FAQ: Personal Protection Equipment (PPE)

In our communication with customers, we’ve encountered the following frequently asked questions, supplied with corresponding answers:

Frequently Asked Questions – PPE Buying Guide

Q:  Have you worked with this vendor before?

A:  With the immense demand for PPE products many distributors and suppliers have turned to offering PPE products, seemingly overnight.  With such a fast turnaround in offering a new product, many distributors/suppliers have learned the hard way when PPE products are delayed or confiscated at Customs, or even worse, they arrive and learn that the products purchased are not genuine.

With over 15+ years of manufacturing and international sourcing experience, CustomUSB has taken the time to vet their PPE manufacturers to ensure each product is genuine and comes with the proper FDA or CE certifications.  All certifications that have been provided are cross referenced against the FDA database to ensure they are legitimate and current.  In addition, CustomUSB has gone the extra step and became a FDA Registered Company approved to import medical supplies.  This is to ensure there are no delays/confiscations in Customs, enabling you to receive your genuine PPE supplies as soon as possible.

Q:  Are the PPE products I am about to purchase real?

A:  Unfortunately this is a question you have to ask yourself.  With the large demand for PPE products there are some unscrupulous providers that will be there to meet this demand.  This often comes in the form of overzealous claims (large quantities available immediately and with the best pricing you have seen).  Remember the old adage, “if it seems too good to be true, it probably is.”

At CustomUSB we have vetted our PPE manufacturers and only work with companies that have real FDA and CE certifications on their products, with many of these manufacturers currently supporting Chinese medical facilities.  We understand that this sometimes comes at a higher price on some of our PPE products, but we feel like the combination of authenticity and delivery times makes us the most competitive price point around.  If you would like to see the certifications on any of our PPE products, just ask and we would be happy to provide.

Q:  How can I confirm if the FDA certificates that I received on my PPE products are real?

A:  The best way to confirm the legitimacy of the certificates you have been provided is to cross reference them through the FDA database:  https://www.accessdata.fda.gov/scripts/cdrh/cfdocs/cfRL/rl.cfm . If you can pull up the manufacturer/product that you searched, congratulations as you can have confidence in the PPE product you are about to purchase!  If your search does not pull up any information, it is time to go back to the drawing board and find a new supplier to buy your PPE products.

Q:  How can I tell if my distributor/supplier is an FDA-registered company and why does it matter?

A:  You can ask your distributor/supplier if they are a FDA Registered Company and have them provide documentation or their Owner/Operator Number and you can cross reference through the FDA database:  https://www.accessdata.fda.gov/scripts/cdrh/cfdocs/cfRL/rl.cfm .  If you receive documentation that is vetted through the above website, you can have confidence that your distributor/supplier is approved to import medical supplies and you will not have delays/confiscations of your PPE products at Customs.  If your distributor/supplier is not registered with the FDA, it is best to work with someone who is.

At CustomUSB we took the measure to become a FDA Registered Company before we began offering any PPE products, understanding the importance of avoiding any delays in getting these products into much needed hands.  Feel free to check us out https://www.accessdata.fda.gov/scripts/cdrh/cfdocs/cfRL/rl.cfm?rid=249303

Q:  Why does it take longer than a week to receive my PPE products?

A:  Manufacturers are working overtime to produce as much PPE product as possible, often producing hundreds of thousands of units in as little as 2-3 days.  So what is causing the delay in getting these much needed products into the hands of millions?  Outside of not having the proper certifications, which could cause additional delays, the biggest bottleneck is air freighting the PPE products in.  80% of international shipments actually come in on commercial airlines.  With the travel ban currently in place with Asia, there are significantly less commercial and cargo flights available which is extending the overall door-to-door time of all PPE products.

At CustomUSB, we are fully disclosing our lead times and believe it is important to share the door-to-door time vs. just the manufacturing time as this could be misleading.  We understand that it may be attractive to advertise the manufacturing time (could be as little as 2-3 days) and put an asterisk on the air freight time to ship-in, but we believe in full transparency and allowing our customers to make decisions with all the available information.  We find our door-to-door lead times of 10-20 days to be some of the most competitive in our industry.  In order to help shorten lead times on our most popular and needed PPE products, we are working on building our stock inventory in Buffalo Grove, IL so we may service your needs in as little as 24 hours.

If you have any questions, please contact us here, or email sales@customusb.com