(Don't know if this subject has been discussed here before, so feel free to move, merge and/or delete if necessary)
So, you want to buy a computer system (or anything else) from the US or any other country and have it shipped to your own? Want something but it is not simply available in your country or is it too expensive there? Here are some guidelines to help you make your purchase and avoid some common mistakes:
Payment:
The most recommended method is having an international credit card as this is the fastest way to have something paid for and shipped to you. Before giving your credit card number to a site make sure it is a trusted site. To make sure if a site can be trusted go to the MAIN Better Business Bureau site at
http://www.bbb.org/ and check the site’s rating and if it is a trusted site. Various fraudulent sites show or guide you to a supposed BBB certificate or fake online BBB site which “approves” of this store. If you check carefully, some parts of the fake BBB site may look real, but they have fake certifications of various “stores” and may even show some links and news taken from the real BBB site but the site is 100% fake. Make completely sure where you are being redirected and stay away from certification sites and certificates that are hosted on a different webpage located outside the main BBB website, some pages also claim to be part of a supposed BBB online program. This is a scam, the only online BBB certification program is on the BBB site itself.
In short, ONLY USE THE MAIN BBB WEBSITE BY TYPING IN THE BBB’S WEB ADDRESS DIRECTLY IN YOUR BROWSER TO CHECK THE CERTIFICATION OF A STORE.
Regarding using credit or debit cards, some banks also offer turning your debit card into an international debit card, however, this is not recommended because if your information falls into the wrong hands they could completely empty your bank account. Always use an international credit card with insurance against fraudulent transactions, this way, if your credit card information falls into the wrong hands you will be covered. If you are hesitant about using a credit card you can use a disposable credit card to use for international purchases, you simply deposit a certain amount on it and use it as a regular card until the deposited money runs out. Once the deposited amount runs out the card expires.
Some disposable cards even offer the option of “refilling” it to use it on later purchases, check with your local bank or credit card company on how to obtain one of these cards, some fees may apply.
One important thing you NEED to do when using an international credit card is to check the billing address for the card. Credit cards are associated with a billing address (where you receive your bills), all purchases made online are checked for the validity of this address before being approved. This is not a problem if you have items and bills sent to the same address, however, if you need to send your purchases to a different address that is a different story. This applies especially if you have your bills sent to your home and have packages delivered to a mail box or to a mail forwarding service.
For security reasons, credit card companies (and stores) do not approve purchases that are sent to a different address other than the one registered on the card, this method was widely used in the past by scammers to make purchases and defraud both card holders and credit card companies of large amounts of money by receiving items in temporary locations and then disappearing. If you need to send purchases to a different address from the billing address registered on the card you need to contact your credit card company personally and add the shipping address as an alternate address on the card, this way, when the system checks for the validity of both addresses they will check out and the transaction will be approved. For security reasons only ONE alternate address can be added to a credit card, so it is not possible to send gifts directly to grandma, sister, brother, etc, and for obvious reasons they won’t take hotel addresses as billing addresses.
Because of the large amount of frauds committed with international credit cards various stores do not accept these at all, however, they will still accept wire transfers, cashier’s checks and money orders but these take some time to process. As always, be careful to whom you are paying using these methods since you won’t be able to recover any money if the store is fraudulent. Some stores may need to contact you to confirm your purchase, or require you to fax an authorization form before being able to process your order. Many online stores are also accepting payment services like Paypal but will ship to CONFIRMED addresses only.
Shipping:
So, with all this you think that your order went through and now you simply have to wait and receive your package, right?
Wrong.
First, many stores don’t ship items outside the US (or country of origin) so you must make sure to purchase from a store that does international shipping. There are also mail forwarding services that will provide you with a postal address in the US to receive your packages (just like if you lived there) and forward them to where you live. Always make sure to provide your shipping information EXACTLY as given to you by your mail forwarding service. Ask for tracking numbers for the packages when sent by the store, this way, you can track the package and make sure that the package arrived to its destination, this is helpful in case the package does not show up as received by your mail forwarding service and they have to search for it.
Second, there’s import taxes. Just because you purchased an item cheaper from an international store that does NOT mean that the final price will remain low, many countries have different taxation rates for items being brought into the country, ALL packages received are checked by local customs offices and taxed accordingly whether they are received by regular mail or through a mail forwarder.
To avoid nasty surprises when importing items to your country make sure what the taxation rate is for stuff you are going to order. Smaller items or items that do not surpass a certain value pay little or no taxes at all while other items have high taxation rates (especially laptops, TVs or large items), some bulky items or those with high taxation rates cost too much to import and the final price for the goods you purchased could be the same or higher than getting it in your own country. In short, before venturing out to make international purchases investigate about import policies.
Also, some countries have restrictions on items being imported or exported, that ninja sword may look cool but your country’s import regulations may forbid its importation. Also, some items are forbidden for exportation to certain countries because they may not be approved for use in the destination country or because it does not work with the destination country’s standards.
Just in case:
No, you can’t ask the store to not include the sales slip inside the package, send it separately, make a sales invoice showing a lower cost or special gift wrap the package for you and send it as a gift to avoid import taxes. By law, US stores (or any other store for that matter) are required to include all shipping and pricing documentation inside the package with the correct pricing, doing otherwise will constitute a violation of the local US (or country) regulations they must follow.
Warranty:
Well, as harsh as it may sound you're kind of gambling here. While the store will honor the warranty on the stuff you purchased and will gladly service or exchange it, the costs of sending something for warranty replacement could be prohibitive, especially if the item you purchased is mostly only available in the country you purchased it from or can only be serviced there. Make sure that if you purchase something it can be serviced locally while having any warranties honored and that it works with your country’s specifications or if the cost to send it back is within your reach.
Yes, that US gaming console or DVD player may be cheaper but it is useless if your country’s standard for video broadcast is different from the US (NTSC console, PAL TV for example). Also, voltages and power outlets could be different among countries so you may need an adapter to use the stuff you purchase on your country’s standards.
General guidelines:
The golden rule of using an international credit card or other payment services to make purchases is always to keep your information to yourself and do not reveal it to other persons, stay sharp and be careful of spoof e-mails or calls asking you to “update” your information. Credit card and financial institutions NEVER contact their customers and ask for sensitive information via e-mail or phone and the institution's phone number always show up on your caller ID, be aware of private phone numbers trying to obtain information from you. If in doubt, call your credit card company or the store you are purchasing from directly to verify your information.
Check a store’s reputation before purchasing. Keep your antivirus, spyware detection and firewalls up to date, only use recognized programs downloaded from trusted sources, make completely sure that the computer system that you are using is SECURE. It is preferable to use your own computer to make online purchases. I usually avoid internet cafes to place orders, the majority of owners usually set it up just to give you internet access but use no security software to keep their network or computers secure, an easy target for data thieves as it is easy to hack into the network and upload keyloggers and data mining programs to their computers and steal financial information. Many data thieves simply pose as customers and install their data mining software directly by plugging in a USB drive or using a floppy disk (yes, they’re still being used in some parts of the world).
Be cautious where you purchase, if the price is too good to be true then it is probably a scam. Always check the store’s information and make sure that they have a valid phone number, valid and REAL shipping from and to addresses to handle returns as well as clear e-mail contact information. Many fake stores that advertise items at unbelievable prices only provide an e-mail address as the only way to contact the “store” and provide little to no other information about the store itself, avoid these like the plague.
And as sort of unrelated advice, WATCH YOUR SPENDING. Tempting as low prices may be you could end up racking up a pretty debt with your credit card company sooner than you may think.
Guide for international buyers
