Previous
Paying Less for Sex on the Internet
Added: (Tue Feb 12 2002)
Over 30 million men experience erectile dysfunction and there are more than 600,000 new cases each year. With those numbers and at a retail price of about $10 per dose (50mg), pharmacies were making big bucks selling Viagra. Viagra is a virtual miracle cure for 80% of men with erectile dysfunction (and the women who love them) and a billion dollar a year money-maker since it received approval for US sales in 1998. Finally, fierce competition to fill prescriptions is driving prices down – at least on the Internet.
Buying Viagra online has many benefits. Prices can be much less than $10 per dose, the online prescription form takes only about five minutes to complete, ordering can be done from the privacy of home, pills can arrive as quickly as the next day and all providers ship in plain packaging.
While online Viraga prices are enticing, the sheer number of online pharmacies can be intimidating and there are plenty of misleading ads. A search for Viagra on Yahoo’s Shopping Channel yields 350 listings, some offering it for as little as $1 a dose! However, shopper, beware. While some ads state the final cost of getting a prescription filled, many tack on high consultation or fulfillment fees, plus shipping and these charges are not always made clear until the end of the order process.
A survey of online Viagra pharmacies shows a big difference between some advertised pill prices and the real final cost to actually get and fill a prescription:
· ValueHealthOnline advertises Viagra at “$4.50 per 50mg dose”, but it costs $8.37 per dose because their doses are actually $4.75, plus a flat $59.95 ‘processing fee.’
· Onlineviagra advertises “Viagra $4.50 each”, but to get this price you have to order 120 pills for $1080 and pay a flat $75 consult fee, for a total cost of $5.13 per dose.
· Online-viagra-4-impotence advertises “5 x 100mg Viagra $26”, but the final order cost is $111 after a $72 consult fee and $16 shipping and handling.
· Available-Viagra advertises “3 Viagra only $3”, but the final cost is $88, including $69 for a consultation and $16 shipping and handling.
A few websites do offer independent comparisons of online Viagra providers:
· Pilladium compares 22 drug stores’ prices, fees and customer service. Lists merchants by order size, 24-hour delivery time or international shipping. Comparison charts make shopping for best price easy and stores are rated for site security.
· Viagra-Review compares 13 drug stores’ prices, fees and basic customer services. Comparison charts make shopping for best price easy.
· BetterPills compares 11 drug stores’ prices, fees and basic customer services. Comparison charts make shopping for best price easy.
· Prescription-Drug-Price-Comparison compares 10 drug stores’ prices and fees. Comparison charts make shopping for best price easy. Does not sort stores by services and it appears to have some outdated prices.
· Online-Pharmacy-Guide compares 9 drug stores’ prices, fees and basic customer services. Comparison charts make shopping for best price easy. Does not sort stores by services.
· Viagra-Prices-and-Links compares 7 drug stores’ prices, basic customer service and consult fees, no shipping costs. Does not provide price comparison charts or sort stores by services.
· 10-Top-Viagra gives their top 3 picks for Best Price, Best Customer Service and Best Overall Experience. Provides brief descriptions for 10 drug stores. Does not provide price comparison charts or sort stores by services.
The Food and Drug Administration offers guidelines for buying prescription drugs on the Internet at: http://www.fda.gov/cder/drug/consumer/buyonline/guide.htm
Viagra is manufactured and sold by Pfizer.