US EMS speedpost to Indonesia

harryopal1

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Aug 4, 2016
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1,744
Good morning.

I am looking at making an order for a pharmaceutical from the US and have been advised that they do not use FedEx but use EMS speedpost.

Has anyone had any experience with this service in terms of delivery into Indonesia?

Thanks in anticipation of responses.
 
Harry, I think this parcel delivery company is just the USPS? So they would use the Pos in Indonesia. (Many use the generic words EMS and Speed Post. Do you have a website or so of that company if it is not the US Postal Service?) My experience with the Pos here is not that bad; a lot passes what would be heavily scrutinized by DHL or so (they seem to get a piece of the pie or are holier than the pope).

If you import prescription or OTC medication which is not registered here (see MIMS) it could be an issue. Then there are very clear formalities and processes for this situation coming from a Schengen country. But it should be the same for people from other continents.


  1. From a doctor, get a statement what is necessary (so not a prescription but letter declaration).
  2. Add a detailed medication list from a registered pharmacist of drugs that are not available in RI.
  3. Preferably have these documents translated.
  4. Have everything legalized (notary and Ministry, probably the consular department of Foreign Affairs).
  5. Visit the Indonesian embassy (KBRI) in your country and report it to them.
  6. Try to get their approval, they will need to contact the Ministry of Health in Indonesia.
 
The generic name of the drug is Tamsulosin which is available here but at 3 times the cost. It is available over the counter here and without a prescription.
 
Jstar, might I reasonably expect that product to get through by EMS without any problems if the customs tag indicates Tamsulosin?
 
Hit and miss Harry. I had stuff magically disappear but never any questions on content (I had prescription cremes shipped).
 
So what would be your expectations? If you had ten deliveries how many would you expect to disappear? And for those that do get through what kind of time lag from forwarding to arrival?
 
Have you heard of http://www.bistip.com/?locale=en? The way it works is, you find the traveller from US to Indo, ask them to bring the stuff over and give them a (negotiable) tip.
It's like a community courier. They might or might not want to bring your stuff over, but worth trying. Lots of Indos coming from US.
 
Exile, thanks for the suggestion and you must take into account that I really know nothing about anything but it seems to me a bit like those great ideas that come up and disappear such as the fad for bartering that was hot for a while. The logistics of the process suggest that it might be worthwhile for something that had some major value but then you are putting complete trust in a perfect stranger at a time when there seem to be more scammers than genuine posters. It would also seem a great idea for drug dealers to sign up some unwitting Indonesian returning home and getting them to carry the bag. Without their knowledge you travel with them on the plane and watch them all the way through. If they get through you pick up your stuff safely past customs. If they get into trouble ... you don't know them.
 
Hey Harry you ever think about using a similar drug and see if it works as well? There is
Terazosin which does the same pretty much as Flomax at about a 10th of the price. It's about 18 bucks for a months worth opposed to 130 . Ask your doctor about it.
 
For what it is worth here is the follow up from my original enquiry. Gernerally speaking Tamsulosin, Terazosin and Prazosin, which are all directed at the same conditions, are rather more expensive in Indonesia than Australia. This surprised me as I had thought pharmaceuticals would be quite a bit cheaper here. I explored the possibilities of ordering on line and was close to ordering from a company called AllDayChemists. After responding to an initial email they advised that they were having problems with their website and could not process cards and recommended using a direct transfer method. They also were not disposed to answering follow up emails with other questions. After checking reviews I found that the company had good reviews for the first two years and then lots of bad reviews thereafter suggesting that once they have the money they are really not interested in follow up so people said they had not received ordered products and some received the wrong product and the company was unreliable.
I later found a well reviewed group called INTERNATIONALDRUGMART.COM. Their on line prices were about a third of the prices here and their forwarding charges reasonable. I was a little reassured that they responded immediately to emails and were helpful using a direct call by Skype. I placed an order with some trepidation and kept an eye on my card withdrawals. I was pleased to see their was not an instant withdrawal and I received confirmation emails before the price including forward on line was charged to my Mastercard. No further unauthorized withdrawals have been made. Delivery from 7 days to possibly 22 days. If anyone indicates an interest I will post further advice if and when the goods are delivered.
 
I don't know about Manado but in Bali and Jakarta everyone I know uses Prodia for their medications...they are considerably cheaper medical providers than anyone else.
 
