Assisted Purchase is an easy concept to understand. Assisted purchase or buying assistance is the service that helps the customers to purchase the products online on behalf of a package forwarding company. Right now, shopping from online stores has been a trend. But when it comes to shopping from international stores such as the US online stores. Then, you may have difficulty purchasing because some of the stores may not accept non-US credit cards. Moreover, many US online stores will ask you for a US phone number, which is tricky to have if you are not living in the US. In addition, some of the international shoppers face difficulties in shipping as well.

In this blog, I have solutions for you on how you can shop and ship from US online stores if you have difficulties purchasing something. Also, how you can reduce your shipping cost after using the assisted purchase service.

Table Of Content:

1. How Does Assisted Purchase Work?
2. How Much Fee Do I Have to Pay When Using Assisted Purchase Service?
3. Can I reduce shipping costs?
4. Conclusion

How Does Assisted Purchase Work?

The way Assisted Purchase works is simple. First, you let your package forwarder know what you want to buy by sharing the link to the product. Then, they will purchase the product and get it delivered to their warehouse.

Assisted Purchase is all different from Direct Purchase. A Direct Purchase is when you buy something from the US. Your product is delivered to the US shipping address that your parcel forwarder gives you at the time of sign-up, and then it is shipped to your country. You’ll often be required to have a US phone number or US credit card. Assisted Purchase makes this process even simpler. Let your package forwarding company know which product you want to buy, and they will handle the rest. They’ll buy the product on your behalf, get it delivered to the warehouse (or a particular address if the store doesn’t ship to a warehouse), and send it directly to you.

For getting this service, all you have to do is fill a simple form of Assisted Purchase. For example, you are buying the products from Amazon, all you have to do is:

• Copy the URL of that specific item
• Paste the URL in the Assisted Purchase request form
• Enter details like the product category and quantity

After filling the request form, the package forwarder will check the price and the availability of that product you want to buy. If the information and prices match the information you provided in your Assisted Purchase request, your order will be accepted. However, suppose the items are not available, or the prices are higher than what was submitted. In that case, they will reach out to you via your account, informing you of any errors.

How Much Fee Do I Have to Pay When Using Assisted Purchase Service?

Several package forwarding companies provide assisted purchase services, but their service fee is high. Companies like Global Shopaholics, Planet Express, and Stackry are providing the cheapest rates. Usually, you have to pay 5 to 10$ for this service. These companies have a different name but have the same service as Assisted Purchase.

Comparison

Global Shopaholics

Once you’re done with telling the Global Shopaholics for Assisted Purchase Service, choose your desired shipping carrier. Normal shipping is for $5 while Express shipping is quicker for $10. You will be charged 5% of the total cost of the items for purchasing the items from the store. It will require at least two business days.

Planet Express

Planet express gives their customers shop for me service, which is the same as Assisted Purchase service. Usually, they charge 5$ and 7% overall cost for purchasing items from the store. The fee is the same for premium users as well.

Stackry

Stackry gives this service name as Stackry Personal Shopping; this service is used mainly for those customers whose credit cards aren’t accepted by the US online stores. Usually, they charge 10$ per online retailer and 8.5% total cost of purchasing items from the store.

Can I reduce shipping costs?

After ordering the multiple items, tell your package forwarder to consolidate your package into one box; this will help you to reduce your shipping up to 80%. This service is known as package consolidation service.

The shipping price depends mainly on the dimensions of the box, its weight, and the delivery method you choose. To get the cheapest shipping from the USA, select slower delivery methods.

Conclusion

Online shopping online is now a trend of this era, but it comes to shopping from international stores. You might get some problems in shipping, US address, credit card, etc. Use the assisted purchase service that package forwarding companies give. Also, you can reduce your shipping cost by using the package consolidation service.