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What makes gel capsules so expensive in comparison to other pills? (mander.xyz)

submitted 3 months ago by Mothra@mander.xyz to c/asklemmy@lemmy.ml

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Disclaimer: I'm in Australia and here vitamins must comply with certain regulations. Feel free to read about it: https://www.tga.gov.au/news/blog/how-are-vitamins-regulated-australia

I bought vitamin D the other day, and couldn't help but to notice the price differences, such as:

Brand A: $8 x 300 pills Brand B: $30, x 250 capsules Brand C: $40, x 300 capsules

All had the same amount of vitamin per dose (1000 u). They all had the AUST L label which means they undergo controls to ensure that they have what they claim to have, and that they are made under certain safety standards.

I also buy iron supplements but there is nowhere near this much difference between brands. The only obvious difference was the type of pill, the more expensive ones were gel capsules while the cheap ones were hard pills.

So, are gel capsules really that much better? Is the price difference justified? Are there other issues that could explain the price difference in terms of quality?

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[–] a_new_sad_me@lemmy.world 9 points 3 months ago (4 children)

Rule #1 in economy is that the supplier would like to sell at a price as high as possible. People find gel capsules to be more effective, and are willing to sell that much more for them. This is what is setting the price, not the actual performance.

I'm not saying that the cost is not justified. Only, that the question of the production cost is not relevant.

[–] Mothra@mander.xyz 1 points 3 months ago (3 children)

Okay, now that moves my goalpost a notch: are they really as effective as people claim? Do they have a longer shelf life or something? I'm trying to figure out if the price difference is worth it in my personal case. Many times with products you can tell the quality difference very easily, but this is a tricky one

[–] eclipse@lemmy.world 7 points 3 months ago (1 children)

They're not more effective. They might assist with speed of absorption but that's it.

[–] BearOfaTime@lemm.ee 1 points 3 months ago

Wouldn't that potentially make them more effective (depending on the contents) ?

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