Egyptians love to shop no doubt but not everything is available here and we sometimes have to resort to the internet. Buyers love online shopping as it’s convenient and fast. Sadly, this is not always the case in Egypt as we have to pay taxes and customs which can be quite pricey. This in turn costs a lot of money for inexpensive items. We rounded up a few tips for you to help out!
1. Use a forwarding service
These services have warehouses abroad where packages are delivered to them; they then send it to you in Egypt. A service like Edfa3ly actually handles the orders for you, then they package all the items in one box and send it. You still pay taxes and customs, but they have daily offers where you can pay much less or not at all (win!).
Another service like Aramex’s Shop and Ship gives you addresses to use all over the world. All you have to do is make the orders and just use those addresses. Aramex will then take the packages and send them to Egypt. The only 2 downsides are that you have to pay customs and packages are not combined.
2. Download the Hitchhiker app
What this app does is it connects with a traveler abroad who can get your package with them when they come to Egypt. This way you don’t pay for extra shipping, taxes or customs. You only pay for the package itself and shipping to the traveler. It’s really fast as well.
The app is available for both Android and iOS phones and it explains how the app works in detail. You can either choose the traveler yourself or wait for the app to connect you to one. The app also insures your package up to $1000 in case anything goes wrong.
3. Shops that offer free international shipping + insane sales
If you can’t use a forwarding service or Hitchiker, you can try and ship your items directly to Egypt. This means that you’ll pay taxes and customs for sure but there are things you can do to minimize costs. There are several online shops that offer free international shipping, even to Egypt. That way, you won’t pay any shipping.
Big online stores also offer amazing daily deals on items that can end up with being 70% off! The reason for that is, the less the cost, the less customs. Customs for clothes can reach up to 60% of the total invoice.
4. Do your research
Before checking out from anywhere, always do your homework. First, make sure the website is reliable, read reviews and see what other people say. Second, make sure all the calculations are correct so you don’t end up paying more than you anticipated. That means knowing how customs are calculated and if you’re using a forwarding service that there are no hidden costs.
5. Use local online shops
Shops like Jumia and Souq offer products inside Egypt. Maybe you can find what you need there and that way, you’ll only pay for local shipping, no taxes or customs.
6. Keep your invoice below $100
It doesn’t seem much but with sales, you can manage to snag multiple items. Also, if your package is below $100, it lessens the chances of custom officers opening your package in the first place.
Hopefully, these tips will help you shop online in Egypt. More and more international brands are opening their stores in Egypt so it looks like we won’t need to shop online as much!
