The demand for Aussie vitamin and supplement products has reached fever pitch Swisse Wellness is one of the most sought after brands by the Chinese market, there's a real distrust among the Chinese of anything that's been made in China, too, including health products. The wariness of home grown products is fuelling an overwhelming demand in China for Australia's ""clean and green" vitamins and supplements. Here products containing herbs, vitamins, minerals and other nutritional supplements are regulated as medicines. In other countries, such as China and the US, these natural products are regulated as food supplements, although China does classify some botanical ingredients as traditional Chinese medicines and they're regulated as such. My  :question is, what's the difference between being regulated as medicines or food supplements.

Cheers, Hoppy.

Hoppy wrote on Oct 11^th, 2015 at 2:44am:

My  :question is, what's the difference between being regulated as medicines or food supplements.

Anyone can produce and sell a food supplement with no testing, no proofs at all. Just look at all the scams we see daily.

Being treated as medicines they are at least subject to a cursory review to ensure to do a little good for people and don't actually kill.

The good news is that it might be cutting back on their need for rhinoceros horns and endangered tigers penis.

May our exports burgeon forth, for all the right reasons.

Thanq Brian,
I only source my vitamin D regime from Swisse and Blackmores, the two biggest Aussie exporters of vitamins and supplements to China, but I get my vitamin D-3 online from Biovea! Because you can't get more than a 1000iu softgels here in oz.

Hey Hoppy,

Have you compared Biovea's price for D3 @ 10,000 iu with Iherb.com ?

Peter.

Hi Peter,
Thanks for the heads up, but the reason why I get 5000iu vitamin D is because that's all I take /day together with the other cofactors. Biovea are here in Australia and can deliver in one week, not like from the US where it can take up to a month to get here.

Hoppy.

I wasn't sure if you were wondering about Australian regulation or Chinese regulation.

Having done a lot of regulated business in both countries as a foreigner, I can say that you can trust the regulators in Australia a whole lot more than you can trust the regulators in China.  In China, the regulations are rarely written down, and you can be informed about significant changes in regulations at any moment in time, again, not even written down.

In Australia, you can build a business under the assumption that your business model will remain understood and predictable, with regulatory changes going through a pretty good democratic process.  I was willing to invest a lot of capital in Australia.

In China, there is no predictability about your business model.  It could be smashed by arbitrary verbal regulations at any time.  As a result, I only invested capital I could afford to lose in China.

I would bet that, in China, supplements could suddenly become regulated medicines at any time with no notice and nothing written.

And have fun trying to repatriate the money out of China (although it is possible.)

Hi Mark,
I could see the writing on the wall 12mths ago, so I bought some Blackmores shares on the ASX at $31 a share, they are now worth in excess of $140  [smiley=happy.gif]

Hoppy

Love to hear stories like that.

But now, what's your exit strategy?  My dad always told me that "Bulls make money and bears make money, but pigs get slaughtered."

[smiley=beer.gif]

Yeah, playing the stock market is always a bit of a gamble, knowing when to buy and when to sell can be very frustrating. So, I watch the market place for any sign or gut instinct that tells me when to buy or when to sell. Like your dad said "Pigs get slaughtered" but having said that, I still have bank shares I bought 20yrs ago for $7 a share, they are now worth in excess of $75.  [smiley=lolk.gif]

Hoppy

I try to pull out the principal I put in, plus maybe lock in some gain and then gamble further with the market's money.

That's a safe strategy well worth consideration, and I thanq for that.

Cheers  [smiley=beer.gif]

It has always been my gambling policy to look at how much I can afford to lose and that's my stake. If I lose it, it's gone, and that's my fun for today.

When I'm winning, however, my stake goes back in the pocket and I then have the most outrageous time betting with the bookies' money. Quite often I come out well ahead, but even if I lose the lot it means I've had a bundle of fun and it hasn't cost me a cent.

It's the Melbourne Cup in just a few weeks, the race that stops our nation, and I've never picked the winner once. Not ever.

Here endeth the lesson.

Brian,

Have you not got few pennies on Australia winning the Rugby World Cup ?  Hope not, as Ireland is going to win.

Peter.

Peter510 wrote on Oct 13^th, 2015 at 7:40am:

Have you not got few pennies on Australia winning the Rugby World Cup ?  Hope not, as Ireland is going to win.

All wishful thinking as the All Blacks will retain it this year.

Just hoping that there isn't a repeat of 2007 in Cardiff...

Mike,

France in 2007, if I'm not mistaken.

Our Captain, Paul O'Connell is out of the tournament due to an injury received playing France in Cardiff last weekend!!!!!!!

Pity too, as it was his last tournament playing international rugby.

Anyway, looking forward to the rest of the tournament .

Peter.

Hi Mark,
I've taken your advice owing to a slight correction when I would normally sell! To keep my bank manager off his worry horse for a little while, lol. So, I'm selling 500 shares to recoup my principal + 500 for profit and leaving the rest sit for a while, fingers x I'm doing the right thing.

Hoppy

Peter510 wrote on Oct 13^th, 2015 at 7:40am:

Brian, Have you not got few pennies on Australia winning the Rugby World Cup ?  Hope not, as Ireland is going to win. Peter.

I've a lazy lobster on us good guys making the semis but, like all great games, I don't care who wins so long as New Zealand loses.

Brian, I know what a monkey is, but what's a lazy lobster?

Hoppy wrote: "I've taken your advice owing to a slight correction when I would normally sell, so I'm selling 500 shares to recoup my principal + 500 for profit and leaving the rest sit for a while, fingers x I'm doing the right thing."

Hoppy, the advice is worth exactly how much you paid for it.

If the stock goes down (eg, China suddenly regulates them) you will be very happy with what you did.  If it continues to go up, you will be unhappy with what you did.  The strategy limits your upside a little bit (fewer shares leveraging the market), but it really limits your downside.  It's a more conservative strategy than what you were using.

In other words, don't blame me if you become unhappy with the new strategy.   [smiley=yikes.gif]

AussieBrian wrote on Oct 13^th, 2015 at 10:32pm:

I've a lazy lobster on us good guys making the semis but, like all great games, I don't care who wins so long as New Zealand loses.

Hmm...

Which side of the ditch is the Bledisloe on?

Hoppy wrote on Oct 13^th, 2015 at 11:56pm:

Brian, I know what a monkey is, but what's a lazy lobster?

It's a spare twenny, Hoppy, top end of my wild, impulsive gambling fortune, and I'm really happy for you Mike that you're enjoying the Bledisloe Cup we've lent you.

Go the Wallabies!!!

Mark wrote, In other words, don't blame me if you become unhappy with the new strategy. I wouldn't do that  [smiley=thumbsup.gif]

Brian wrote, It's a spare twenny. I thought it might be that  [smiley=lolk.gif]

Cheers  [smiley=beer.gif] [smiley=beer.gif] [smiley=beer.gif]

Blackmore @ $183.00  :)

Hoppy  [smiley=beer.gif]

Congrats!   [smiley=beer.gif]