International Orders Policy
International Clients,
We are delighted that you have chosen to become a member of The Fertile Soul family. Welcome! As you may be aware, one aspect of The Fertile Soul MethodTM is the prescribing of Chinese herbal formulas to help address your body’s imbalances. This is not the only element of our program, but it can be a very beneficial one.
There are two considerations with shipping all products, and particularly herbs, internationally:
1. Risk of seizure by customs
2. Possibility of additional fees for import duties
International clients of The Fertile Soul have had mixed experiences with receiving their Chinese herbal formulations from U.S.-based sources. Some of our clients have had no problems or additional expenses at all, while others have had difficulties with customs or import duties. We have found there is no way of ensuring what will happen. Every country's policies are different, and those policies can be interpreted differently by different customs inspectors. Thus, it is impossible to predict what will occur with shipping products internationally.
The Fertile Soul is a small organization. We are unable to monitor every country's import regimes, and there is no way for us to purchase insurance against customs seizure of your order. Consequently, we have the following policy regarding shipping our products internationally:
If you choose to order products from The Fertile Soul and ship them outside the United States, we will do our best to minimize the risk of customs seizure by completing the paperwork properly, and we will work with you as best we can should your order be held up. However, we will not be able to provide a refund or replacement product if your order is not released. Further, you will be responsible for the payment of any import duties due on the shipment. By ordering, you agree to assume all risk associated with customs seizure and taxes or duties on import of any products purchased from The Fertile Soul.
To obtain an herbal formula, the first and best option we recommend is for you to identify a Chinese medicine herbal pharmacy locally, if at all possible, and to order your herbs from them. This course will be the least expense and hassle for you. If you choose to work through a local Chinese herbal pharmacy, please make sure they will accept prescriptions from practitioners who reside out of the country (or out of state). You may want to ask them if their herbs are organic and pesticide free, although this is exceedingly difficult to ensure from Chinese imports. You may also want to ask them if they periodically test their herbs for heavy metal toxins. Although the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) sometimes tests herbal substances as they are imported and docked prior to distribution, they cannot test every single batch. Thus, as with any other imported food substances, purity cannot be 100% guaranteed, but efforts can be made to ensure the highest quality possible.
A second option for securing your herbs is if you know one or more people traveling to the U.S. and are able to plan ahead for them to receive your herbs for you and return with them. Of course you will require this assistance on an ongoing basis, for as long as you are taking herbs.
We regret that this process must be so difficult for you and look forward to the day that we live in a world where herbal treatment is recognized as a therapy just as or even more valid than conventional Western prescription drugs.
Wishing you the best,
The Fertile Soul
These International Orders Policy terms constitute the entire agreement between the purchaser and Fertile Soul with respect to the subject matter hereof and supersedes and replaces all prior or contemporaneous understandings or agreements, written or oral, regarding such subject matter. Any waiver of any provision of the International Orders Policy will be effective only if in writing and signed by Fertile Soul.
THE SECTION TITLES (IF ANY) IN THE INTERNATIONAL ORDERS POLICY ARE FOR CONVENIENCE ONLY AND HAVE NO LEGAL OR CONTRACTUAL EFFECT.
THESE TERMS OF USE MAY BE CHANGED AT ANY TIME, WITHOUT PRIOR NOTICE TO ANY CUSTOMER