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Priscilla wrote:

Hello everyone,

Shopping online can be far more convenient and offer greater choice than going into shops, be it grocery shopping or retail.

Are there options for online shopping in Mexico? Which sites or apps do you use most frequently and are these local or international?

Are there particular products that are cheaper to buy online or that are perhaps not available in Mexico?

What is the delivery process like  is it easy to receive deliveries and what are the costs of shipping? Are there any taxes to pay upon receipt?

Thank you for sharing your experience.

Priscilla

There are few differences in on line shopping in Mexico, with 2 major exceptions. 1. The perception of security which depending on location. can be a factor with some businesses.

As long as you are buying in Mexico things go pretty smoothly. Mail delivery can be almost painfully slow, but DHL is fast and efficient, sometimes even getting there early. The shopping options include Amazon, Mercado libre and e-bay as well as some smaller companies. If they won't ship the item they let you know. Some try to avoid shipping costs by using mail, which means it could take weeks but you will pay little or no shipping.

The cost of shipping has changed in some cases especially for products from the U.S. ( because of political unrest in that country) There is now a fairly large import tax on some items.  If you ship medications make sure you have a prescription for those drugs included with the drugs. Mexico will reject anything looking remotely like a drug or an unknown. In one case I am aware of ,a man transporting  a friends  prescription med's  left behind went to jail for doing so. you cannot send meds without a prescription.  I had dental cleaner I was using to clean jewelry rejected and destroyed, no discussion.

2. the second problem is some companies won't even try to ship, they will just not take the "risk". Most of what I want is here in Mexico somewhere so it does not  present a big problem for me.

We've used Amazon.mx a lot - it's very reliable! If you have Prime, most shipping is free

My husband and I don't typically shop online. I know this might be irrelevant to your post, but honestly, going to local swap meets and experiencing some of the culture and language and food is really fun. Plus, locally you can find all kinds of really unique items that you won't find online. My husband and I go as a date, and we always find things we need at really good prices.

I have tried to buy electronic products from Amazon.com.mx, but with no success.  The prices at Amazon MX are 50% higher than prices at Amazon US for the same name brand products.  Therefore, I choose not to buy at all.  This is a sad situation.  Best Buy is the same.  Prices on their MX web site are significantly higher.  Buying in the US and using a freight forwarder and paying duty results in no savings.  Not everything is less costly in Mexico.

Sealark wrote:

I have tried to buy electronic products from Amazon.com.mx, but with no success.  The prices at Amazon MX are 50% higher than prices at Amazon US for the same name brand products.  Therefore, I choose not to buy at all.  This is a sad situation.  Best Buy is the same.  Prices on their MX web site are significantly higher.  Buying in the US and using a freight forwarder and paying duty results in no savings.  Not everything is less costly in Mexico.

That's the new import tax . You can thank the U.S. for that.

I don't know what you are trying to buy, but I have not seen a major price difference with the things I have bought. Some of the things I bought from a store locally like Walmart ,or Liverpool. I bought an HP printer a week ago and the price was close to the U.S.  Some things I have bought were definitely cheaper.

The same Yamaha P45 keyboard was 9,815 pesos at Amazon MX and $399.99 dollars at Amazon US.  That is a 42% difference using exchange rates last week.

Sealark wrote:

The same Yamaha P45 keyboard was 9,815 pesos at Amazon MX and $399.99 dollars at Amazon US.  That is a 42% difference using exchange rates last week.

Yep, sounds like the import  kicked in. I know Mexico is now looking to neighboring countries , other than the U.S. for things they were buying from the U.S.

As I said, I try to buy things here in person as much as possible, or things that Amazon Mx has that they don't have to import from the U.S. I would suspect Mexico will be looking for ways around the U.S. as much as possible. I know I am seeing more things from Germany, and Italy.They are talking about dumping NAFTA also.

Your keyboard comes from Japan does it not? I suspect Mexico  would be looking for a direct deal on those things soon.

My P.O. Box at the Oaxaca Central Post Office sees VERY SLOW Delivery and i have lost half my purchases as undelivered.

DHL, FedEx and UPS are all fast and certain but $80 USD for Delivery is just as certain.  Better to go with these or something else local but cut the Post Office out of the deal.

hotspringfreak wrote:

My P.O. Box at the Oaxaca Central Post Office sees VERY SLOW Delivery and i have lost half my purchases as undelivered.

DHL, FedEx and UPS are all fast and certain but $80 USD for Delivery is just as certain.  Better to go with these or something else local but cut the Post Office out of the deal.

Like everything else, post offices seem area specific. So I guess you have to either totally rule them out or try and see. Mostly, I get what is sent. The local postal guys always seem delighted to see me, nope don't tip them, they are just very pleasant guys.   For anything very important I would use the courier  Estafeta or DHL.

What area(s) do you live in?  For another source, If your area has a MailBoxes, Etc (like Chapala, for instance) you will likely find it reliable and cheaper - as long as you don't pay them for a Box, just using them as a "Will Call" for Package/Letter receipt.

Germany and Italy are not part of NAFTA

lilmick wrote:

Germany and Italy are not part of NAFTA

With a name like North American Free Trade Agreement, they wouldn't be, so I don't see the relevance. Mexico was what I was talking about, and I was also pointing out that I am seeing more non U.S. products from places like Germany, Italy, and Spain. Separate comments but related in that they are both about purchases in Mexico.