Hello!
Thanks to modern digital technologies and the Internet in particular, we have a great opportunity to buy various goods without leaving the couch.
Traditional retail chains are gradually turning into some kind of 'showrooms', exhibitions where a potential buyer can come and turn around in his hands the product he is interested in, then order it on the Internet. Such a scenario is not widespread at the moment, but it seems to me that this is a matter of the near future. This becomes especially relevant in the Russian realities with our strange and sometimes inadequate pricing principles. Domestic networks with their sky-high prices, divorced from reality, kind of push us to make purchases on foreign Internet sites, and then force the state to fight this phenomenon. Personally, I am not particularly opposed to such explicit invitations to buy abroad.
Image taken from http://trabajo.practicopedia.lainformacion.com
At the same time, remote purchase methods have certain risks, including the possibility of deception by the seller and theft at the post office or customs, and damage to goods along the way. However, the difference in price, as well as the use of secure payment systems by online stores, among which PayPal is considered the main one, make such purchases less dangerous.
Wikipedia: PayPal is the largest provider of electronic money. Allows customers to pay bills and purchases, send and receive money transfers. When paying for purchases, the most important feature of PayPal is to provide security guarantees for both the buyer and the seller.
Considering that I very often purchase electronics in foreign online stores, I have formed a certain TOP list of stores that I want to share with you, dear readers. Perhaps this information will be useful to someone.
Everything written below is based solely on personal experience and does not pretend to be the ultimate truth, therefore, if you have a different experience and do not agree with something, I invite you to comment and discuss.
Personal preferences
Ebay
Most often I use the services of the American online auction eBay.
Among the main advantages of eBay is the use of the PayPal service for mutual settlements, which guarantees the opportunity to get your money back if something goes wrong, a wide range of goods, from matches to cars and boats, as well as a fairly objective rating of sellers, which allows you to choose the safest option.
On eBay, as on any other internet site, it is possible to sort the search results according to various criteria.
There are sellers who ship all over the world, there are those who only ship to certain countries, however, the most 'delicious' lots can usually be found from sellers who ship only to the United States.
Therefore, for more results and great deals, select US shipping in your account settings.
Then it will be possible to deliver the goods to Russia with the help of intermediary companies, of which there are a great many at the moment. I will not advise you on any specific such services. They are all more or less the same. It is enough to type in the search engine 'forwarding services', or 'delivery from the USA to Russia' and choose the one that you like the most.
Even taking into account the cost of intermediary services for the delivery of goods from the United States to Russia, buying on eBay turns out to be much more profitable than in domestic networks. Plus, you can buy a lot of things that are not sold in Russia at all.
When choosing a lot, pay attention to the detail of the description, the quality of the product photos, as well as the seller's rating. It is best to buy from a 'Top Rated Seller' seller located in the United States (product description will indicate where the shipment will be from). The 'Top Rated Seller' is a statistic and feedback seal that eBay administration gives to sellers for quality work.
Most of the digital technology in my home and in my parents' house was bought on eBay.
Computeruniverse
If we talk specifically about electronics, then in second place in terms of frequency of use I have a German online store computeruniverse.ru
I started using it back in 2010, when they did not have a Russian-language site, and when it was necessary to deduct the European VAT from the price – VAT in the amount of 20%.
At the moment, the site is in Russian, so it is difficult to get lost there. Prices are indicated in euros with VAT already deducted, converted at the rate of your bank or payment system. Delivery is paid, with fixed cost steps. Therefore, it is more profitable to order something essential on computeruniverse.ru, because, for example, you will have to pay the same for the delivery of the phone and, for example, for the delivery of the cable for the hard drive.
Agree, not very profitable. It is better to order several items at once, which will go to you in one package. They pack the goods conscientiously. All goods are insured by both PayPal and the store itself. You can trust them.
You can use either PayPal or credit card payment as a payment service. The second option will be cheaper (most likely due to the lack of PayPal commission for the store).
The store has been tested by millions of Russians and residents of neighboring countries. Recommend.
