Europe, the United States and even China, you are no longer limited to France to buy your high-tech equipment. We guide you to avoid sky-high costs and unreliable sites.
Have you found the smartphone of your dreams, but it is not sold in France or the price is too high? Don’t panic, all is not lost as the device may be available in other countries. In this case, how to order it? Are there any risks or hidden costs? Here are our tips for buying safely abroad.
In Europe
To order a product in Europe, Amazon is a great solution. Indeed, the e-tailer is available in several countries of the European Union (amazon.es, amazon.it, amazon.de), as well as in the United Kingdom (amazon.co.uk). The good news is that your French account is also valid in other countries, no need to create a new one. In addition, a purchase in the European Union allows you to pay in euros and therefore avoid possible bank conversion fees.
For example, a 1TB Samsung 970 Pro SSD sells for around 422 euros on Amazon France and around 384 euros on Amazon Germany. In addition, the shipping costs remain reasonable if we choose a standard shipment, even if it means being patient. In the example below, the additional cost is only 4.58 euros for Germany, against a free shipping in France (Click on the image to enlarge). However, feel free to click on other shipping methods to see if the charges are still reasonable or not. In our example, “Premium” delivery, faster than standard delivery, costs only 6.05 euros.
Amazon’s UK site normally uses sterling, but gives you the option to pay directly in euros.
To precisely understand the mentions of foreign Amazon sites, if you do not speak the language, we recommend that you open another tab in your browser and use the google translate function. Also check that the product is sold directly by Amazon, and not a third-party merchant (Marketplace) who can choose the amount of shipping costs as they wish … and who is not always reliable.
In the USA
The first solution is to go through the American Amazon site (amazon.com) because it accepts your French Amazon account. Unfortunately, delivery to France is not always possible. The information is then indicated on the page of the item you wish to purchase (click on the image below to enlarge).
The other solution is to use a forwarding service, which allows you to have an address in the United States. The principle is simple: the merchant site sends the package to the American address of the service which then takes care of sending it to you. One of the most famous sites is Shipito with free registration and billing of $ 2 per item (click the image below for a larger view).
On the other hand, reshipment costs are high, especially if you choose a “fast” carrier such as DHL or FedEx. In addition, you will have to pay customs fees upon arrival in France (see below). There is certainly an economical shipping method, but it is not recommended because there is no tracking of the shipment. Finally, be aware, Shipito may refuse to reship certain products such as counterfeits, weapons or chemicals.
Examples of shipping costs charged by Shipito
Competitor of Shipito, the New York service Big Apple Buddy interfaces directly with Amazon and Best Buy, making shopping easy. Indeed, it is not necessary to go to the amazon.com site, nor to indicate an American address when ordering, this is done automatically. In the capture below, Amazon purchases are made directly from Big Apple Buddy.
Big Apple Buddy then charges their service $ 50 for the first item, and then $ 15 for each subsequent item. To this, it will be necessary to add shipping costs. The service uses serious and recognized carriers: DHL and FedEx. Shipping is therefore fast but expensive, with customs fees to be paid on arrival in France. In addition, payment is made by PayPal with a 3.9% commission.
An Amazon Echo Show in our example costs $ 241.13 while it costs only $ 129.99 on Amazon US.
In China
Chinese smartphone manufacturers (Xiaomi, Honor, Huawei) are currently on the rise and it may be interesting to order them in their country of origin. However, you must check that the smartphone accepts French frequency ranges and especially that it is possible to put the interface in French (Global Version or International Version).
To order in China, Gearbest is a safe bet. We advise you to go to the French version of the site, but also on the English version because models and prices may be different. In the English version, it is sometimes possible to choose the warehouse. If so, find the warehouse closest to France using the warehouse code matches (Fast-XX) on This site. Also check if the change of warehouse affects the price. In all cases, opt for a shipment of the type Priority Line which is admittedly a bit long, but generally avoids customs charges. Use Paypal for payment, so you don’t have to provide your credit card number.
The other well-known site for China is AliExpress, from the Alibaba group. Available in French, this site brings together a multitude of more or less trustworthy third-party merchants. You must therefore be very vigilant when shopping and check the merchant’s rating, indicated at the top of the window, as well as the various opinions of buyers. If you have the choice of the shipping country, choose France as it will save you customs fees.
It is difficult to avoid customs
If you buy devices outside of Europe, there is a high risk of going through customs. The passage is systematic if you use carriers (UPS, FedEx, DHL) for delivery. For a standard mailing, the check is random but often depends on the size of the package and the value indicated on the declaration label. Customs charges generally consist of three elements: VAT (generally 20% on the total amount of the purchase), customs duties (if the amount of the purchase is greater than or equal to 150 euros) and costs of the folder. The customs duties depend on the nature of the object and some examples are shown on the French customs website. Small consolation, they are 0% for tablets, laptops and mobile phones. But you will still have to pay VAT and administrative fees.