In England the promotional price of a pair of New Balance trekking shoes is 29 pounds (about 170 PLN). The price of the same model in Poland starts from 200 PLN. Is it worth buying them abroad? We list some of the most popular online shops and highlight what to pay attention to.
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Shopping online in foreign e-stores can be easy and profitable. They no longer mean expensive trips and a waste of time. If you want to have the most recent designer dress in your closet, it’s as little as a few clicks away.
Free shipping is more and more frequent. Usually it’s offered when the amount due exceeds 20 euros. The times when shipping took at least a month are now long gone. The package is usually delivered within 5 working days. Also currency exchange is no longer a problem, thanks to online currency exchange companies. One of them, Cinkciarz.pl, offers exceptionally favourable rates. The price of a dress can be easily calculated via the currency converter available on their website. At the same time, it allows checking the amount of money saved in comparison to the largest Polish banks.
What is worth looking for?
If the price is the main issue when making decisions, it is best to start with offers from Asia. The majority of things that can be found on the shelves of European stores are from China anyway. By purchasing there directly, there are no additional fees imposed for the middlemen. On the Polish auction websites there are a lot of offers very similar to those from AliExpress. The difference is obviously the price, which is much higher on the local websites.
Shopping in the United Kingdom, Germany or the USA provides a wide choice of high quality clothes. Besides, new items usually firstly appear in the Western part of the continent. Some people also claim that the clothes are not only of higher quality, but also there is a wide selection. Why? A large amount of the designers and wholesale shops are aimed towards Western Europe and the USA.
Save money by buying in the USA
When shopping in the United States, we can save about 10 – 20 percent compared to the prices in the Polish online stores. One of the most popular shops is Forever21, whose target clients are children and youths. The assortment is very diverse, so even adults can find something for themselves. The prices do not differ from those in Poland very much, however, the very wide selection and various promotions easily gain the attention of youths who want to dress as their peers from abroad.
Also the system of promotions and discount codes is working properly. The clothes can be discounted even by 50%. The prices of claasical, simple dresses start at 5 dollars (about 19 PLN).
British ASOS, European quality
One of the most popular clothing stores online in Europe is ASOS. Its headquarters is in the United Kingdom. It seduces its customers with a variety of items, accessories and free shipping. In order to take advantage of the free shipping, the total amount should be at least 30 pounds. Despite the fact that the pound is very expensive at the moment, the prices are close to that of Poland. Most of the clothes available are from recognizable brands. Therefore, the quality of the craftsmanship shouldn’t be disappointing. A black night dress is available after a 60% discount for only 8 pounds (about 45 PLN).
Clothes from popular brands, like Nike, River Island or New Balance are cheaper than in Poland. For example, New Balance trekking shoes are 29 pounds (170 PLN) after discount. The same shoes in Poland start at 200 PLN.
Clothes from China start from $2
For everyone looking for ways to save money, the best option appears to be shopping in China. The offer is mainly focused on women. The selection is very wide and the prices are much lower. The popular auction website ChinaBuye offers dresses from as little as 5 dollars and throws in free shipping. Apart from clothes there are also electronic items and cosmetics. However, the hearts of bargain hunters already belong to the Chinese website AliExpress, which is popular also in Poland. It is very easy to find dresses there for even 2 – 3 dollars. Very often the shipping of such a dress is free. Should a client want to have the package delivered sooner, additional payments are necessary.
Having 2 dollars as a budget, one can also choose from a variety of bags, swimsuites and blouses. 3 dollars should be enough for a pair of jeans and $5 – a pair of shoes. The number of completed transactions is impressive and still growing.
What to remember about?
Additional payments need to be taken into consideration when shopping in Asia. These are value-added tax (23% VAT) and duty fee (from a few to several percent). There is, however, a way to avoid additional fees. The package must contain an item for personal use. The value of the package must not exceed 45 euros. The limit for avoiding duty fee is higher – 150 euros. It is also important to tag the package as a gift. In most cases the packages described this way aren’t charged with additional fees even if the value exceeds 45 euros.
Currency exchange doesn’t need to be expensive
Ever since the online currency exchange companies became widely available, shopping abroad has become even more profitable. Thanks to them, transactions including foreign currency are a lot cheaper and easier. Cinkciarz.pl offers 24 currencies at very competitive rates compared to those offered by banks. Currency cards, made available by the company, allow making payments in foreign online stores. It’s a great solution for those who look through the offers of online shops from abroad. They enable payments in euros, dollars, pounds or the Polish zloty. Thanks to them, currency exchange allows saving money and is properly secure – said Piotr Kicinski, Cinkciarz.pl Vice-Chairman of the Board.