Amazon
The next online store that I often use for shopping is also American. This is well-known Amazon.
The difference Amazon from eBay is that either itself Amazon or entrepreneurs with the status of a legal entity can trade here. The requirements for sellers are somewhat stricter, which means there is less chance of getting into a mess with a purchase.
Delivery to Russia is possible. If you buy goods from Amazon, delivery will be carried out by Amazon itself, if from an entrepreneur, then most likely a third-party postal service.
In order to see goods with delivery to Russia, in the site settings, you must select the item Amazon Global Eligible.
Payment is made from a bank card, which must be registered in your account.
Be aware, Amazon is very security-conscious and can get 'paranoid' with card verification. And also, there they do not really like buyers from Russia and the addresses of forwarding companies. They can simply block the account and require passport scans.
Is it worth it or not, decide for yourself. But there you can find exclusive products at great prices.
Well, where is it without the great and terrible Aliexpress.
An ideal platform for buying the 'best' phones and millions of needed and unnecessary goods at cheap prices. I think that if not all, then the majority know about 'Ali'.
The main disadvantage is that buying here is always a bit of a lottery. If we talk about smartphones, then the risk is very high under the guise of a new one to buy a refurbished one. Well, the waiting times, which, thanks to the peculiarities of our mail, have long become a meme on the Internet. By the way, either it just coincided, or recently the parcels began to arrive significantly faster.
We wait. Hopefully. We believe. We wait. We wait…
At the moment, Aliexpress have begun to have warehouses in major cities of Russia, which drastically reduces the delivery time of goods, but the price there, alas, is not as attractive as for delivery from China. Paradox.
Outsiders from personal experience
The first to remember – TomTop
The store is actively advertised on thematic forums and blogs.
The only advantage is the use of the PayPal payment service. Otherwise, a very long wait for the processing of goods and delivery, as well as the silent support service. None of my ten inquiries about where my purchase is have I received a single response. The product still has not arrived. I had to issue a refund.
Thank goodness PayPal worked well in this regard.
I did not find any unique products and offers. Average Chinese online store mimicking Aliexpress. Perhaps someone had a different experience of interaction with this trading platform? I would be grateful if you share in the comments.
Another Chinese warehouse of all sorts of things MiniInTheBox.
On this trading platform, various promotions and sales of goods for home and beauty are constantly held. From electronics, mainly accessories. In general, the impression was that MiniInTheBox only sells accessories.
The main disadvantage that I felt after the first order was tons of spam. All jokes aside, the store literally flooded my mailbox with various offers to buy something from them. Moreover, none of the known methods was able to unsubscribe from this outrage. After adding an address to spam, ads started coming from different addresses and with different keywords in the header. The support team was silent. As a result, by some miracle, after a month it was possible to reach them and the spam stopped. For a week. Then there was another month of advertising and the silence of the support service. The second time it worked. Now I am afraid to go to this resource. You never know.
Somewhere near
In addition to those listed, there is also the famous DealExtreme and others like him. However, given that I personally had no business with such stores, there is nothing to tell me about them. If you have had experience of interacting with these sites, tell us in the comments, it’s curious to know better about them.
Conclusion
Of all the ordered goods for the entire time of using the services of online stores, I have lost only three packages. Among them, not a single large and expensive one. The money for all three packages was returned to me.
From time to time I see on the Internet the notes of those who did not wait for their parcel, or received a brick or 'buckwheat' instead of goods. Alas, this is also possible, and this is probably a kind of payment for savings. But, in such cases, only time is wasted, because the money can almost always be returned. If the waiting time and lack of a guarantee is critical for you, then you better refrain from buying expensive devices in foreign online stores. If you look at it in a simpler way, and the risk is not alien to you, then such purchases will be successful and useful.
P.S. And with a little bonus, a word about a Swedish watch store that had a few successful purchases – klockia.se (not an advertisement).
If you are interested in watches, then you should like it. No fakes or copies. Free worldwide shipping and warranty. A very pleasant shop. And do not forget to deduct 20% VAT from the indicated cost.