VitaCost.com

Full review
Vitacost.com is the big fish I snagged while trolling the deep waters of the cyber seas for the lowest prices available for Alba Botanicals shaving creams. After catching and releasing a few pretenders I finally reeled in this trophy of an online store.

The Voyage

The initial leg of the search produced nothing of consequence until I stumbled on a site called The Find which listed page after page of prices and sources for my target item. Many of the prices were higher than I wanted to pay. Some with the lure of low prices killed the deal with high shipping costs. Still others offered free shipping for a minimal purchase ranging from 25 to 100 dollars. I thought I had found the best deal at drugstore.com which posted a price of $5.79 for an 8-ounce size of Alba shaving cream and offered free shipping for orders over $25. Then my eyes almost popped out of their sockets when I spied Vitacost’s $3.33 price for the same product. Even with the flat shipping charge of $4.95, this was by far the biggest bargain of them all. I cast anchor and placed my order.

Vitacost
Lexington,NC’s Vitacost has served over 3 million customers since 1994, offering nutritional supplements at wholesale prices. At Vitacost customers may find a large selection of vitamins and nutritional supplements, discount herbal supplements, diet products discount priced, bath and beauty products (including beeswax lip balm, buttermilk body lotion, and Chandrika soap), an extensive choice of body building supplements (redundant for me), organic products across a wide spectrum of categories, homeopathic advice and products, and even supplements for sexual health and enhancement like Men’s Passion Booster Capsules and the notorious NSI Horny Goat Weed Complex capsules.

In addition to national brands Vitacost offers many items under its proprietary NSI brand label.
Vitacost backs their products with a five star guarantee including a money back 30 day guarantee.

Navigating the Site

Searching the site is a breeze, smooth sailing so to speak. One can use the search index or click on one of the broad category links at the top of the page. A shopper may also search by clicking on a specific brand name or product type.
Of special interest to this tightwad is the Clearance link with items greatly reduced in price. On the left side of the screen are information links about the company, information about product reviews and ratings, health newsletters, a science/health library, and numerous additional sources of nutritional and health information.

Prices

I think the prices are very good, and a cursory comparison will show that they match or beat the prices of most other web companies of this type. Prices, of course, are subject to change, so check back frequently for specials and sales.
Some current examples from April 2008:
Men’s Passion Booster Capsules $15.99, a 60% discount
NSI Healthy Libido pills at 69% off
NSI L-glutamine powder $27.99, an 80% discount.
34% off Heritage Products and Sunshine Spa perfume oils

Policies
All sales are guaranteed with Vitacosts five star guarantee.
Orders may be placed online, by phone, by mail, or by fax.
Utah, Nevada, and North Carolina residents are subject to sales tax on all items.
Orders ship the same day if placed before 2 PM EST (Monday - Friday) and if all items in the order are in stock.
Shipping and handling is $4.99 for orders within the continental U.S. for orders under ten pounds. Air shipping and express is extra.

My Experience

It was very easy to navigate the site, choose the products, and put the items in the cart. I placed the order on a Monday morning and shortly received an email confirmation from Vitacost. Paying with a credit card on this secure site was easy. Within hours I received another email with a tracking number link saying that the order had been shipped.
On Wednesday the scheduled delivery was received via UPS early in the afternoon.
The Alba tubes were packed efficiently in a properly sized box and cushioned with plastic air bags. The whole experience was incredibly smooth and fast.

If one expects to return, set up an EZ ship account to make the next order even easier and smoother.

Since I was so impressed by the great prices for Alba, I kind of went overboard on the quantity ordered. But when I run out of Alba shaving cream in about ten years, I’ll definitely return to Vitacost!