Hey all,
It's come up several times recently that folks are wondering which online ecommerce retailers are able to ship to Spain (or even better, have operations within Spain). To that ends I wanted to reach out to all of you to ask for your input, whether brief or detailed, so we can put together a comprehensive article with recommendations for different types of products.
Here are a few from the UK:
? Marks & Spencers
? Dorothy Perkins
? Evans
? Laptops Direct
? Amazon UK
And from the US:
? Amazon - not electronics, software and various other exceptions
? Overstock.com - we heard bad things about receiving packages to Spain though
There must be a ton out there, so stick to the biggest and most important e-tailers please.
We'd love to hear about:
? What online retailers are out there?
? Which of them have you used personally or heard first-hand reports about?
? What's the difference or advantage of ordering from their UK vs US vs Spain portal?
? What's the shipping premiums paid?
? What are the shipping options normally like?
? What are the restrictions typically encountered (I'm thinking of an Amazon shipping policy vs an Amazon partner's shipping policy)?
? Any tips and tricks for more success ordering online.
Apr 26, 2013 · ROB1305
I have been buying online regularly for around 5 years. I have bought clothes, shoes, music, a GPS, 2 cameras, but mostly secondhand books. I usually look at Amazon UK which sets, for me, the benchmark price. Then I search around and see if there is a better deal. The P&P can be an issue as some sites seem to charge a lot and sometimes for 1 item there is not a saving as against buying in a shop. But of course being a Brit expat in Spain I sometimes want things unavailable in Spain - especially books (yes I read in English) Amazon charge a flat 4 pounds for any book - so if it is a thin book I guess they win out. Of course most of my Amazon deals are with their traders and not direct with Amazon. I also buy books from Awesome, Alibris, play.com,(thier prices include P&P so no surprises at checkout) world of books..
I find the process simple (very easy with Amazon once your account is setup) My stuff always arrives (OK I live in a town with good postal service this is sometimes not the case 'out in the sticks' in Spain) and I have never had any problems with quality/breakages etc etc. Last week a package from Amazon came via MRW delivery services.
Also the buyer reviews can be useful - you don't get that in a shop! OK once a book did not arrive and I emailed them and they sent another and said if the first one arrives keep it (it did, felt guilty!)
I have never been scammed - just sometimes the books are in small print and I would probably have left them on a book shop shelf.
All in all I find the online shopping option a very good one - good prices, saves time and all the hassle of going to the shops. But OK sometimes it is fun to go shopping and I still do.
It does occur to me that buying online could be a killer for shops creating empty commercial space (a lot of which is owned by pension companies as investments, Uk anyway) and of course job losses. But online must also create jobs especially in the logistics industry.
So what do others think?
I find the process simple (very easy with Amazon once your account is setup) My stuff always arrives (OK I live in a town with good postal service this is sometimes not the case 'out in the sticks' in Spain) and I have never had any problems with quality/breakages etc etc. Last week a package from Amazon came via MRW delivery services.
Also the buyer reviews can be useful - you don't get that in a shop! OK once a book did not arrive and I emailed them and they sent another and said if the first one arrives keep it (it did, felt guilty!)
I have never been scammed - just sometimes the books are in small print and I would probably have left them on a book shop shelf.
All in all I find the online shopping option a very good one - good prices, saves time and all the hassle of going to the shops. But OK sometimes it is fun to go shopping and I still do.
It does occur to me that buying online could be a killer for shops creating empty commercial space (a lot of which is owned by pension companies as investments, Uk anyway) and of course job losses. But online must also create jobs especially in the logistics industry.
So what do others think?