Aramex Shop&Ship
I applied for the Aramex Shop&Ship service last October 30 since I was planning to buy some items in the US. For those unfamiliar with the Shop&Ship service here’s a rundown of what the service is. Since we don’t have a US/UK Address, once joing the Shop&Ship service, Aramex gives you your own US/UK postal address where you can ship your items ordered thru US/UK online shops. This is very useful if the online shop doesn’t offer international shipping.
Anyway, I applied online and was told on email that they have received my application and a certain customer representative was assigned to me so I should wait for him to contact me. After a day of waiting, emailing and eventually calling him myself, I was told to go to their office near the Industrial Area as I needed to fill a form. I paid for the service online, thru my credit card so I was surprised that I should fill up another form before I get my address. Still, we went there on the evening and signed-up again. Again, I was expecting them to give me the address that moment since I was already there but was told to wait for an email detailing the address and such. I was in a hurry to get the address as the item I need to purchase online was only discounted till that night. Luckily, I got the email the same night and made an order online.
The cost of shipping an item to Doha is a bit higher than what most online retailers charge for International shipping. Aramex charges you US$8 for the first half kilo and an additional US$5.5 for each succeeding half kilo. So if the package shipped was 2.26 kilos (5lbs.), Aramex would charge you 110QR. Comparing that to Amazon, they charge youUS4.99 per shipment plus US$3.49 per item for orders shipped to the Middle East. 2 things that needs to be said regarding this though. In Shop&Ship, if they receive your package at their offices in US/UK, it usually takes just 4-5 days before it gets to your local Aramex office for you to pickup. For Amazon, Standard International Shipping (15-40 business day shipping) means you have to wait for more than a month before you get your item. For Expedited International Shipping (9-27 business days), they charge you US$8.99 for shipping and US$6.99 per item. May I remind you that we’re talking about business days meaning they’re only counting 5 days in a week. Priority International courier (3 to 7 business days) in Amazon charges a whooping US$31.99 shipping charge and US$4.49 per item. Secondly, even for some online retailers shipping internationally, there are limitations on what they ship. Amazon for example only ships books and Cds/DVD. They have now added game peripherals and some stuff but still very limited. On the other hand, Shop&Ship limits you from shipping these items:
Acetone, Alcohol, Ammunition, Batteries, Camping Gas, Cash, Currency, Collectible Stamps, Coins, Cigarette Lighters, Cleaning Fluids, Cosmetics, Drugs, Prohibited by Law, Explosives, Fire Extinguishers, Firearms, Fireworks, Flammable Liquids, Fresh Flowers, Gas Cylinders, Gases, Glue, Hazardous Material, Human Parts and Remains, Inflammable Items, Lighter Fuel, Liquid Products, Liquid Compressed and Spray Hair Products such as Shampoo, Hair Gel and Mousse, Live Animals including Birds, Reptiles and Fish, Paint Remover, Paint Thinner, Perfumes, Perishables, Perishable Food Stuffs and Food Beverages Requiring Refrigeration or Other Environmental Control, Pesticides, Pornographic Material, Tobacco, Toxic and Poisonous Products, Weapons and Knives.
Note that there was no mention of electronic items, computer peripherals, clothes, shoes or other items that Amazon doesn’t ship.
Here is a lit of countries where you could avail of the Shop&Ship Service.
Bahrain
Bulgaria
Cyprus
Egypt
Jordan
Kuwait
Lebanon
Oman
Qatar
Saudi Arabia
Sri Lanka
Switzerland
Syria (UK mailboxes only)
Turkey
UAE
Also, I've heard that you don't pay custom taxes for items whose worth is less than US$2500.