no it's not a stupid question.
Tip 1: Avoid buying from shops, unless it's urgent.
Prices here are probably similar if not a little cheaper than the UK, but it's definitely much more expensive than some of the online stores. A lot of the local discounts and sales are based on marked up prices (i.e. GNC).
Tip 2: Buy Online
For almost everything, from Animal Pak to Lavender Essential Oils, I suggest you check out
SGCheapSupplements. It's not a store, but it shows you where to buy with lots of price comparisons with local stores and even local sites like nutrifirst, babyonline and fitlion. People from UK, Japan, Malaysia and China follow their tips as well.
For Optimum Nutrition's Whey Protein though, get it from
Nutrifirst, especially the bulk 10lb bags.
Tip 3: Keep orders below S$400 to avoid GST (If ordering from abroad)
Apart from DHEA, most (normal) supplements can be brought into the country. We're very fortunate that the import tax system here is very simple (I checked out UK's system, it's nuts!).
Anything above S$400 is subject to GST, anything below is safe.
Note the amount is based on the total amount including freight and insurance (if any).
So, a S$350 order with a shipping fee of S$40 for a total of S$390 will be safe.
An order of S$340 with a shipping fee of S$70 for a total of S$410 though, will be subject to prevailing GST rates.