Online money transfer service PayPal has launched a partnership with USaddress.com to make it easier for sub-Saharan countries to buy from American e-commerce stores.
USaddress allows international customers to shop at any US online retailers and have the goods delivered to them, even if that retailer does not support deliveries to this region. Users who subscribe to the service will receive a US “home address” that can be used on all American shopping websites.
The address, which points to the USaddress logistics centre, will receive goods ordered online and send these on to the South African recipient via their preferred shipping method.
As part of the launch promotion of PayPal’s partnership with USaddress, PayPal users will receive a US$10 coupon for deliveries from the US. Paypal says the coupon can be used 10 times per user.
To make use of the service, customers need to buy their desired product from a US online retailer and pay for shipping costs to South Africa.
It’s probably best utilised for products that are not readily available in South Africa, though bargains can be found with some popular items.
Shoppers should note that they’ll still have to pay import duties and VAT on goods they buy from abroad, adding to the cost. — © 2014 NewsCentral Media
