wantone

... overseas? I have a friend in Taiwan who wants to buy online stuff from American Eagle, Banana Republic and other companies popular in the US. However, the online shops that these companies host do not ship overseas. Why is that???

DiamondDave2005

A lot of it is due to credit card fraud, which is why many US websites will only accept credit cards issued by a US bank.

There are also Customs & Excise regulations to deal with, and no company wants to bother with that if they can avoid it.

Finally, shipping charges. I just sent a 1lb package to Ireland and it cost $47.50...it gets expensive.

LittlePenguin

Never thought about the credit card fraud aspect, but there really is no rationale, just whether the retailer thinks it worth the effort.

Customs and excise is a problem for the importer.

Freight costs are paid by the importer

I have been buying from Amazon for 11years now, when they actually sold books. Never a problem. I have bought from retailers in France, Hong Kong, Malaysia, Australia, and UK with no problem. But I found that even when I was in the US last, the same retailers that wouldn't ship out of the country were put off by my 'foreign' accent (Hey, you guys have the foreign accent as far as I'm concerned!) and seemed reluctant to ship even in the same state.

Buying direct from Amazon has always been a simple and prompt experience, but some of the companies they refer on to from their site are also reluctant to ship overseas. Go figure.

wantone

Thanks guys!

mikes2k

<--ships worldwide.

The credit card fraud issue IS a real issue. On more one occasion we have been scammed (attempted) with fake emails/credit card numbers from unscrupulous people.