The Dubai Expat Diaries

Everyone living in Dubai / the UAE or the Middle East have probably wished they could get their hands on great products from the UK or US… be it books, music, movies, games or electronics. But very few people shop online with Amazon or other online retailers and auction sites due to the shipping issues invoved, even though (more often than not) the products are a lot cheaper in the US or UK, especially when buying used products.

One great solution to this dilemna is to find the right payment and shipping solutions…and we have them for you, self-tested and definitely recommended:

• Online Payments (Shop Safe!): While traditional credit cards will do the trick, for greater safety and peace of mind, we recommend using virtual / internet-only credit cards. Emirates Bank in the UAE has a great option… just pay an initial card fee and you get a virtual Credit Card (Mastercard / Visa / etc) issued to you with the number, expiry date and verification code. The added advantage is that this is a pre-paid card and you can manage the transfers into the card account using online banking…simple and quick! Other banks also have good options - be it internet-only cards (example - Credimax in Bahrain has a great CrediNET pre-paid card) or just supplementary cards with spending limits. Another tip - never never use your ATM or debit cards to make purchased online…and of course, never share your credit card details over unsecure pages or by email!
• Shipping (eliminate the pain!): This is crucial in online orders from Dubai, the UAE or most countries here in the Middle East…shipping can really add up. A great solution here is the Aramex Shop N Shop service. As the site aptly describes the service: The Aramex Shop&Ship mailbox service allows you to enjoy all the benefits of shopping online from US or UK websites as if you are actually living there. This service offers you a personal mailing address in the US and the UK where you can receive your correspondence as well as personal and business packages such as Internet orders, gifts, magazine subscriptions, bank statements and more. Aramex then forwards the mailbox contents to your doorstep back home at very competitive rates, saving you time, effort and money. The great thing about this service is that you can get multiple items delivered to your mailbox and have them shipped together depending on frequency, hence saving you individual item shipping charges. The good news is that usually when ordering from companies like Amazon UKor Amazon.com (US), you can get free local shipping to your Shop&Ship Mailbox - you then just pay Aramex when they deliver to you based on the weight. As of early 2008, the charges are:

Subscription Fees:
Aramex Shop&Ship offers you a mailbox in the USA and another in the UK for a one lifetime setup fee of $35.00

Renewal Fees: There are no annual or monthly renewal mailbox subscription fees.

Shop&Ship Shipping Rates: Shipping rates vary from one country to another; shipping charges are calculated on the total weight of the shipped mailbox contents regardless of the number of packages:

Destination, First Half Kilo, Additional Half Kilo
BAHRAIN - 3.20 BHD 2.50 BHD
JORDAN - 6.00 JOD 4.75 JOD
KUWAIT - 2.50 KWD 2.00 KWD
LEBANON - 8.50 USD 6.50 USD
OMAN - 6.00 OMR 2.60 OMR
QATAR - 31.00 QAR 24.00 QAR
SAUDI ARABIA - 56.00 SAR 28.00 SAR
UNITED ARAB EMIRATES - 32.00 AED 24.00 AED

• Great sites to shop on:
  Amazon US and Amazon UK or Amazon.com (US)- great for books, cds - music and movies, games and electronics! eBay - great for auctions and used items / memoribilia. And tons of other retailers in the US & UK…!

Search for products on Amazon UK:

Search for products on Amazon.com (US)