When making purchases, we strive to achieve a balance between cost and product quality. However, the speed of life in today’s world is gaining momentum, and the number of people who prefer to buy quickly is increasing every year. Which stores will allow you to realize your wishes at the same time? Where can you buy quality goods without wasting time on the road, traffic jams and queues? Of course, on the Internet.
Along with the famous online sites of China, the online stores of the United States of America are very popular. Regardless of whether it is clothes, household appliances or, for example, a car, you will save 20-40% of its offline cost when buying original products of famous brands, even taking into account delivery. In addition to savings, online shopping in the USA will delight you with a variety of choices of both products and manufacturers.
What and where to buy in the USA
Most often in the USA they order:
- clothes and shoes,
- goods for children,
- sporting goods,
- accessories,
- exclusive products,
- cosmetics and perfumery,
- technology and electronics,
- goods for recreation and leisure,
- auto goods
There are a huge number of online stores in the States, but the most popular are:
- eBay, Amazon, Walmart, Sephora, Blinq, Newegg are world-famous online sites where you can buy almost anything,
- 6pm.com, Victoria’s Secret, Zara, Gap, H&M, Diesel, Michael Kors, Old Navy, Ralph Lauren, Caterpillar, Fossil, Ashford — online stores of clothes, shoes, accessories for men, women and children,
- Carter’s, Children’s Place, Gymboree, Disney, Crazy 8, Lego — online boutiques of high-quality goods for children,
- Apple, B&H Photo Video, Newegg, Google Store, A4C, Adorama, Evertek — here you can buy recording devices, photo and video electronics, computers, tablets, laptops, mobile phones, watches and more,
- Anastasia Beverly Hills, Beauty com, Benefit — a wide range of face, body and hair care products,
- Adidas, Backcountry, Reebok, Sierra Trading Post, Sportsdirect, Under armour, Everlast, Evo, Bike Wagon, GoalieMonkey – stores where you can buy not only sports equipment and food, but also various accessories for sports (from punching bags to bicycles) ,
- Baron USA, Berkley, Fishwest, Simms, Boe Marine – marine stores: the selection ranges from fishing tackle and bait to high-tech boating equipment,
- Ikea, Bed Bath and Beyond — furniture and many different home improvement products for every taste and budget,
- Blackovis, Sitka, Tactical Gear, Mountain Archery — stores for hunters and the military: clothing, equipment, gear and equipment,
- Finditparts, Ireland Engineering, Autopartswarehouse, MX Megastore, RockAuto, Suzuki parts house — online sites of auto parts for cars, trucks, trailers, forklifts, motorcycles.
When to buy: List of major sales
Like “normal” stores, online stores in the United States hold sales, discounts and promotions. The best time to buy is the big holidays, when the discount can reach 70%. For example, the main New Year’s fairs begin on Thanksgiving Day (the fourth Thursday of November). Then follow:
- Black Friday (Black Fridays, the Friday immediately after Thanksgiving) is a worldwide day of sales and discounts on everything without exception,
- Cyber Monday (Cyber Monday, the first Monday after Black Friday) – extremely generous promotions on electrical goods,
- Green Monday (the second Monday of December) – the third peak of pre-holiday discounts,
- Christmas (December 25) — this day marks the maximum price reduction, although the selection of goods is already small,
- New Year (January 1) – ends the time of winter fairs, although attractive offers can be found until the end of January.
The period of profitable shopping does not end in January. It makes sense to take a look at the products you like when Americans celebrate:
- St. Valentine’s Day (st. Valentine’s Day, February 14) — special offers on cosmetics, jewelry, women’s and men’s clothing start long before the holiday date,
- Presidents’ Day (Presidents’ Day, Washington’s Birthday, the third Monday of February) – you will be pleased with discounts on American patriotic products,
- Easter (Easter, falls on the period from the end of March to the end of April) — consistently good prices for family and home goods,
- Mother’s Day (the second Sunday in May) — great discounts on cosmetics, women’s clothing, linen, home goods,
- Father’s Day (third Sunday of June) — special offers on goods for men,
- Independence Day of the USA (Independence Day, July 4) — the holiday is accompanied by mass sales,
- Labor Day (first Monday in September) — buy goods for spending time outdoors at a good price,
- Columbus Day (Columbus Day, the second Monday of October) — short-term discounts, sometimes up to 70%,
- Halloween (Halloween, October 31) – sales start a few weeks before the holiday.
