If you live in the US and the idea of ordering a bag from a site outside the country makes you a bit nervous, I can’t blame you. Bags are already expensive, and figuring out how a retailer deals with duties, international shipping and foreign purchase fees when you’re not well-versed in the rules can be a little bit daunting; no one wants to accidentally spend hundreds of dollars more than they expected if it’s not necessary. Because some of our favorite online retailers are in other countries, though, we did some digging in order to demystify the process.
International shopping has advanced by leaps and bounds over the past few years. Almost all luxury retailers include a bag’s import duties (which are what a buyer would owe to US Customs for importing a product into the US) in the prices listed on their website, and almost all of them do it without charging you more for the bag than you’d pay in the US. Many also offer free or very affordable shipping and returns, which help make the whole thing feel like you’re ordering from a company a few states away instead of on the other side of the globe. If you got burned buying a bag from an international retailer a few years ago, whatever problem you had is much less likely to happen today.
As for foreign purchase fees, it all depends on the credit card you use with your order–that’s not something retailers set. Most cards have a fee of around 3%, but there are cards available that won’t ding you at all–it depends on the specific terms and conditions of your account, and contacting your bank for more info is your best course of action.
Foreign purchase fee aside, we’ve assembled the official shipping, returns and duty policies of the Internet’s largest US-friendly international retailers below. If we’ve missed your favorite, please let us know!
SSENSE
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Location: Canada.
Shipping to the US: Free standard shipping on any order, free express shipping on orders over $200.
Duties: Included in prices displayed on the website.
Returns: Free US returns for a limited time, including duties.
Alexander McQueen Small Padlock Satchel, $1,995 via SSENSE
farfetch.com
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Location: Worldwide; farfetch.com’s products ship from the 300 independent boutiques around the world that list their inventories on the site.
Shipping to the US: $10 for products shipping from boutiques in the US, $17 for products shipping from boutiques in the UK and $24 for all other locales, although the site does occasional promotions with free worldwide shipping.
Duties: Included in prices displayed on the website.
Returns: Free within 14 days, including duties and pickup by the courier. Refunded amount excludes the original cost of shipping.
Givenchy Tapestry Nightingale Bag, $2,395 via farfetch.com
MATCHESFASHION.COM
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Location: London.
Shipping to the US: Free.
Duties: Included in the prices displayed with products on the website.
Returns: Free, including duties, when returns are requested within 14 days.
Chloé Hudson Tassel Bag, $1,944 via MATCHESFASHION.COM
mytheresa.com
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Location: Germany.
Shipping to the US: $25 flat rate via DHL.
Duties: Included in the prices displayed on the website.
Returns: At the shopper’s expense and not including duties, which can only be refunded as store credit.
Saint Laurent Monogramme Leopard Calf Hair Shoulder Bag, $2,150 via mytheresa.com
Net-a-Porter
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Location: London, but with a warehouse and shipping facility for US orders in New Jersey.
Shipping to the US: Free three-day delivery.
Duties: All orders ship from within the US, so duties don’t apply (and neither does your credit card’s foreign purchase fee).
Returns: Free US returns.
Fendi Bag Bugs Baguette Bag, $2,100 via Net-a-Porter
yoox.com
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Location: Italy.
Shipping to the US: $9.95 flat rate.
Duties: Included in the prices displayed on the website.
Returns: $6.95 within 20 days, deducted from the amount of your refund, but including duties.
Valentino Gryphon Finger Clutch, $894 via yoox.com
The Corner
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Location: Italy.
Shipping to the US: Free on all orders.
Duties: Included in prices displayed on the website.
Returns: $6 within 20 days, deducted from the amount of your refund, but including duties.
PB 0110 Leather Satchel, $900 via thecorner.com