Even though people are more connected and the world is “flatter” than it’s ever been, online shopping can still be a frustrating experience, as many popular clothing brands limit the countries to which they ship.
Regardless of whether you live on an island in the Indian Ocean, a former Easten Bloc country, or in Africa, shoppers the world over share the struggle of getting their favorite clothing brands delivered to their doorstep.
What you need to know:
Before we tell you our hack, we want to preface a few things. For one, this workaround only applies for clothing, shoes, beauty and some home goods brands. This technique won’t work for things like car parts, getting items like cell phones and laptops in remote locations, nor will it work for really big items like mattresses, washing machines, or barbecues.
Second, you may have to do a bit of digging, because each store- and brand even- have different policies, depending on the country the purchase is being shipped to. Also keep in mind, that especially if it’s common for a delivery to take a while to receive, it may still take a while for an item to arrive with this approach.
Third- and this is more of just a general bit of good advice- be sure to consult each store’s country-specific shipping and return policy, as they can vary widely, even for countries in close geographic proximity. The cost (for both shipping and returns) may be inconsistent from one country to another, as could be the window for delivery as well as returns
OK, Here’s the Secret…
Once we tell you how to get hard-to-receive clothing items delivered to you, you’ll likely say “yep, why didn’t I think of that? It’s so straight-forward and seemingly obvious!”
The Secret: Shop at a major department store that does offer delivery to you.
The reason we like department stores is multifold. The first is that many stores like Macy’s, Harrods, and Neiman Marcus offer shipping to almost every country in the world. This means that with very few exceptions, shoppers of every country in the world will be able to find a retailer who carries tons of brands that offers shipping to their country.
Another good thing about these big department stores is that they often offer flat rate- and sometimes even free!- shipping. Again, rates will vary by store and the country to which items are being sent, but having one rate for a purchase that may include items for several people (and maybe even several households!) at one rate helps keep the cost of shipping proportionally low, relative to the cost of the oder
We also love department stores because they carry a wide range of merchandise. Everything from baby and kids clothing to men’s and women’s clothing, shoes for the whole family, to fashion accessories to kitchen goods and even premium cosmetics and fragrances. Being able to shop for multiple people across multiple brands is efficient, as you’re only tracking one package from one company, etc.
Finally- and arguably the most important- reason we love shopping at major department stores, is that they carry tons of brands under their label. Retailers like Macy’s carry XXX brands, while Harrods carries an astonishing XXX brands. Even British fast-fashion retailer ASOS carries over 850 brands, in addition to their house-created brands.
How does this work?
Let’s say you’re looking to get Chanel in Brunei. A high-end shopper might think they’re out of luck, as Chanel does not offer direct delivery to Brunei. But by checking out Harrods, Neiman Marcus, or Bergdorf Goodman, that fashionista can still shop Chanel beauty & fragrance, fashion, fine jewelry, and watches in Brunei.
Or what about music and makeup fans in Bosnia and Herzegovina looking for Fenty Beauty? Again, Fenty Beauty doesn’t offer shipping to Bosnia and Herzegovina, but Rihanna fans aren’t out of luck. Simply check out Harvey Nichols– the famed, British department store that was one of her first retail partners after Fenty Beauty’s 2017 launch. Harvey Nichols delivers to Bosnia and Herzegovina and offers the full line of Fenty Beauty products.
What about sports and athletics fans looking to get Nike in North Macedonia? Nike doesn’t offer direct delivery to North Macedonia, but shoppers still have choices. For instance, Macy’s carries a ton of Nike items– nearly 2,000 items!- and offers delivery to North Macedonia. And Nordstrom has almost 2,500 pieces of Nike merchandise, again delivering to North Macedonia.
The Verdict
Again, this work around isn’t perfect, as it only works for certain categories of products, but it’s a great workaround for top brands and popular categories of merchandise.
To see all the department stores that offer shipping to you, simply select your country from this list, then select “Department Stores” from the gray drop down menu. Click either the store logo or your preferred language to go directly to your country’s version of the retailer’s site, then shop as normal. Good luck!