In addition to those listed above, you can find discounts for St. Patrick’s Day (March 17), Memorial Day (the last Monday in May), Veterans Day (November 11), as well as on the days of the Olympic Games, the World Cup in football and hockey.
Features of online shopping abroad
As you can see, online shopping in America is quite profitable. However, for many, such shopping causes fears in connection with some features, and with good reason.
- Language barrier
Of course, Google translator will help to understand the description of the product in general, but correctly asking the seller additional questions about the quality of the product, its packaging, delivery, and the possibility of exchange can be problematic. - Payments
Not all stores accept payments by Ukrainian bank cards – some online sellers work only with American payment cards or American PayPal accounts (U.S. PayPal).
The commission of some cards when paying from Ukraine reduces all savings to zero. And it may take several days for such a payment to be credited.
It is rare, but it happens that the seller of the product you liked works only with cash. - Delivery
Not all American online stores send goods directly to Ukraine. To make a purchase in such a store, you must specify an American shipping address. And sometimes the billing address is the address of the place of residence, which is specified when issuing a bank card.
Having found stores with direct delivery to Ukraine, it may turn out that independent delivery of parcels from several online stores may cost more than buying at home.
When buying on your own, to all the above-mentioned points, you will also have to worry about finding a delivery service, control over the movement of the parcel, issues with paying customs duties (if your parcel exceeds the value of 150 euros). - Intermediaries
The warehouse of the intermediary (forwarder) can be located in a state in which, in addition to the cost of the purchased goods, sales tax must be paid.
Many forwarders refuse to help if your cargo is oversized, bulky or dangerous. - Customs clearance
Do you remember the tax of 150 euros when the goods are cleared by customs? Using the services of an intermediary to send goods to Ukraine, regardless of which online stores you made purchases, the sender will indicate the composition of your forwarder. Therefore, even when receiving several packages from different online stores, it is considered that they came from the same American sender.
If the value of your parcel (or several parcels from the same sender) exceeds 150 euros, you will have to pay a tax of about 35% of the amount that exceeds 150 euros (or its equivalent). Moreover, in this case, customs clearance will be carried out using the M-16 customs declaration, for which you will need a copy of your passport and copies of documents confirming payment for the goods (they must match the amount indicated in the shipping documents).
According to the amendments to the Tax Code of Ukraine, starting from January 1, 2019, individuals will be able to receive only three tax-free parcels per month worth up to 150 euros each. All subsequent parcels will be subject to tax, duty and excise duty.
Protection of intellectual property rights. Many well-known trademarks are included in the Register of Intellectual Property: Adidas, Lacoste, Gucci, LG, Panasonic, Sony, Disney, Nokia, Lego, Philips, etc. And if the customs office finds signs of violation of intellectual property rights, the customs clearance of such goods is suspended until the situation is clarified.
How to make online shopping profitable, convenient and safe
How, after all, to buy so that it is profitable, convenient, safe? And, at the same time, it is easy to solve issues not only with payment/delivery, but also with customs clearance? The easiest way is to use the services of intermediaries.
The easiest and most common way is to use the services of intermediaries. Ideally, contact a licensed transport company.
For example, the Brockbridge freight forwarding company is certified by the International Air Transport Association IATA, and also has a license for customs brokerage. We are professionally engaged in international transportation, so we can offer you a turnkey online shopping service. Also, unlike many forwarders, we can deliver cargo of varying degrees of complexity — from valuable to oversized and dangerous (flammable liquids, perfumes, hairspray, batteries, etc.).
