Shopping in America: what, where, and how

Advantages of shopping in US stores from Russia and Ukraine

Hundreds of thousands of Russians buy goods for themselves in the USA every year. Tens of thousands of them work through us. Shipping goods is not free, you have to pay from 760 rubles for it. So why do the most advanced buyers choose this route? The thing is that online shopping in the USA has a number of advantages:

• Good prices. Many products are imported into Russia from America. Buying directly is much cheaper. And if you order to the state of Pennsylvania or Delaware (for example, with Pochtoy.com), you also do not pay any taxes.
• Huge selection. Amazon sells more than 670 million products. It is the largest online hypermarket in the world. Walmart and eBay have 50+ million each. Plus, almost every major brand has its own online store in the USA.
• Quality goods. Even the same product for the Russian and American markets often comes at a different level. A vivid example is Samsung smartphones. For the USA, they get a different, more powerful and energy-efficient processor installed (Qualcomm instead of Exynos).
• No counterfeits. Unlike China, counterfeit goods are not sold here. This is closely monitored, and anyone who breaks the law will not simply be able to buy their way out of it. You can buy the most famous brands and not worry that it is a fake.
• Seasonal sales. With big (and real!) discounts. Black Friday was invented in America! There is also Cyber Monday and other days when goods are sold with discounts of 30% or more. Moreover, in the USA there is no such thing as in Russia and China, when sellers deliberately raise prices before sales so that in fact they do not reduce anything.

We checked and compared prices in American and Russian stores, here are the results in the tables:

• the price difference for Adidas clothing and footwear is 45%;
• the price difference for Apple equipment is 33,6%;
• the price difference for Donna Karan New York branded items is 149%;
• the price difference for gadgets and PC components is 46,7%.

In some cases, the price difference allows you to save 25-30 thousand rubles when shopping in the USA. On a single purchase.

Of course, not every product should be ordered from the States. There are inexpensive or very heavy items (for example, large household appliances) that are more выгоднее to buy in Russian stores. But if you need good clothes and shoes, gadgets, toys for children, expensive products, something specific — it is better to first check whether such goods are sold abroad. The savings can be very substantial.

 Main stores in the USA for ordering and delivery to Russia

 We have collected the main online stores where our clients buy goods for themselves right here.

Especially worth noting:

• Amazon.com — the biggest online store in the world, the main place for shopping in America;
• Walmart.com — lately Amazon’s main competitor even in the online space;
• 6PM.com — the biggest discounts on clothes and shoes, great brands at prices 40-60% below normal;
• Sephora.com — top cosmetics;
• Carters.com — items for children;
• Newegg.com and BHPhotoVideo.com — the main electronics stores in the States, prices are often much lower than Russian ones, especially in the discount sections.

Otherwise, when shopping in the USA, we recommend checking the brands’ websites directly. There are almost always interesting discounts and promotions there, and the newest models are also sold there, which cannot be found in Russia. Even for Chinese brands like Lenovo, the store in the USA turns out to be much more выгоднее. Especially if you buy on Black Friday, before Christmas, or during other sales.

The only exception is Apple. It is actually more convenient to buy this company’s devices on Amazon. For this, the store has a special section, it is the company’s official representative, all of this is new electronics. But with a simpler and more convenient purchase (especially from Russia), advantageous delivery within the USA, and regular discounts. Prices in the official Apple section on Amazon are either the same as or lower than on Apple.com. And goods are almost always delivered free of charge to Pochtoy.com warehouses.

 Major Sales in the USA

In America, sale days happen almost every month. It is almost mandatory for stores to take part in them; it is practically a tradition. Both major online hypermarkets like Amazon and Walmart, and small shops, offer discounts. All of these discounts are real, shopping really does become more выгодно, but sometimes the discount percentages are exaggerated.

For example, they may say that an item comes “with an 80% discount,” although in reality the price reduction is 20-30%. But even so, this is nowhere near as bad as in some Chinese stores, where “discounts” run all year round, and for sale days the prices, on the contrary, go up — in the hope that some buyers will not notice. In this regard, shopping in the USA is safer, customers are cared for here, and you will not get caught out when shopping. 

For sale days and promotions, we have the “USA Discount Calendar”. Also, to conveniently keep track of the most substantial discounts, we recommend subscribing to our social networks (VK, FB, Instagram, Telegram). And if you know exactly what you are looking for, DealNews.com becomes a useful site. News about ongoing sales is also regularly posted there.

There are more and less advantageous days for shopping in the USA. Therefore, following the news can sometimes bring very good additional savings. Missing Cyber Monday, Amazon Prime Day, or Veterans Day by a few days is very unpleasant.

Sales and discounts in the USA on a regular basis.

 Buying in the USA on your own is easy

• First, you register on Pochtoy.com. You get a US address for free.
• You enter this address in the Shipping fields in stores. They consider you a US resident, and all discounts and promotions apply to you.
• The stores send the goods to our warehouse, we receive them, and they become visible in your personal account.
• You choose how to ship the package to Russia. There are more affordable or faster methods, and the value of a specific option also depends on the weight of your item.

We answer possible questions in detail with screenshots right here.

And if something doesn’t work out, we have “Shopping Masters”. You simply give us a link to the product and its description — and our operators will buy and process it for you. Especially useful for sites that do not want to accept Russian bank cards.

Shipping from US stores to Russia

Shipping from US stores with Pochtoy.com will cost you from $12 (about 900 rubles). This is much cheaper than with other delivery services. As a result, the savings when shopping in the US are very substantial, even taking into account shipping the parcel across the ocean. For gadgets and good-quality items, the savings are more than 10 thousand rubles on each purchase. And if you combine different parcels into one for shipment, the total shipping cost is reduced even further. Pochtoy.com also provides such a service (“Consolidation”) free of charge.

We have been successfully offering our experience for more than 10 years.

We invite you to make use of our experience when shopping in the US!

Purchase and delivery of orders from US stores to Russia

from the intermediary mail forwarder Pochtoy.com.

Top US stores:

- Amazon.com is the largest online retailer with delivery to Russia.

- EBay.com is the largest online retailer with delivery to Russia.

- 6pm.com is the largest online retailer with delivery to Russia.

In these stores you can always find top items at the most affordable prices. Check the sale section.