Hey guys, question on selling supplements (legalities)

it doesn't matter if you sell them on ebay or on your own site, you are still the one
responsible. ebay is technically not selling, you are... they are just the marketplace and
they tell you that when you list.

i used to have people steal my programs and sell them on ebay, and when i went through ebay to shut them down... they'd continuously tell me that since they are only a meetingplace where buyers and sellers get together, they have limited liability.

but back to supplements... you need to be very careful, because if you sell anything that's digestible... and someone gets sick or worse, dies, you're in a heap of trouble and can be sued beyond belief.

i actually know someone where that happened to. and it basically destroyed him.

i also know that the FTC tends to come down hard on any site that stretches the truth with their advertising when it comes to selling supplements. he said a few things that weren't true about the supplements... and the ftc took his home and his bank account.

i've been in the fitness niche for 12 years, sold over 2 million dollars worth of my fitness programs, and now i do marketing and copywriting for a living... and let me put it this way... i usually won't touch selling supplements with a 10 foot pole.

just too many things that could go wrong when selling products that people ingest... too many liability issues for me personally.

sure, it's a good market, and it can make one rich... but just approach it carefully, it's well worth hiring an attorney before you start, just to get the legal ramifications.

You have to tell us what the supplements are because this is 100% dependent on that.

To answer you simply, some supplements you can sell on ebay, others you can't. The ones that you can't can often be sold on bst.com or directly on bodybuilding forums by becoming a sponsor.

Are you selling designer steroids? SOME of those will pass on ebay I have a list of the ones that don't so just tell me what the compounds are. These new compounds are released so often just to slide by loopholes in legislation, some last and others don't.

It depends on the product obviously for all I know you might be selling creatine. But I don't think you would have even made this thread if that was the case.

-Red

edit: heres a quick list of some of the banned compounds for ebay (this is off the top of my head but should be at least 90% accurate).

pheraplex - banned
halodrol (original formula) - banned
superdrol - banned
masterdrol - banned
m1t - banned
methyl masterdrol - banned on ebay, legal on other sites
nor andros - all banned
andros - all banned

Most other newer compounds should be allowed but if you tell me the names I can give you an exact answer.

I posted this question on like half a dozen other "good" website (forums) and warriorforum was the only place i got not just good replies but replies full stop! This is a very good place to get info.

Anyway thanks for the replies, well my aim would be to find supplements that are selling pretty well in other countries on ebay or other sites, and then maybe wholesale purchase them and sell them while they are popular, and sell them in my region UK/IRELAND.

Just examples of what i am talking about would be your basic weight loss diets powders and muscle building powders, not questionable or under the counter type stuff, just the same products you might see being sold on ebay US or even in your local health food shop. The only thing i am trying to gather is what additional laws would i have to adhere to and/or difference i would be getting myself involved with.

p.s. Can you have T&C on your ebay/website describing in detail how the seller is not responsible, or buy and use at your own discretion. Could this work.