MY GOSEND SHOPPING EXPERIENCE

I've been to America once (New York to be precise) once and I made sure to take full advantage of getting hold of some products that you can't get in the UK. For me, it's the only way to avoid ridiculous shipping charges if ordering from America to the UK. There's also handling costs for when  your parcel arrives in the UK, plus those nasty added taxes.

A few months ago, I was introduced to a company called Gosend. GoSend are a world-wide e-commerce and shipping companies which offers consumers the chance to order items from American retailers and save on tax and shipping costs. When I was given the chance to trial out the service, I was very intrigued and decided to give it a go.

All I was told to do was sign up to the website and then I could start shopping. Signing up only took a matter of minutes and once I was logged in, I found I was able to shop around at some American retailers which I've never had the chance of shopping at before. You can even shop online at tax free retailers such as Sephora and Macy's.

So, how does it work?

Signing up to GoSend is free which gives you a discount on shipping costs. However, there is another version which costs £6 per month and offers you even bigger discounts and extra shipping costs. So, if you're someone who shops a lot online from U.S retailers, then it's definitely worth signing up to the paid membership.

Once you choose which products you want to order using GoSend's Shop Assist service. Once your order is complete, your items remain in your 'GoSend Locker' which is basically your online shopping 'basket'. GoSend give you a U.S shipping address which obviously qualifies for free or low-cost shipping as it's an American address. The address in question is in Delaware which is a state that doesn't add on any tax to products. Even better! Payment is given directly to GoSend who use the money to order your product rather than you paying the retailer directly.

I decided to finally get some Adidas Superstar Trainers* which have been on my wish list for absolutely AGES. I love them on other people but I do find they are just a bit too popular which I guess has always put me off of ordering myself a pair! However, I headed over to the US Adidas website and saw you can design your own pair. So, that's exactly what I did!

Once I decided on what options I wanted including colours, textures and materials, I made a note of these and popped them into GoSend's Shop Assist service, alongside the link to the trainers. They cost a total of $113 with free shipping including personalisation with my name on them!

I received an email to let me know when they had arrived at their end which included photographs of the trainers that GoSend had taken. I think this is a great added feature because if I didn't like something, they could send back the product and re-order it for me. These were then sent out to me once they reached the GoSend warehouse. They took around 4 weeks to arrive but it took a little longer as they were caught up in the Christmas demand.

If ordering items from different retailers, GoSend can collect them and send them together in one parcel to save on shipping costs. Although sometimes you do have to pay UK duties and VAT taxes, you do still save a lot of money ordering through GoSend. It takes a little longer to reach you but I would rather wait an extra week and save myself some money.

I really recommend signing up to GoSend if you shop a lot on American retailers and hate paying extreme shipping and VAT costs. Even if you just order one thing, it's definitely worth it to save some money!

Disclaimer: This post is in collaboration with GoSend. I was asked if I wanted to trial out the service and having an interest in how it works, I decided to work with them on a trial service. I honestly think the service is outstanding so as always, all opinions are unbiased and are my own.