Shopping globalization

How’s that for clicking on an apparel link and having Jamaican prices pop up? This is from Freepeople.com. I love it! It eliminates the need for me to try and work figures out in my head or pop open my calculator to see if the price is doable in my budget. Of course, when I see prices like the above, I’m still scrambling figures in my head like…they want me to pay $50g for a pair of shoes???? How much US is that…like $600??? Then I realize that isn’t even close to the cost for a pair of beloved Christian Louboutins and my soul weeps a bit.

Back to my point. I love that more and more websites I visit are globalizing their operations. It is the world wide web after all, don’t discriminate just because I’m not within your borders… It started with more US stores accepting our credit cards, then offering shipping directly to Jamaica and now they’re doing conversions for us and even calculating duty costs! how rad is that? (Do people still say rad?) Most of use who shop online have a forwarding account with a company like Mailpac or Global Couriers. They set up shop in Miami, give you a US address that you can ship your packages to and then they ship it out to us here in Jamaica, clear it for you and will even drop it off at your office or home. Nice eh? It’s really great not to have to deal with customs, now if only the government would ease some of these taxes but let’s not go there.

As for the prices of those that deliver straight to Jamaica and calculate taxes for you? I haven’t tried any of them yet and with this example from OldNavy I’m not sure I will.

Ouch. A total of $86.37 rings up an additional $121.13 in shipping and duty to Jamaica. Oh LAWWWWD. Why it gotta be so much? The shipping and duty for an average shipment through my freight forwarder of choice in Miami normally comes up to anywhere between $3500 and $4000 Jamaican (about US$47) for a total order of US$100-$150 worth of goods. That’s usually about a 4-5lb shipment. I think I’ll stick to my usual for now but I like the way things are going…it can only get better from here right?

Jamaican banks have also finally embraced the world. CIBC First Caribbean Bank was the first I believe to offer a debit card that is two fold. They issue two cards, one to use locally at your regular ATMs and point of sales and another, a VISA debit, that you can use overseas or online that links directly to your bank account. How cool is that? It feels great to log onto my online banking account, use their nifty little currency converter to see how much US I have at my fingertips to go shopping online, no credit cards necessary! Scotiabank has since joined the VISA debit card game in Jamaica and I imagine more banks may follow suit soon.

How is your online shopping experience? Do your favourite websites ship directly Jamaica or do you freight forward?

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