Important Update on India-to-USA Shipping
We want to give our customers a clear and honest explanation of the current disruption affecting shipments from India to the United States, what has contributed to the problem, what is changing, and what we recommend customers do moving forward.
Why Has This Happened?
We want to be clear about why these changes are being introduced, because this disruption did not happen without a reason.
Serious irregularities have developed within the international shipping system, particularly involving pharmaceutical products being shipped to the USA.
Some operators have abused international mail by sending bulk quantities of pharmaceutical products while using vague or inaccurate declarations such as “personal items,” “healthcare products,” or “samples.”
There have also been concerns about bulk pharmaceutical products entering the USA and subsequently being distributed domestically.
This creates a problem for everyone using the international shipping system legitimately.
When customs authorities cannot reliably determine what is actually inside a package, whether the declaration is accurate, or whether a shipment represents an individual order rather than bulk commercial distribution, the entire shipping route can attract greater scrutiny.
The new requirements are an attempt to address these irregularities.
What Is Changing?
The new system is intended to provide much greater transparency about what is actually being shipped.
Medicines and pharmaceutical products must be accurately identified rather than hidden behind broad or generic descriptions.
Where required, the individual product, substance, or ingredient must be correctly identified and declared using the appropriate classification. This includes substances such as anabolic steroids where applicable.
In simple terms:
**The declaration on the outside of the package needs to accurately represent what is inside the package.**
This does not mean that declaring a product automatically makes it legal to import. All products and shipments remain subject to applicable U.S. laws and regulations.
The purpose of the new controls is to make it much harder for illegal operators to disguise bulk pharmaceutical shipments as ordinary personal mail.
We believe greater transparency should ultimately benefit legitimate businesses and customers.
We Have Always Operated Legally
We want to make an important distinction.
**We have always operated as a legally licensed business, accurately declared our shipments, and complied with all applicable requirements.**
These new measures do not change our commitment to compliance.
We will continue to adapt our shipping procedures as new systems and requirements are introduced.
Unfortunately, when other operators abuse an international shipping system, the consequences can extend beyond those individual businesses and affect legitimate companies and customers as well.
That is the situation we are currently dealing with.
Why Did This Affect Everyone?
When significant irregularities are identified within an international shipping channel, authorities may increase scrutiny or restrict the wider route while additional controls are introduced.
This means legitimate customers and businesses can be affected by the actions of operators who have abused the system.
The new declaration procedures are intended to make it easier for authorities to distinguish properly declared shipments from illegal or incorrectly declared bulk shipments.
We hope these measures work.
However, we also need to be realistic about the future.
This Is the Third Significant Disruption in Approximately 12 Months
This is now the third significant India-to-USA shipping disruption we have experienced in approximately 12 months.
That is why we cannot confidently tell customers that another disruption will never happen.
The new controls are intended to address the problems that have contributed to these disruptions, and we hope they create a more stable shipping route.
However, if another operator attempts to send illegal bulk shipments, falsely declares packages, or tries to circumvent the new requirements, we simply do not know how U.S. authorities will respond.
They may target that individual operator or shipment, or wider restrictions could be introduced again.
That uncertainty is why we believe customers should plan ahead.
Our Recommendation: Order Ahead and Stay Stocked
Our advice is not to panic or place unnecessarily large individual orders.
Instead, customers who depend on receiving products regularly should plan ahead, order before their existing supply becomes low, and maintain an appropriate reserve.
Depending on your individual needs, this may mean maintaining several months of supply and replenishing it regularly.
After three significant disruptions in approximately one year, we do not believe customers should assume that international shipping will always be available exactly when they need it.
Regular ordering and maintaining sensible reserve stock is a more practical approach than waiting until you are nearly out or placing occasional extremely large orders.
What Happens to Pending Orders?
The good news is that, based on the latest information available to us, we expect India-to-USA shipping to resume shortly.
**Pending orders have already been prepared and are ready for immediate dispatch as soon as we are authorized to resume shipping.**
Under the new procedures, we understand that established, licensed, and compliant operators will be among the first permitted to resume shipments. Some smaller or less-established operators may not initially be permitted to ship while the new requirements are implemented and verified.
We have always operated as a legally licensed business and complied with the applicable requirements. We are therefore ready to begin dispatching orders as soon as authorization is given.
For customers who cannot wait for the regular India-to-USA service to resume, alternative routing through Dubai may be available, with departures currently scheduled for Wednesdays and Fridays.
However, this option is considerably more expensive and may take longer.
**Unless your shipment is particularly urgent, our current recommendation is to wait for regular India-to-USA shipping to resume.**
If you have a pending order and would like us to check the Dubai option, please contact us.
Please Be Careful Who You Buy From
There is another important consequence of disruptions like this.
When established shipping routes are interrupted, scammers and illegal operators often see an opportunity.
We strongly recommend being cautious of unknown sellers who claim they can bypass customs, disguise the contents of packages, guarantee customs clearance, or provide unusually fast shipping while established routes are experiencing problems.
If someone is telling you they can avoid the very controls that are currently being strengthened, you should ask yourself how they are doing it and what risk that creates for you.
These types of practices are part of the problem the new controls are intended to address.
Be particularly cautious when an unfamiliar supplier only accepts cryptocurrency.
Cryptocurrency itself does not make a business illegitimate, but sending cryptocurrency directly to an unknown seller provides limited protection if something goes wrong.
If you choose to purchase from another supplier using cryptocurrency, consider using an independent escrow service rather than sending funds directly to an unknown seller.
Services such as SiamEscrow.com may provide an additional layer of protection. As with any third-party service, you should carry out your own checks before using it.
We are also reviewing additional payment options for customers in the USA, Australia, and the UK.
The Bottom Line
The international shipping environment has changed.
Illegal bulk pharmaceutical shipments, inaccurate customs declarations, and abuse of international mail have resulted in increased scrutiny of pharmaceutical shipments entering the USA.
The new declaration procedures are an attempt to address these problems by providing authorities with clearer information about exactly what is being shipped.
For legitimate operators, greater transparency should be a positive development.
**We have always operated as a legally licensed business, accurately declared our shipments, and complied with all applicable requirements. We will continue to do so.**
What we cannot control is the behavior of other operators or how authorities might respond to another serious violation.
After three significant disruptions in approximately 12 months, we believe customers should plan accordingly.
**Order ahead, maintain an appropriate reserve supply, and be extremely careful when buying from unknown or illegal suppliers.**
We expect shipping to resume shortly and will continue to update customers as further information becomes available.
Thank you for your patience and continued trust.