Buying from the USA

paul93anderson

Can anyone recommend any US Department stores or internet sites which ship/post goods to the UK. I am interested in purchasing clothes. I have tried a number of internet searches but have pretty much drawn a blank. Some stores (eg Macys) and manufacturers (eg levis) simply don't sell to the UK.

Has anyone got any sites they can recommend. I appreciate that customs duties and VAT apply but notwithstanding US prices seem very competitive.

Thank you in anticipation of your assistance.

vespa_pod

i bought a bag from bloomingdales,and got it delived to england, but you had to ring them in america, it was very quick delivery tho hope this hellps you out

$17mma

what type of clothes you looking for? urban, smart?

xueta

If you're looking for Levis then try BARGAINS AVENUE.

They don't have a great range, but they do offer some styles that aren't available in the UK. Postage is quite pricey, but if you buy 2 or 3 pairs together then it still works out to be cost-effective (£20ish per pair including P&P). They tend to label the packages 'PANTS'(!) $30 so they don't attract VAT.

bargainaholic

Have a look at this site:

http://www.shopthestates.com/

They don't sell anything themselves, but they provide you with a US address for shops to ship to. They then forward the stuff to your home address. They charge a fee obviously, but if you've seen things that you really like, or are still cheaper then it's an option

paul93anderson

vespa_pod wrote:

i bought a bag from bloomingdales,and got it delived to england, but you had to ring them in america, it was very quick delivery tho hope this hellps you out

Thanks for taking the time and trouble to reply. Just out of interest was the cost of phoning significant?

paul93anderson

$17mma wrote:

what type of clothes you looking for? urban, smart?

Primarily looking for levi jeans but also casual/smart clothes, eg Gant shirts, casual sweaters, etc.

paul93anderson

xueta wrote:

If you're looking for Levis then try BARGAINS AVENUE.

They don't have a great range, but they do offer some styles that aren't available in the UK. Postage is quite pricey, but if you buy 2 or 3 pairs together then it still works out to be cost-effective (£20ish per pair including P&P). They tend to label the packages 'PANTS'(!) $30 so they don't attract VAT.

Thanks very much for the reply -its very helpful. I have struggled for quite a while to get a comprehensive understanding of how to purchase clothes from the USA.

paul93anderson

bargainaholic wrote:

Have a look at this site:

http://www.shopthestates.com/

They don't sell anything themselves, but they provide you with a US address for shops to ship to. They then forward the stuff to your home address. They charge a fee obviously, but if you've seen things that you really like, or are still cheaper then it's an option

Thank you for taking the time and effort to reply. I shall certainly look in to this option. Have you first hand experience of using this site and can you recommend any US stores. I have just picked up that PC's are for some reason exempt from Customs duties which makes that worthy of further investigation. Mind, Dell are pretty competitive. I guess that would radically affect their sales.

bargainaholic

I've never used it, but bookmarked it as a just in case a while back.

If you're looking at anything electrical, please make sure it's dual voltage. The US uses a 110v system, which is incompatible with our 240v, unless you buy fairly expensive voltage converters.

Laptops are usually voltage switchable these days, as are most travel things. I bought a couple of Philishave electric shavers form the States last year, & saved 50%.

paul93anderson

Thanks again for the reply. I was sort of aware of the voltage issue - as something to be alert to. I am not in a great rush to buy a new PC having only got my current one in February, but with the pace of technological development I suspect I will need to upgrade in maybe 18 months or two years.