Shopaholic!
Inspired by MissTango2's post about online shopping and where she sources items, as well as the fact that I end up buying a lot of products online, I thought I would share a few of my favourites too. Being in Australia it can sometimes be hard to find the latest items, especially at good prices. It is definitely cheaper to buy a lot of products from US websites, the only problem with this is that sometimes the shipping prices will negate any savings you might have made on the cost of the product. The other problem, a lot of US retailers just don't ship to Australia. (Sephora, I'm looking at you!) Of course the way to get around this is with parcel forwarding companies and that's where I'm going to begin.
Comgateway - This is a parcel forwarding website and the basic premise of their service is that they create a US address for you to have your items shipped to. Once your parcel has arrived, you can choose to have it sent out, or store it for free (the free part is for 30 days). The idea of storing it is that you can consolidate all of your items into one shipment. So if you order things from four different stores, they arrive at your US address and then your items are re-packaged into one parcel and posted out to you. I think it's a great idea, super convenient and easy to use.
The other thing about this service that I think is fantastic is that they will buy the items for you if you want to purchase something from a website that requires a US billing address. (Places like Sephora require US billing address, so I can't use my own Visa to buy anything off of their website.) Using Sephora as an example, you would go to Comgateway's website and use their Buy For Me form and copy and paste the item details and the items url to the allocated areas. Using paypal, you pay Comgateway the price of your order plus 10% of the order total and they order it for you. It's so simple and easy to use, I don't know why I hadn't done it sooner! It's definitely a great service if you want to use US websites to buy your products.
On websites that accept any billing address, you simply put your home address in as the billing address and pay for it as you would any other online purchase, then in the shipping address you put the address that Comgateway have created for you. Simple!
You can also view estimated dates of delivery on your parcels and use the FedEx tracking page to see where your parcel is!
Sigma Beauty - Sigma offers international shipping at a really affordable price. Their brushes are amazing and they have a great range of palettes and have just introduces their single eyeshadows for individual purchase! The website is easy to use and the products are fantastic!
BeautyJoint - Huge selection of cosmetics and skin care at ridiculously good prices. They stock a lot of NYX items as well as 'drugstore' favourites like Wet N Wild, Revlon, Milani, Jordana, e.l.f, Ardell and Rimmel. Another site with fast and affordable international shipping.
Cutie and Beautie - New Zealand website where I buy Lioele products. They also stock Urban Decay, Sigma, Revlon, Benefit, NYX etc. They don't necessarily have the cheapest prices for certain products, and they don't always have a broad range of each brand, but their shipping is fast and reliable and they offer free samples with most orders.
iherb.com - Huge selection of a huge range of items! This is where I have previously purchased my Real Techniques brushes. In general though, this place is like a supermarket! They stock so many different items and are affordable and easy to shop with!!
BrandsExclusive - This is one of those websites that has 24 hour (etc) deals on certain brands. They do have a good selection of items, however some days will suit you more than others becasue of the fact that they are time limited sales. They tend to have good prices for their sales and offer fairly reasonable shipping prices too. They offer make-up and skin care from time to time, but there is also a lot of fashion, jewellery and homewares on sale here.
Bobbi Brown - This is the official Bobbi Brown Australia website offering all of their current lines of products. The pricing is their standard pricing, and their shipping is really affordable. You generally get free samples with Bobbi Brown as well. I love their products, so I tend to just use their website as I know I can find what I want there.
MAC Cosmetics - Again, this is official MAC Australia website. You may be able to find them cheaper elsewhere, but if I can't find a specific MAC item in another store, I will use their official website. They also offer free shipping on any orders that are $80+ - which just makes me want to spend at least $80 every time I shop there!!
Cosmetics Now - Huge selection of make-up, skincare, haircare and fragrances. I really like this website! Their selection of products and ranges is fantastic and the prices are usually pretty good, their shipping is quick and affordable and be sure to check their specials page. It may only be a few dollars you save on RRP some days, but other days you can find some great bargains. They offer brands like MAC, NARS, Clinique, YSL, Dior, Chanel, Estee Lauder, Origins, Smashbox, Stila....I could go on. This is one website that I really think everyone should check out. Sometimes you can grab a bargain from buying unboxed items as well.
Ebay is another way that I shop online, I think that if your sensible when you shop on ebay and make sure that you check peoples feedback you really won't end up disappointed. I don't know the last time I bid on an item on ebay (actually I think it was for part of my Dads Christmas present) but I tend to go with the Buy It Now option. I'm too impatient to bid for a week on something most of the time (unless I really really want it) so Buy It Now is usually the best option for me. I seriously buy A LOT from ebay!!
