Online health purchases in the UK: how to check the reliability of a seller
Online shopping for pharmacy products in the UK has become a convenient norm, allowing you to order everything you need for your health without leaving your home. However, when it comes to medicines, vitamins or dietary supplements, safety should always be the top priority. To avoid the risk of purchasing poor-quality products or counterfeits, every consumer should know how to properly check the reliability of an online seller, whether it is a pharmacy or a specialised store.
To simplify this process, there are modern platforms that have already done the preliminary checks for you. Pharmacy aggregators, such as Liki24.co.uk, only work with certified sellers and licensed pharmacies, which is the first level of reliability assurance and allows you to shop with confidence.
How to check different types of online sellers
In the United Kingdom, health products are sold on several types of online resources, and each has its own reliability criteria.
- Online pharmacies. These are online versions of traditional pharmacies. Their activities are strictly regulated.
- Main indicator of reliability: registration with the General Pharmaceutical Council (GPhC). Every legal online pharmacy is required to display the GPhC logo on its website, which you can click on to check its registration on the council’s official website.
- Specialised online stores (vitamins, dietary supplements, cosmetics). These stores are not pharmacies, so they are not required to register with the GPhC. Their reliability should be checked using other indicators:
- contact information: the website must clearly indicate the company’s physical address, telephone number and email address;
- website security: the address must begin with ‘https://’;
- reputation and reviews: look for reviews of the store on independent platforms.
- Online pharmacy aggregators. These are platforms that collect offers from many different sellers.
- Key indicator of reliability: partner cooperation policy. A reliable aggregator always states that it only works with licensed pharmacies and certified sellers. In essence, it takes on the role of verification.
Important! In the United Kingdom, it is permitted to order even prescription drugs online with a valid prescription.
This makes it even more important for your safety to check the reliability of the seller, especially their registration with the GPhC.
By understanding the differences between the various types of online resources and using the appropriate verification methods, you can confidently enjoy all the benefits of online health shopping in the UK.
