How to: Purchase from Amazon US store from UAE!

Hi all!

I made a purchase from Amazon two months ago. The following are several questions that arose in my mind before placing the order. Hope the answers help at least some one out there 🙂

1) What is the mode of shipment?

A : Usually anything from US, is sent by post (it’s way cheaper than courier service). I have previously received gifts from friends. So my first doubt was whether I should provide my postal address which is in Abu Dhabi or my physical address which is in Sharjah. Amazon has a live chat option on their site which I simply love. One of their agents told me that unless and until they actually assign a delivery service to it, they themselves don’t know how it would be send.

Finally, I went with my gut feeling and provided my postal address. Later on I received an email informing me that the service assigned to ship my package is Aramex!. Everyone out there knows that Aramex does not deliver to a post box. Usually if a wrong address is given, the package is send back to its origin. I felt real low.

I contacted Amazon again and asked if I could change my address to physical. They had split my order into two separate packages. This is done as per availability of certain items and shipped to you separately at no extra cost. They informed me that the first shipment was already out and they couldn’t do anything to change the address. However, I could change the address of my second shipment. So I went ahead and changed that address to the physical one. Then I liaised with the local Aramex office and they informed me that once the package is in UAE, they will contact me and check for my physical address. That relieved me a lot!

I had opted for the 8 – 16 days shipment option (The other option is 2 – 7 days) but received my first shipment (with one item) in just 6 days!. That was super fast. Everything was neatly and carefully packed.

My second shipment (with 3 items) arrived in 13 days. Even that was delivered right to my doorstep by Aramex. I can now safely say that Amazon would be generally using Aramex to ship to UAE. So go ahead and provide your physical address as your default shipping address.

2) How do I know which items are shipped international and which locally in US?

A : While browsing for products, make sure the International Shipping option is selected in the search bar, like below:

Another option is to search anyway, but check the box AmazonGlobal Eligible on the left side of the screen.

Or just click here to go to their page with International Shipping already selected.

3) International Shipping is selected in the search bar but still when I click on a product it says like below. Why is that?.

A : That particular item might be shipped from US to other international places like say Europe, but unfortunately not to UAE.

4) I didn’t get a message like the one mentioned in question 3 but another message as below is shown in the ‘Product details’ for the product that I selected. Is UAE among the ‘select countries’?

A : The best way to know is ‘Add it’ to your shopping cart anyway and continue. Finally a page comes where you have the option to ‘Continue shopping’ or ‘Place the Order’. If that button can be selected, it means that product is eligible for shipping to your country. If the button is visible but cannot be selected, unfortunately that product is not eligible to be shipped to your address. Also a message as below will be displayed:

5) How can I make the payment?

A : Amazon provides a number of payment options. You can pay with a Visa/Mastercard credit/debit cards, Amazon gift cards, American Express etc.

6) Are liquid items permissible to be purchased and shipped into UAE?

A : I haven’t purchased any liquid items yet. I have my eyes on one particular such product. If I successfully buy that, I will come back and update this answer.

7) A product that I wish to buy is being offered by several sellers. From whom should I buy?

A : This one is quite a personal choice. Some sellers on Amazon does ship international. But I personally prefer buying something from Amazon directly. It’s kinda like a trust issue :P. I look out for a message like below, while shopping:

Those are the seven main questions that arose in my mind. Have you ever purchased from Amazon?. What did you buy?

To see what I bought on Amazon, click here 🙂

I hope you find this post useful. If you do, please share and also leave a comment below. I love feedback!.

Now that you are here, check out this online site iHerb which ships worldwide. They ship from US to UAE in less than 2 days. Ultimately fast shipping!. They also sell literally everything you need from makeup brushes, cosmetics, natural supplements and even grocery items!. Use the code SCZ695 for a $5 or $10 discount on your first purchase!.

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Love always,

Naz 🙂