I first inquired about Huel about six months ago, hoping to improve my diet, and was told that I couldn’t order it because I was in the United States. The customer support representative to whom I spoke said that they would e-mail me when US shipping was ready, but I still haven’t gotten that e-mail. I checked the site again, and US shipping is still unavailable.
When, exactly, will the product be available for purchase in the US? I’ve been waiting six months to start my diet program. It’s really a bit ridiculous; I see virtually every other country in the world listed in the shipping options.
The alternatives are, for various reasons, totally inadequate, either because they include ingredients I can’t use or because they charge several times what Huel does.
Is there any way to get Huel in the US? If not, why not?
As JJMC says, it’s an FDA issue. We can ship, but it will be very very expensive and then will probably get rejected by the FDA. We want to ship to the USA as soon as possible, and are getting closer, but it’s a difficult and long process. We’re actually going to be making Huel in North America and shipping from there, hopefully in the next few months.
Does the FDA get their panties in a twist over non-commercial imports? Say, if one had friends in the UK who were willing to ship one’s order of Huel to one overseas.
If so, do they sedulously scrutinize every shipment? Hypothetically speaking—not that I would ever go against arbitrary food and drug guidelines that say you can put fæces in my hamburger but Huel is omg b4u—could one’s UK friends pack the Huel inside baby powder containers to circumvent the restriction?
One option might be to go to the DIY Soylent site and see if anyone has a DIY recipe that you like. You might even find someone who is willing to sell you batches of it made up.
There are re-shipping sites based around this entire premise I believe. I can’t remember the exact site, but you can have orders sent to someone in the UK who will then reship it to you from their own address. I have no idea about the legality or benefits of these services though.
They’re totally legal, but with international shipping there’s going to be a cn22 sticker on the outside with the value and contents listed so they can block illegal/prohibited items and also apply any taxes/duties.
So, drop shipping is definitely an option. The reshipping services are great because they ship in bulk, so a 30lb package that’d cost £100 to ship to the USA on its own ends up costing a lot less.
Any update on this? The estimate back in Nov was 2 months, but sadly it seems to have stretched on a little longer than that, which sucks because Huel is the first product of this type that has really interested me.
Bumping this. I’m leaving for the US in 6 weeks, and can only fit a months worth of Huel in my carry-on. Hoping it will be available by June so I don’t have to ship another 2 boxes to myself in the states, as it will get super pricey.
No, it’s perfectly fine to bring it with you for personal use, they just can’t sell it in the US as of right now. Which is why I will be packing a whole months worth in my carry on. lol
I’m allergic to Soy and haven’t found another alternative that’s actually affordable. My plan right now is to take some in my carry on, ship another month’s worth over, and switch to 2-3 Huel meals a day instead of 100%.
Being that I’m staying in NYC, shipping a box over is still much more cost effective than buying groceries believe it or not.
It’s so backward that they won’t allow them to sell Huel in the States. With all the crazy things that go on there, it’s just nonsense. So it’s okay to own a gun, but THIS they have a problem with? Give me a break, as they say in the USA…
It’s not that they can’t sell it here, it’s just that it would be extremely difficult and expensive to ship it here. They had a plan to get a factory running in North America to use as a shipping base for our continent, but we haven’t had any official comment on it for a little while.
Sorry, maybe I’m mistaken. The last update I read is that there were troubles with FDA regulations, and that was also part of the reasoning for a North American factory? I might have misread that. Otherwise, they’d just be able to charge an extra large sum for American shipping. Something I’d be willing to pay just to not have to ship it myself, but I don’t think they can do that either.
and haven’t found another alternative that’s actually affordable. My plan right now is to take some in my carry on, ship another month’s worth over, and switch to 2-3 Huel meals a day instead of 100%.