That's a list of the main places that I frequently shop at, definitely go and have a look at MissTango2 and see her list of stores and info on them. I always love to find new places to shop, so let me know what your favourite places are! I'd love to hear about them!!!!!!
Comgateway - This is a parcel forwarding website and the basic premise of their service is that they create a US address for you to have your items shipped to. Once your parcel has arrived, you can choose to have it sent out, or store it for free (the free part is for 30 days). The idea of storing it is that you can consolidate all of your items into one shipment. So if you order things from four different stores, they arrive at your US address and then your items are re-packaged into one parcel and posted out to you. I think it's a great idea, super convenient and easy to use.
The other thing about this service that I think is fantastic is that they will buy the items for you if you want to purchase something from a website that requires a US billing address. (Places like Sephora require US billing address, so I can't use my own Visa to buy anything off of their website.) Using Sephora as an example, you would go to Comgateway's website and use their Buy For Me form and copy and paste the item details and the items url to the allocated areas. Using paypal, you pay Comgateway the price of your order plus 10% of the order total and they order it for you. It's so simple and easy to use, I don't know why I hadn't done it sooner! It's definitely a great service if you want to use US websites to buy your products.
On websites that accept any billing address, you simply put your home address in as the billing address and pay for it as you would any other online purchase, then in the shipping address you put the address that Comgateway have created for you. Simple!
You can also view estimated dates of delivery on your parcels and use the FedEx tracking page to see where your parcel is!
Sigma Beauty - Sigma offers international shipping at a really affordable price. Their brushes are amazing and they have a great range of palettes and have just introduces their single eyeshadows for individual purchase! The website is easy to use and the products are fantastic!
BeautyJoint - Huge selection of cosmetics and skin care at ridiculously good prices. They stock a lot of NYX items as well as 'drugstore' favourites like Wet N Wild, Revlon, Milani, Jordana, e.l.f, Ardell and Rimmel. Another site with fast and affordable international shipping.
Cutie and Beautie - New Zealand website where I buy Lioele products. They also stock Urban Decay, Sigma, Revlon, Benefit, NYX etc. They don't necessarily have the cheapest prices for certain products, and they don't always have a broad range of each brand, but their shipping is fast and reliable and they offer free samples with most orders.
iherb.com - Huge selection of a huge range of items! This is where I have previously purchased my Real Techniques brushes. In general though, this place is like a supermarket! They stock so many different items and are affordable and easy to shop with!!
BrandsExclusive - This is one of those websites that has 24 hour (etc) deals on certain brands. They do have a good selection of items, however some days will suit you more than others becasue of the fact that they are time limited sales. They tend to have good prices for their sales and offer fairly reasonable shipping prices too. They offer make-up and skin care from time to time, but there is also a lot of fashion, jewellery and homewares on sale here.
Bobbi Brown - This is the official Bobbi Brown Australia website offering all of their current lines of products. The pricing is their standard pricing, and their shipping is really affordable. You generally get free samples with Bobbi Brown as well. I love their products, so I tend to just use their website as I know I can find what I want there.
MAC Cosmetics - Again, this is official MAC Australia website. You may be able to find them cheaper elsewhere, but if I can't find a specific MAC item in another store, I will use their official website. They also offer free shipping on any orders that are $80+ - which just makes me want to spend at least $80 every time I shop there!!
Cosmetics Now - Huge selection of make-up, skincare, haircare and fragrances. I really like this website! Their selection of products and ranges is fantastic and the prices are usually pretty good, their shipping is quick and affordable and be sure to check their specials page. It may only be a few dollars you save on RRP some days, but other days you can find some great bargains. They offer brands like MAC, NARS, Clinique, YSL, Dior, Chanel, Estee Lauder, Origins, Smashbox, Stila....I could go on. This is one website that I really think everyone should check out. Sometimes you can grab a bargain from buying unboxed items as well.
Ebay is another way that I shop online, I think that if your sensible when you shop on ebay and make sure that you check peoples feedback you really won't end up disappointed. I don't know the last time I bid on an item on ebay (actually I think it was for part of my Dads Christmas present) but I tend to go with the Buy It Now option. I'm too impatient to bid for a week on something most of the time (unless I really really want it) so Buy It Now is usually the best option for me. I seriously buy A LOT from ebay!!
That's a list of the main places that I frequently shop at, definitely go and have a look at MissTango2 and see her list of stores and info on them. I always love to find new places to shop, so let me know what your favourite places are! I'd love to hear about them!!!!!!
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