It is often when purchasing something, especially electronics, that I would much prefer to buy in the US than in Israel. It's usually because the price difference is so large (a Canon lens I just bought costs 440$ in US and 670$ in Israel) or because some products are sold in US only (like the Nook eReader). In any case, shipping is a problem, either because a direct UPS delivery to Israel is quite expensive, but more often because the stores would only ship inside the US.
For a few years now there exists a company that solves just this problem - Mustop (they have merged with a similar company called Usonestop). The idea is simple - you register, and get your own unique address in the US, which is where you ship you purchase (they have warehouses in New Jersey). More often than not, the stores will also have free shipping to a US address. It's also recommended that you forward to Mustop your purchase receipt email. They receive your package and forward it to your Israeli address using DHL.
The shipping price is very reasonable, and for larger purchases is quite worth it - there's a 15$ handling fee, plus a shipping price based on the package weight and volume (details here). They recommend you contact the store and ask for as compact a package as possible. You still have to consider the customs and VAT costs in Israel of course, but it is often much cheaper than to buy in Israel (and there are no customs for photographic equipment for example).
So - happy shopping everybody!
No comments:
Post a Comment