If living outside the US, it's expensive to buy from US companies due to high shipping costs. Unless the company has huge sales volume, they cannot provide reasonably-priced international shipping options.
Additionally, many companies or eBay sellers won't ship internationally. They may do so because they don't want to deal with and learn customs laws, or face the additional risk of something happening to the package along the way.
Each year, I sell 1000s of items on eBay, many of which are shipped to international customers. My well-informed customers frequently use freight forwarders to reduce their shipping costs.
What will freight forwarders do for me?
- Get a US address that you'll use to make purchases online. This allows you to take advantage of free or highly reduced domestic shipping prices of US companies.
- Hold your packages for up to 180 days in their warehouse, so you can combine shipments over the course of several months (if you want).
- Removal of unnecessary packaging, reducing shipping costs.
- Consolidate your packages into a single package for internationally shipping for reduced shipping costs.
- Make purchases on your behalf (very helpful if a company won't process your foreign credit card.)
How do I find a good freight forwarder to work with?
You can search Google for "Get US address for online shopping" and you'll find many options, but I'd recommend starting your search with Viabox.
I have no affiliation with Viabox but have heard good things about them. They have better benefits than most package-forwarding companies and their service is free (whereas most charge a membership fee).
You get an address in Oregon which means NO STATE SALES TAX. Most of these companies are located in Florida, in which case you would be required to pay sales tax. Also, they accept Bitcoin!
Here's some screen grabs from their website:
Whether you've expatriated from the US, or have lived in another country throughout your life, this service will benefit you if you shop online.
Look around for the freight forwarding service that fits your needs best. Just Google "US address for online shopping" and you'll find there's no shortage of companies providing similar services.
This is a great how-to post! Thank you for sharing :)
Downvoting a post can decrease pending rewards and make it less visible. Common reasons:
Submit
You're welcome, the encouraging comments are appreciated. I saw you comment on someone else's post saying you're a huge Phoenix Suns fan. I live in Phoenix, do you live in AZ?
Downvoting a post can decrease pending rewards and make it less visible. Common reasons:
Submit
I do... where in Phoenix are you? I have lived there most of my life and just recently moved to the Gilbert area...
Downvoting a post can decrease pending rewards and make it less visible. Common reasons:
Submit
Ah alright, cool. North Phoenix, in the vicinity of the 101 and 51.
Downvoting a post can decrease pending rewards and make it less visible. Common reasons:
Submit
My parents are in North Phoenix, not far from you... that is where I grew up :)
Downvoting a post can decrease pending rewards and make it less visible. Common reasons:
Submit
Here's a business niche I never knew existed! But it makes sense and meets a definite and unique need. Pretty cool.
Downvoting a post can decrease pending rewards and make it less visible. Common reasons:
Submit
That's what my customers usually say when I tell them about it. It's a very useful service for a lot of people.
Downvoting a post can decrease pending rewards and make it less visible. Common reasons:
Submit
Never knew about this. I ran an eBay business ten years ago. I had sold many items on eBay and shipped from the U.S. internationally through USPS. Once it arrives at the foreign country's customs the tracking for USPS ends and depending on the country, it can take weeks for the package to finally arrive. I wonder if this was available back then. Nice post, got me reminiscing about the good old days when my only coworkers/friends were the clerks at the post office. Cheers.
Downvoting a post can decrease pending rewards and make it less visible. Common reasons:
Submit