There is no need to travel to the United States in order to buy products in dollars.

27 March 2008

MADRID - There is no need to travel to the United States in order to buy products in dollars. The internet brings US stores close to home thanks to websites such as Amazon, which sells everything from books to gardening tools, or e-Bay, the online auction house. The trick with the latter is to visit the US domain, which ends in .com, instead of the Spanish .es site, and to pay with a credit card.

The downside is that one must add shipping expenses, and occasionally tariffs and VAT at customs if the product is expensive. But even then it is sometimes worth it if the original offer is good enough.

But often the point is not to save money, but to obtain exclusive models or brands that are not available in Spain. For instance, it is still not possible to purchase an iPhone, the telephone made by Apple, anywhere in the country. The company sells it on its website but only ships to US addresses. For those who do not have a friend living in the United States who can provide one, businesses such as Skybox offer a post office box in Miami for around EUR 15. Once the product reaches the client's box, they send it to the buyer and charge for shipping.

[Copyright El Pais / C.D. 2008]