican book of available drugs (those sold in Mexico) is impossible.

Postal Service? We just got a Christmas card the other day.

Mexico is best enjoyed by those that don't need much, or don't care. Even the assumption that you might need something often runs the price up. And that is not just for foreigners, Many Mexicans will screw each other if they can get away with it. Take a local school teacher who had a heart attack around midnight 6 weeks ago. The doctor prescribed a medicine need to possibly save his life. The teacher is on the IMSS system so it should have been provided at no out of pocket expense, but it was not available. So his brother went on a drug store search in the wee hours. Some are open. He found one place that had it.....they had ordered it in for a person who died before it got picked up. The price was 1500 pesos; BUT....since he needed it so bad to save his brother's life he could buy it for 4000 pesos. What could he do? The drug store employee (not pharmacist. I have not encounter a pharmacist in a drug store in Oaxaca. Joaquin says they don't pay enough to get even low level employees who want to pay attention. One sweet 16 girl was hold hands with her boyfriend (who happened to be passing by on the street....or lingering in front of her job) while she researched a mispelled version of the drug I was looking for. After many bad one fingered attempts I did the spelling. The paper I had handed her with the drug name spelled out correctly (Spanish format) just didn't help her finger hit the letters.

Now when Florencia was working in a drug store in Xalapa, VC four years ago she was earning 20 pesos a day - but wages and costs of living have gone up since then. Florencia, having an adventurous mind trained in Nobel Prize-winning Latin American literature, took the Trail of Tears north - something akin to the Oregon Trail, I think.....with hostiles along the way.

(This post was edited by TomG on Jan 28, 2004, 11:43 AM)

mrchuck

Jan 28, 2004, 6:03 PM

Post #5 of 9 (376 views)

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Re: [Paul Rodriguez] Getting Vitamins and health oils into Mexico

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Paul, I mis-informed you. Our meds go to our "mail-forwarder" in the USA, who in turn, then re-mails them to us in their own forwarder package. Sorry, mc

jrice

Jan 29, 2004, 7:51 PM

Post #6 of 9 (342 views)

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Re: [Paul Rodriguez] Getting Vitamins and health oils into Mexico

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It's complicated. My son is prescribed a sort of lactobacillus called Culturelle. For a time, the aduana was blocking imports to a local distributor under the theory that the bacteria in lactobacillus violated wildlife importation rules (true! true!).

If you visit a GNC, you'll find that the selection is quite a bit more limited than in the United States. This is largely due to the fussiness of customs inspectors and the law. Mexican officials LOVE the law, in all its arcane little corners. Anybody who tells you this is a lawless country has never met a freshly minted licenciado.

I'd think getting shipments in would be difficult without all sorts of exceptionally festive red tape.

You can, however, find quite a few bits of vitamin, supplement, etc., in various areas. The GNCs are notably more limited (and irregular) than in the U.S., but you can stock up when you see stuff you need (and take advantage of specials).

Bring stuff in or have rfriends do so.

Carron

Feb 1, 2004, 10:03 AM

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Re: [mrchuck] Getting Vitamins and health oils into Mexico

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What about getting things through Mexican customs? After we moved here several years ago we couldn't even get our teenage daughters' blue jeans shipped down without paying a duty of more than they were worth.

mrchuck

Feb 1, 2004, 10:29 AM

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Re: [Carron] Getting Vitamins and health oils into Mexico

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The mail forwarders, and there are several that are popular,(Escapee's, Livingston, Texas and Mail Messages & More, Pahrump, Nevada) place your USA mail in a big paper pouch/envelope, stamp it, put on a little green customs sticker saying what is inside, and it is mailed in The USA to our Mexican address here.

Once a week they mail what has come in for us.

Nothing complicated at all. Sometimes you can tell if the package/envelope has been opened for inspection, most of the time not. All perfectly legal in the eyes of both countries.

Nothing illegal going on at all.

I have never tried to mail in a cardboard box full of things, because then you are wide open for a custom's inspection and tariff's. I have heard and seen the horror stories of things ordered from catalogs in the USA to be delivered here. The duty, and freight, or postage, gets super high.

Also, I have never lost a packet of mail coming thru the Mexican Postal System that I know of.

It just is slow, adding at least 10 days to the USA mail time of approx 5 days.

15 days is the norm. So, plan ahead.

Also, we always send out our mail with a friend going back to the USA via airplane, or driving.

We do not send mail out thru the Mexican mail. Don't have to.

With Internet bill paying now avail, this is the only way to pay bills, if you have any, in the USA.

Hope this helps you. Saludos, mc

Paul Rodriguez

Feb 1, 2004, 5:03 PM

Post #9 of 9 (278 views)

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Re: [mrchuck] Getting Vitamins and health oils into Mexico

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Chuck, I belong to escapees, but I didn't know that they shipped vitamins or medication. I thought that it was illegal... at least that's what many have told me. My meds come in a paper bag, so perhaps it will not be a problem. I will get in touch with escapees and try it. If you have any more info on this issue, I would appreciate having it. I'm new in Mexico and am trying to separate the fact from the fantasy. Thanks again. Paul.