Is buying from overseas expensive?

[aussiedeb]

Hi everyone, i live in Perth, Western Australia and have never bought from Oh My Crafts in the U.S and they have a few spellbinders products that i would like to buy, could anyone tell me if they have bought from this company that live in Australia.
I'm not quite sure how to go about it and work out how much the postage would cost before i commit to buying.
Any help on this would be wonderful, most people do this all the time but I haven't, and am a bit nervous.

thanks in advance, i know someone in Splitcoaster land will have the answer for me...LOL:p

Debbie

[Angelnorth]

Hi Debbie - I can't help you with the specifics but if you can't see shipping costs on the site then you could try sending an e-mail to ask. Do be aware that you may pay other costs as well though. I don't know what the allowable level is for Australia but most countries have a threshold beyond which you may have to pay duties on your purchase - you'll be paying those to your local authorities though, not to the place you buy from.

[DivaTam]

Hi Debbie
I've bought from OMC before - you can add things to your cart and go part way through the checkout and see the shopping costs before you finish the checkout.
Buying from overseas is pretty good at the moment as the products are half the cost (or less) than the retail we pay in Oz - even with the shipping costs most still end up at least 25% cheaper (depending on the products that you buy).
Don't forget to also see if there are any coupons available for the store you are shopping at (OMC has regular emails with regular coupons) as this can help offset the cost of shipping.

Feel free to PM me if you have any other questions - I've bought quite a lot from overseas over the years (I'm in Nth Qld).

Tamara

[DivaTam]

Hi Debbie
I've bought from OMC before - you can add things to your cart and go part way through the checkout and see the shopping costs before you finish the checkout.
Buying from overseas is pretty good at the moment as the products are half the cost (or less) than the retail we pay in Oz - even with the shipping costs most still end up at least 25% cheaper (depending on the products that you buy).
Don't forget to also see if there are any coupons available for the store you are shopping at (OMC has regular emails with regular coupons) as this can help offset the cost of shipping.

Feel free to PM me if you have any other questions - I've bought quite a lot from overseas over the years (I'm in Nth Qld).

Tamara

[DivaTam]

oops - it posted three times!

[Metalcharm]

I'm another that's bought from OS lots and even with the extra postage it still works out cheaper than buying here although I haven't bought from that particular shop.
Cutathome.com has a 40% discount on one item every month.
I bought a set of nesties squares (the set of four) that were going for $100 here and I got them for less than 60 from the US.

Angelnorth mentioned the duties but it's not something we have to worry about for personal craft purchases. Last I remember hearing it was $1000 but maybe someone can correct me on that one.

[aussiedeb]

I knew this was the right place to go to for advice.
Thanks ladies for your great advice, I don't feel so nrevous now.