[shallot]

You really really really want to purchase something from a eBay seller in the US but they refuse to send to international buyers? I mean absolutely refuse, as in, there's no way around it at all. Is there anyway I can get the item because I really really really want it!!!

[BagAngel]

I dont think so unless you have a friend in the USA who is willing to buy it for you, have it shipped to them & then on to you.

[shallot]

Originally Posted by BagAngel

I dont think so unless you have a friend in the USA who is willing to buy it for you, have it shipped to them & then on to you.

I wish. One of my friends just left the US a few weeks ago

[BagAngel]

Originally Posted by shallot

I wish. One of my friends just left the US a few weeks ago

Thats a shame, I don't know what else you can do sorry.

[sea0fyears]

There have been mentions of companies that act sort of as a p.o. box in the US that will recieve the item and then forward it on to you. I'm not very familiar with it, but maybe you can try looking into it on a search engine.

[lulilu]

^^^This is a good idea for you if you plan to do alot of buying from the US. I have a friend in Saudi Arabia, but she has a US mail address in NY. Whatever she buys is shipped to that address and then they ship it to her.

[curlsaloud]

Originally Posted by sea0fyears

There have been mentions of companies that act sort of as a p.o. box in the US that will recieve the item and then forward it on to you. I'm not very familiar with it, but maybe you can try looking into it on a search engine.

I used to use a service by a company called Shop The States, who sadly don't operate anymore - I'm still gutted they closed down because they were reliable and cheap!

They are only really worth doing if you plan on making one or two purchases a month though.

[Fraublucher]

The company I use is International Checkout (InternationalCheckout.com - American products worldwide, fast International Shipping) but franky I do not know if they can also bid on eBay on behalf of others...
IC works great with online stores, though! And their charges are not too high, I use them quite a lot.

[BagAngel]

very interesting information thanks guys I didn't know that you could get a company to receive goods & then ship on.

[secret shopaholic]

Obviously you need to thoroughly research though as the companies I know off will not declare items as gifts and the custom charges are massive

Good luck

[shoptfs]

no suggestion here sorry, but good luck!!

[allaboutnice]

If you google 'an address in the USA' you get a few companies who offer a forwarding service eg
USA2ME, RV Mail Forwarding Services, Remailing, US Mailing Address, Mail Receiving Forwarding
It's something I am interested in as I often see things I want to buy in the States that don't ship outside the States but I haven't tried it yet so I can't personally recommend one...it seems like a good idea but I don't know how much it might cost...

[BagAngel]

Originally Posted by secret_shopaholic

Obviously you need to thoroughly research though as the companies I know off will not declare items as gifts and the custom charges are massive

Good luck

mmmm never thought of that one, customs could be a problem, 'have been caught before with huge duties!

[Fraublucher]

Originally Posted by BagAngel

mmmm never thought of that one, customs could be a problem, 'have been caught before with huge duties!

BagAngel, the forwarding company I have been using, International Checkout (which, by the way, was suggested to me last year by a TPFer), has very fair shipping charges: you do not pay the shipping stated by the seller, but they calculate a new sum, that is in line with an average international shipping cost, plus maybe 15-20$ more. They make the purchase on your behalf, and when the item arrives at their headquarters, they send it through FedEx, so it will reach you in 4-5 days. Of course, this means that you will have to face import duties for sure, because if you send something through fedex that's granted! I use IC only when there is something I really really want or the sale price is so good that even with any extra expense it will cost me less than the original price. An example: I was looking for a pair of black Rock Steady jeans by Serfontaine, and their average price online is 170$ + 25-30$ of shipping. I found them ad DJPremium.com (DJPremium.com - Serfontaine - ROCK STEADY JEAN - LuxuryStreetChic) for 84$, but this online store does not ship to Italy. So I went through IC and paid 45$ of shipping charges (still 130$) and then paid another 20$ of import duties so I spent 150$ and not 200$ plus more import duties as I would have spent buying directly online say, from CoutureCandy or other online shops that would ship abroad...
I'm not trying to promote IC in any way, but it is the one I have tried and I can certify that they are very honest and work.

[riffraff]

Thanks for the information Fraublucher, An american friend over here has a Dooney and Bourke handbag that I've fallen for and it's on sale too so may just have to give it a try....... Even though I am on a ban