UPDATE : Shipping is now $6.99 for 3.4Lb As at Nov 2012 so need to adjust maths accordingly
Price = $US1.60 Shipped for 25 bars or $US.75 for first time orders with code.
How?….
A few months back I discovered a USA vitamin site when I was searching for Atkins Protein Bars.
These cost from around $A4.80 each here in Australia if you buy from Woolies or Coles (depends on type of bar you buy)
Buy buying these from the US you can get these for around $US1.60 each shipped to your mailing address.
The products available are slightly different than the ones you can buy here.
In Australia the Atkins Chocolate Decadence bar is 60g and costs $A4.80 each
The available US equivalent is the Dark Chocolate Decadence 44g Bar which costs $US5.44 for 5 = $US1.10
Shipping is $US2.99 which gives the cost as a shade over $US1.15 each (But that is delivered)
Equalising the weight 44g vs 60g (roundly 40% more in the Oz bar) makes this around $US 1.60 delivered.
BUT….
The $US2.99 shipping allows you to ship 3lbs of goods. Which equates to 5 boxes (25 bars). Their website can calculate the cost of shipping as you add products.
Allowing currency costs etc this was at least half the Aussie price
But wait - thats not all.(LOL)
By using the refer a friend link below you can save $US10 on your first shipment. So the first trial is even less per bar.
With the $US10 off the average bar price was US$.75 each DELIVERED
They also have some great specials time to time on different vitamin products.
Unless you order 1 item greater than 3lbs where the shipping jumps to $US14, for just a small amount over the 3lb. And goes up as the weight increases if you want more you just place another order. (although you can check this before placing the order) And try to maximise the use of the 3lb shipping charge to keep the average price down.
Below is my referral link where you can get $10 off. I also get a $10 credit for referring you. So we both win.
However if you do join up, you can create your own referral link for friends and I have no issue if you post your link below. So members here can choose which ever link suits them. And maybe also you can post your discoveries here on other products that can be found
CLICK here to use the referral code
http://www.vitacost.com/Referee?wlsrc=rsReferral&ReferralAct…
This has also been cross posted to the wiki for future reference http://www.ozbargain.com.au/wiki/category:food_grocery?&#tip…
Also you can buy these from iherb. They are slightly more expensive, BUT you can get 4lbs shipped for their rate of $4.00 Again you can save $10 on your first order with my referral code QAZ216 if your total order exceeds $40. http://www.iherb.com/?rcode=QAZ216
So just do the math. iHerb will give you a further 5% off if your total exceeds $60 so depending on what you order and total weight sometimes it could be cheaper. Plus your $10 off makes at least one order worthwhile. And we are into bargains aren't we.
BTW with Vitacost
Also dont forget to add in up to 2 free samples with each Vitacost order you make. Nothing really great, but hey they are free. You can find free samples here
http://www.vitacost.com/freesamples/
Sounds very appealing, but I think I would have to try the bars locally first to confirm that I like the flavour.