Hi everyone,
Black friday is coming up in the US and i want to get in on some of the good deals. i was considering signing up to one of those online US shipping sites, where you use their address as the shipping address and then get it sent to me in Australia.
I know it costs money and everything, but do you think it is worth it?
has anyone had any experiences with this? what company is best to use?
there are quite a few things i want to buy
thanks!
Looks like Australia Post is getting in on the act. Anyone tried this yet?
http://shopmate.auspost.com.au
Also I noticed this: Enter the promo code ShopMateLaunch at checkout to receive 20% off shipping until 30/11/14
Seems really expensive, I've used HopShopGo (Paypal's one) and don't remember paying that much!
It's Very expensive for anything larger than flat item like a DVD or CD. anything else, there are cheaper alternatives
I have had good experiences with myus.com. A recent development has been that Australian Customs now wants to be able to see invoices stating the value of the item, and the address of the merchant. This is in preparation for adding a GST on imported items under $1000.00 in the future, in my opinion, as it will make it easier for Customs to confirm the declared value of items for adding GST. My last import of various items from amazon.com was a hassle, as the new invoice requirement was a problem with one merchant based in China, but with a US office/website. The days of being able to import items under $1000.00 GST free are certainly numbered.
Myus.com may not always be the cheapest parcel forwarder, but they are reliable, and nice people to deal with, in my experience. I have bought a lot of stuff from amazon.com over some time, as amazon will accept foreign credit cards, and also is good to deal with in my experience. Only once, I had to organise a return and refund because one item was considered risky. Myus.com returned it to amazon for me, and amazon processed a refund. I have not tried any of the other parcel forwarding mobs. My very first post was in praise of myus.com, and the reaction was unexpected. My experience with myus.com has always been good, and my praise is genuine.
Please check OzBargain-compiled list of mail forwarders:
Ive used shipito for around the past 2 years. Only 1 major problem in that time (my brother sent something to my shipito address and they wouldn't mail it on until they had been provided with a lot of ID and some signed forms)
Most places do consolidation of parcels so you can have them throw everything in one big box, but beware there are sometimes that can work out more expensive, especially if shipping to oz with DHL or Fedex.
Whatever company you go with, try and use one in a state with no sales tax.