It is now a lot easier to buy Hoodia from shops, stores and retail outlets that supply diet and health related goods. But the question is not - Can I buy Hoodia on the high street, but rather should you.

Hoodia Gordonii is now a CITES protected species, which means that certification is needed to grow, harvest and distribute raw Hoodia powder. Uncertified Hoodia is very cheap and often used to bolster other weight loss products in an attempt to use the reputation of Hoodia to their advantage. Genuine Hoodia is not cheap as it can take up to four years for Hoodia plant to mature and be ready for harvest.

High street stockists often stock uncertified products as a keenly priced weight loss product appears more attractive to the consumer, especially when purchased from a reputable source.

So, should you buy Hoodia on the high street. Of course you can buy Hoodia Gordonii in Holland Barrett, Superdrug and other leading health food stores in the UK. But like all stores, they have costs and overheads to cover.

As a consumer you must understand that most stores in the health food sector have a hefty wholesale to retail markup and must make profit margin to continue. Sometimes as much as 50 per cent profit margin is produced.

There is another big difference between actual manufacturing costs of a product and the wholesale price.

Here is an example, Lets say a product sells for forty pounds or dollars in a health food shop. It probably would have been bought by the shop for a wholesale cost of about eighteen to twenty pounds or dollars Then the real manufacturing cost of the product would be about 50 per cent of that price, so approximately nine to twelve pounds or dollars

Now of course, all businesses have to make profit. This is nothing out of the ordinary. The point is - how much Hoodia can you put in a ten dollar product, when you have to factor in growing, harvesting, processing, distribution and advertising costs.

This is not said to discredit any channel or any store. This is simply the reality of buying Hoodia on the high street. Which is why we recommend you buy weight loss supplements online and only from product specific specialists.

Apart from the fact that it is more convenient - we feel you get more real value when you buy Hoodia online. You are not paying for the overheads and costs of a retail outlet in a busy mall or high street. You are not paying for so many staff to run the shop. You are not paying for large advertising budgets, TV campaigns, or glossy brochures. You are paying a fair price for a very good Hoodia product.

And because the overheads are lower, you can be sure that the product you buy is going to be pure Hoodia that has been grown and processed according to strict standards.

Pure Hoodia does not always equate to pure Hoodia powder, there is a difference.