Editor's Picks Holiday Life Hacks Seasonal Sponsored

How to buy on Amazon from South Africa (or any international site for that matter)

Despite your thoughts on the evils of bloggers and how we sit on our comfy sofas while incredibly amazing items fall on our laps for free… we tend to buy things. In fact, we tend to the buy the ridiculously hard to get, hard to find, costs an arm and leg so no Chuckles Chocolates for six months things. Bloggers are passionate about their niche and they tend to be the biggest purchasers of things in that niche.

Case in point: When I found out about this gorgeous Mooli camera bag it was a no brainer – I had to have it. I spent a few days backward and forwarding with the designer trying to determine if the Kickstarter campaign would end (and thus deliver our spoils) around the time my best friend was in the UK. My thinking was that this way I’d be able to get the bag delivered to her and ultimately skip out on the headache of getting it shipped to South Africa.

If you’ve ever tried to buy online and then get goods to SA you know it is a nightmare. Even if the international retailer supplies you with the tracking number, the moment it lands here that number is all but useless. I’ve lost count of the times I’ve lost things in Customs. I bought an ex-boyfriend a Yoda Golf Club cover once and it took 3 months to clear customs. 3 MONTHS! Another time my friend sent me a pair of Marvel stockings and the cost on getting them here was double the price of the stockings. If I don’t have a mule (I mean friend, obviously) traipsing through a foreign country I usually forgo the purchase.

The Mooli bag became a problem. All was on track for it to be delivered to my faithful mule when the designer had a delay on her side. Suddenly it was panic stations, my friend would return home before the bag made it to her hotel. It was around this time that I came across Pink Peonies’ blog post about quick and easy international shopping and it changed my life.

Pink Peonies shared some details about the Aramex Global Shopper Account and it sounded too good to be true.

Here is how it works:

You register with Aramex Global Shopper for a once off life time cost of $45 (so around R631… but keep reading, I can make that a bit cheaper).
Once registered you are given 14 different addresses around the world. Address locations include the United States of America, the UK, the UAE, Canada, China, Germany, Malaysia, Spain, Turkey, Singapore, Hong Kong, Italy, India and even France!
When you buy something online you use your Aramex Global Shopper Address in that country as your shipping address. Your goodies are then sent there and within 3 to 6 days they land in South Africa!
Aramex handles customs and simply adds the costings to your account. If you’re terrified of being overcharged, their website and user hub has a customs calculator for you so you can double check pricing before you buy.
The goods get delivered to your door and you’re good to go.

After reading all of this I immediately sent Pink Peonies a mail. I’d already bought my bag and wanted to find out if Aramex Global Shopper would be able to help me out. I didn’t want to sign up and spend if they couldn’t. After chatting to Pink Peonies and one of the helpful Aramex staff (they are so hands on) I set up my account.

The service has been great. When you sign up there are some documents you need to supply to ensure customs is never a hassle. Aramex were great at following up and ensuring all of that was in order. You can pay via Credit Card or Pay Pal (I’m a Pay Pal fan). There are a few other positive things as well – Aramex Global Shopper insures packages up to $100 (roughly R1400) and if the package gets lost or damaged – they’ll fully compensate you for the invoice amount. You’re also offered a full money back guarantee for the first year if you aren’t happy with the service. Not bad right?

My Mooli bag is set to ship early next week. I cannot wait for it to arrive and I’ve now harassed the Aramex guys enough to know that they’re as passionate about my bag getting here as I am.

Of course, my bag won’t be the only thing I’ll be bringing in. This coming Friday is known as “BLACK FRIDAY”. It’s that one day in the States where prices on gadgets are slashed and, those price cuts happen online as well. For the first time in my life I’m going to abuse the Black Friday Sales by using my Aramex Global Shopper address. I’m literally counting down the days.

Remember how, earlier, I told you about the once off lifetime membership sign up fee? Well, I’m all for sharing the love so you can actually sign up for $10 (R140 bucks or thereabouts). All you need to do is use my promo code: AGS10TECH. It’s valid until the 25th of December so, while you might not want to abuse it for Black Friday, you still have time to buy all your Christmas presents from international websites!

For peace of mind: I don’t make any cash of that promo code. It isn’t an affiliate programme. It really is just me helping you get an account for $10. Easy as!

So what is the first thing you’re buying?

UPDATED TO ADD: I have another code. Aramex Global Shopper is offering $5 off every shipment made in November and December. You just need to use the promo code AGS50FF – you’re welcome!