Frequently Asked Questions

We currently are conducting business in over 150 countries, and have delivered shipments to over 93 countries.

VIA is headquartered in the US (Seattle, Washington) but also have staffed offices in Kenya (Nairobi) and South Africa (Cape Town) to cater to customers in African countries. In the near term we will be expanding to open offices in locations like South Asia, Latin America and East/West Africa.

VIA has two customers – buyers and sellers. Our buyers are medical equipment buyers including local distributors, NGOs and service delivery partners that improve healthcare in their local community by supplying critical devices and supplies. Our sellers are international suppliers that sell their medical supplies and devices through the VIA marketplace.

For the privacy of our buyers we do not share their information, just as we wouldn’t with your information. We believe you are a customer and a partner, someone whose information should remain respected and private.

There is no cost. We have no membership or subscription fees, and we do not add any markup to your orders. The sellers of products pay our fees.

Absolutely. Our services include but are not limited to customer service, logistics, product training, market insights, VIA Rewards Program, financing, distributor website development and marketing & promotion support.

You save money through negotiated and bulk manufacturer direct pricing, optimized logistics solutions, discounts through interview/survey participation with our Market Insights team, redeeming VIA Rewards Program points, developing a company website for you and passing leads on to you to augment your customer marketing.

VIA developed the business with the medical equipment buyer in mind and as our first priority, and have adapted our way of working to meet our buyers’ ways of running a business. It is important to us that we adapt to your way of working instead of asking you to change to ours.

This means that we offer the same price you’d receive if you contacted the manufacturer directly. However, because we support customers all over the world, often the price you receive from us is lower because it’s based on a negotiated bulk rate.

Verified Distributors are vetted by our sales team to be able to credibly import, sell, train and maintain medical equipment to their local customers.

You can request a quotation on the product page and we can either connect you directly with a Verified Distributor for a quotation, or, in some instances may be able to quote directly.

The pricing we offer to our customers is manufacturer direct pricing, and is only available to our Verified Distributor network. Please request a quote for more information, and sign up as a Verified distributor to be able to log in and view pricing and place orders.

No, we earn our money from the sellers, not the buyers. For nearly all of our suppliers, we sell our products for the same price that the manufacturer would sell them. In some limited instances we add a small margin to cover our costs with only a few suppliers.

The best place for all of that information is on our individual product pages. That is also where you can request a quotation. You can see an example of a product page by searching for any product in our search bar or by visiting our Shop page.

You can visit the below site and enter your username and password: https://viaglobalhealth.com/my-account/

We prefer that the initial inquiry be sent through the website form on each product page. A sales rep can follow up with you directly at that time.

Yes, but as noted above the fastest route to request a quote is at each product page. To email the sales team directly you can use sales@viaglobalhealth.com

For most devices we will ship single pieces. In only a few instances where products are very small (exam gloves, for instance) we have small minimum order requirements.

“Absolutely. We offer training in several ways: – Training videos on product pages – Training webinars with demonstrations where we introduce new products in a live webinar and allow you to ask questions directly to our product expert – Aftersales online support with our product expert if an additional training is required – In limited cases we would also be able to arrange in-person training, but this would be subject to product team availability and customer budget”

We do offer warranties for all products that require them, and we carry through the manufacturer warranty directly. You can be confident in buying with us that you will be covered in case of defects (which rarely happen).

VIA Global Health only sells products that we have verified. We use industry standards like CE or FDA certifications, clinical trials and studies and customer recommendations to review the products for quality, and only then are they added. In addition, we make sure that the products offered are priced appropriately.

No, we believe in choice. Our customers are the experts on the specific product they need for their local markets. We believe in providing you as many quality products per category and allowing you to choose the one that suits you best. You know your markets and customers better than we ever could.

VIA partners with manufacturers to distribute their products. We open up markets like yours to the manufacturer and offer them an opportunity to be verified and sell their devices through our platform.

VIA will not compete against our local customers and will not submit directly to tenders. We do offer our products and quotations to local distributors so that they can submit bids directly to tenders

Absolutely. If you can provide a list of documents required and any particular format required we are happy to provide the documents needed.

We do not offer exclusivity. VIA’s model is about fast, easy and affordable access, and we find that exclusivity limits access and can increase costs for hospitals and clinics, and ultimately, patients.

No, the FDA is responsible for all US territories. If the product contains US regulatory restriciton, that applies to all countries in the territory. Puerto Rico, Guam, US Virgin Islands, American Samoa, etc

We will initiate the order once the payment is received, and depending upon the order size and stock availability, the time-frame can vary. If products are in stock the shipment will begin moving within 2-3 days.

We will initiate the order once the payment is received, and depending upon the order size and stock availability, the timeline can vary. If products are in stock, the shipment will usually arrive within 1-2 weeks (air) or 30-45 days (ocean). If not in stock, timing would be subject to the production timeline.

We ship through all methods, and have delivered via air, ocean and ground. We will look to you to provide us guidelines for your timing and budget and we can customize from there.

Yes we will use carriers like this on occasion, and only when the service and price is in the best interests of our customer. Typically, for smaller orders these carriers are the option chosen.

We have a network of hundreds of carriers that bid on each shipment. We only choose the combination of rate and service for your individual shipment.

This is customizable based on customer need, but typically our incoterms are CIP, excluding local duties taxes or customs clearance fees.

Either, depending on the shipment itself, destination and customer budget. Our typical shipment is to the port, where the customer will arrange for clearance and final delivery.

We can offer this service, but find that the local business in the destination has the most expertise in their local market and customs processes. Most shipments are delivered to port on a CIP incoterm, excluding local delivery, duties and taxes.

This would depend completely upon the product ordered, quantity, and speed of delivery. We customize your shipping to your individual needs. If you prefer more affordable we can offer ocean freight. If you need it immediately we can arrange by air. This is all up to your timeline and budget. Regardless of the method we have a team whose job it is to find you the best rates and options possible.

Absolutely. We ship throughout the world and have already shipped to over 50 countries.

You will be sent a tracking link and shipping documents (e.g. Commercial Invoice, Airway Bill) which will allow you to both track and prepare for your shipment arrival.

We drop ship from the product’s warehouse, which are located throughout the world. We ship from warehouses in the US, Canada, Vietnam, India, Hong Kong, South Africa, Israel and many others.

Yes, but only for returning customers. For the security of both VIA Global Health and our customers, we do not accept credit cards for first-time orders. Fees would apply for this transaction type.

As noted above, this would be only for a return customer who is approved by our finance team. Fees would apply for this transaction type.

At this time we do not offer payment options through these types of services. If you have a good option we should consider please do provide that to us for review.

We only offer this to return customers who are approved by our finance team, and each situation is graded and offered on a case-by-case basis.

If your return is approved, then credit cards will be refunded within 24 hours of final approval, wire transfer refunds may take up to ten business days to process once completed and e-checks will take up ten business days to process once completed.

VIA buyers can submit a warranty claim by contacting their sales representative directly. After providing all of the information required surrounding the circumstances of the issue, VIA will determine where a replacement or refund will apply, in accordance with the manufacturer’s warranty, and walk the buyer through the solutions available for each specific order and product.