As avid tech fans, you’ve probably heard of the Black Friday and Cyber Monday sales in the US and how crazy the deals are, especially on gadgets and electronics. Every year, you read news about customers fighting over item stocks, and who could blame them? With prices that low, who couldn’t resist grabbing the deals that only happen once a year? You may even be one of those who wish they could participate in the sales.
Those who live in the US have it good since they have the luxury to enjoy the in-store sales. But did you know that there’s also a way for gadget heads based outside of the USA to shop the exclusive sales and products from US online stores and conveniently ship them internationally?
Say hello to freight forwarders
You may or may not have heard of freight forwarding companies before. They provide various shipping solutions for international shoppers who want their US shopping finds delivered to their doorsteps. That’s right – these companies can help you make your dream US purchase come true.
And it’s pretty simple how you can avail of their service. In fact, the whole process can even be summed up in a few steps:
How to Shop from US Online Stores and Ship Internationally
Step 1: Create an account with your freight forwarding company of choice.
Step 1: Create an account with your freight forwarding company of choice.
There are plenty of freight forwarding companies out there, and it’s up to you to decide which one you should go with. You might want to consider their rates alongside the quality of service they offer. comGateway is one of the freight forwarders that comes highly recommended because of the various benefits they provide to customers who avail of their service.
Once you’ve settled with your choice, it’s time to sign up for an account and receive your own US address.
What’s my US address for?
You might be thinking, “What do I need a US address for?” Well, not all US online stores offer international shipping for their products. Those that do often charge a hefty international shipping fee that sometimes even costs higher than the item you’re buying.
Freight forwarders provide you with a US address so you can checkout US-exclusive items and have those items delivered to that address which serves as their warehouse where they store your packages until you decide to arrange them for international shipment.
Now, it’s also important for you to pick a freight forwarder whose US address is strategically located. For instance, comGateway’s is located in Oregon, a US state that is exempt from any sales tax. That means that with that address, you won’t have to pay sales tax on any of your US purchases.
Step 2: Start shopping from US online stores.
Now that you have your own US address, it’s time to start shopping. Just visit any US online store you like and add your desired items to your cart. It’s your chance to grab those smart devices from Amazon US and the latest tech from Best Buy. Then, when you’re ready to check out your purchases, make sure to put your US address as your delivery address.
Some helpful tips when shopping:
When browsing for products on any US website, set your location to the US. Some items may not be visible or available for international customers. In addition, it’s advised that you pay for items in US$. Currency exchange rates might affect the price of the item you’re trying to buy, and you may end up paying more for your shopping.
Step 3: Wait for your purchases to arrive at your US address.
After you have checked out and sent your purchases to your US address, the next thing to do is wait for them to arrive there. Once they do, you have the option to wait for all your packages to arrive then consolidate all of them into shipment before having them delivered to your country. This is especially helpful if you have various orders from multiple US online stores. You won’t have to worry about storage fees as some freight forwarders like comGateway allow you to store your packages at your US address for up to 30 days free of charge.
With this convenient service from freight forwarders, you won’t have to send out your orders into individual shipments and be charged multiple shipping fees. comGateway even has a unique service called OneBox that allows you to request your orders from various merchants to be combined into a single compartment to minimize your shipping weight and, subsequently, your international shipping fee.
Step 4: Send your packages from US online stores for international shipping.
Once your packages are all good and ready to go, all that’s left for you to do is hit that ship button. How long you’ll have to wait for your packages to arrive at your doorstep will depend on the delivery speed you paid for (standard or shipping).
Final Thoughts
As you can see, it’s easy for you to shop your dream purchases from US online stores and participate in world-famous sales like Black Friday. All you need is the services of a freight forwarder to have your US shopping shipped to you internationally. Using a freight forwarder will not only solve your shopping and logistics problems but also ultimately help you save money on your shipping fees.
