Buying From an International Pharmacy
How to Evaluate Any Online Pharmacy Before You Order
A checklist worth running against HealthyRXs, or any other pharmacy you're considering — including the ones that aren't on this site.
We link to HealthyRXs because it's the source for the catalog on this site. That doesn't mean you should skip vetting it yourself — and the same checklist applies to any online pharmacy you come across elsewhere. Here's what's actually worth checking.
1. A real, verifiable physical address
Legitimate international pharmacies typically list a physical business address, not just a P.O. box or nothing at all. It won't be a U.S. address, and that's expected — the point is that it exists and is findable, not that it's domestic.
2. Clear, findable policies
Shipping policy, refund/returns policy, and privacy policy should be published, specific, and easy to find — not buried, vague, or missing entirely. If a policy page is a single sentence or doesn't exist, that's worth noting.
3. Secure payment processing
The checkout should run over HTTPS and use a recognizable payment processor. Being asked to pay via an unusual method (wire transfer to an individual, cryptocurrency with no alternative, etc.) for a routine consumer order is a legitimate reason for caution.
4. Contact responsiveness
A working contact email or support channel that actually gets a response is a reasonable bar. You don't need to test this before every order, but it's worth knowing it exists before you need it.
5. Consistent product information
Product names, active ingredients, and strengths should be stated consistently across the product listing, and match what arrives. Wildly inconsistent labeling between the listing and the packaging is a red flag worth reporting to the pharmacy directly.
6. Honesty about regulatory status
A pharmacy that clearly states it isn't FDA-approved is being straightforward with you. One that implies FDA approval or U.S. licensing it doesn't actually have is a bigger concern than the underlying regulatory status itself — the dishonesty is the problem, not just the fact pattern.
HealthyRXs publishes a physical address (Nicosia, Cyprus), shipping/returns/privacy policies, and states its regulatory status plainly rather than implying FDA approval — which is also exactly what we disclose about them on our own regulatory disclosure section. That's the standard we'd want you to hold any pharmacy to, including this one.
This checklist evaluates the business, not the medication. A pharmacy passing every item here doesn't substitute for a prescriber reviewing whether a specific medication is right for you. See our explainer on how this model works for the fuller picture.
Active ingredient, strength, and starting price, side by side