Prodia? Are you sure? That is a medical lab (for blood, urine, etc.) which also provides diagnostics and medical devices.

Harry, I think where you buy is not so relevant (well, for you it is of course with the costs related), it is more about what they use as parcel or shipping service. Officially medication and drugs need to be checked and approved by the Ministry of Health when they arrive by mail, but what I've seen with the Pos, that often does not happen. But I can't make any prediction since every carrier and post office might operate differently.
 
Not so speedy post.

It took about a week to process my on line medication order for Prazosin to be sent by speed post. From India I think. The website INTERNATIONALDRUGMART.COM has a US phone number and the Home page says head office is in Crete but when I spoke on line I think the response was from India. As the company had good reviews and responded promptly to enquiries I decided to take a punt and ordered. I used the package tracker to find the package arrived Singapore 17th April / Arrived Jakarta 26th April/ Left Jakarta 27th April / Arrived Denpasar 29th April and then a relative at a major hotel being used as an addressee received advice on the 5th of April that the product should be purchases from an Indonesian pharmacy so the package cannot be made available. Oh well, it seemed worth a try but at a cost of $85 it was a costly try. Just have to resign myself to paying twice the price here.
 
Exile, thanks for the suggestion and you must take into account that I really know nothing about anything but it seems to me a bit like those great ideas that come up and disappear such as the fad for bartering that was hot for a while. The logistics of the process suggest that it might be worthwhile for something that had some major value but then you are putting complete trust in a perfect stranger at a time when there seem to be more scammers than genuine posters. It would also seem a great idea for drug dealers to sign up some unwitting Indonesian returning home and getting them to carry the bag. Without their knowledge you travel with them on the plane and watch them all the way through. If they get through you pick up your stuff safely past customs. If they get into trouble ... you don't know them.

given the news about drug dealers I think most people would be wary of bringing any drug into Indonesia.
 
Prodia? Are you sure? That is a medical lab (for blood, urine, etc.) which also provides diagnostics and medical devices.

jstar is right...my mistake. I go to Prodia so often it's stuck in my mind.

What I meant, in Bali, is apotek Adhi Guna Farma 2 Jl. May. Jend. Sutoyo No. 45 Tel: Denpasar 238241. They are the cheapest Farma in Denpasar and you can tell when you see how many people use them.... but they are efficient and reliable.
 
Davita, thanks for that. I will check it out. I had found Tamulosin at Kimia Farma at Jimbaran which is close by so at least I can get the medication. So. I will check the prices at Adhi Guna. By the way, I read your post about the cancer treatments. A gritty rundown. But it leaves me curious about the costs. My previous wife passed with cancer in Townsville after removal of part of her colon but then found more liver spots and a couple of years of chemotherapy which was not a happy process. I do know that one of the infusions actually cost $600 a session but with Medicare across the years and including surgery our only costs were a $5 fee if we had to fill a prescription.
 
Davita, thanks for that. I will check it out. I had found Tamulosin at Kimia Farma at Jimbaran which is close by so at least I can get the medication. So. I will check the prices at Adhi Guna. By the way, I read your post about the cancer treatments. A gritty rundown. But it leaves me curious about the costs. My previous wife passed with cancer in Townsville after removal of part of her colon but then found more liver spots and a couple of years of chemotherapy which was not a happy process. I do know that one of the infusions actually cost $600 a session but with Medicare across the years and including surgery our only costs were a $5 fee if we had to fill a prescription.

My total cost, which I paid from my retirement savings, is currently close to US$30,000 and I have rejected any more chemo-therapy. I could have returned to Vancouver, where we have a similar health service, but I wasn't to know how serious I'd become and by then I was in process of surgery and now metastasis.
That's why I wrote the blog to inspire others to have a colonoscopy and fix anything before it progresses.

Sorry to hear about your wife ...did she have a colonoscopy in advance of her needing surgery. It may help others if you are willing to say but I'll understand if you don't want to comment...it's not a nice subject.
 
I was in process of surgery and now metastasis.
That's why I wrote the blog to inspire others to have a colonoscopy and fix anything before it progresses.

Sorry to hear that the cancer has metastasised Davita.
 
Good morning Davita,

My late wife went to a doctor to see if she might get vitamins or something to help with a feeling of lethargy and weariness. The check up led to the surgery which led to.... etc.
 

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