subject: What's the difference between my neighbourhood pharmacy and an online pharmacy? [print this page] What's the difference between my neighbourhood pharmacy and an online pharmacy?
There are several ways that your local brick-and-mortar, neighbourhood pharmacy differs from online Canadian pharmacies.
The most important difference is the price. Online pharmacies offer the same drugs available through neighbourhood pharmacies, but at much cheaper prices. There are many reasons for the cheaper prices:
1. Lower overhead costs: online pharmacies don't have the same costs that brick-and-mortar pharmacies do so they can afford to lower their rates. 2. Cheap generic drugs: Online pharmacies offer many generic versions of the more expensive brand-name drugs. These generic drugs are exactly the same as the brand-name drugs but manufactured by different pharmaceutical companies. When the patent runs out for the brand-name drug, other manufacturers can use the same chemical formula to produce their own version of the drug at lower costs. 3. Buying power: Online pharmacies have more buying power than your neighbourhood pharmacy so they can order at a lower cost per volume.
Unless you qualify for a free shipping promotion, you will generally be charged a small shipping and handling charge. It's generally not that expensive, and still makes it cheaper than ordering from your neighbourhood pharmacy.
You should still be cautious when ordering anything online, especially drugs. There are several things you can do to protect yourself and your information, as well as make sure you are ordering a certified and approved drug:
1. Do your research: go online and read reviews of the online pharmacy to learn more about the experiences that other customers have had. There will always be a few bad apples in the bunch (some people are just difficult to please, or had an abnormally bad experience), but you will get a good idea of the reputation of the pharmacy. 2. Make sure they are certified in the country in which they operate in. For online Canadian pharmacies, they should have CIPA (Canadian International Pharmacy Association) Certification.
Online pharmacies are not only cheaper than your neighbourhood pharmacy, they are also more convenient as you never have to leave your home your medications are delivered directly to your door. Have you considered ordering your next prescription from an online pharmacy?
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