Belly Dancing & Fancy Clothes

In the market for Belly Dancing Clothes? Check out Fairy Dreams Clothes – they have items like a hip scarf starting at just $8 (the turquoise one on the right) including international shipping (and discounts for purchase of multiple items)!
They’ve also got little girl dresses like these below at $19 including international shipping (the tutu is $13) – and this is a ‘Buy it now’ – meaning there’s no auction. You just go in, press the button and buy.


I just bought a few items from Sophias’s Style – they have both an eBay store and a regular online store. Their shipping prices are very easy to find and are the same on both. Internationally it’s ~$19 for the first item on the website and $14 on ebay - and then just $4 for the second and beyond. The website is running a “Steal of the Day” sale – an item with a large discount. They’ve got loads of great items, but since my focus today is on fancy dresses, I’ll stick with that.
I ordered the dress below on the left for both of my little girls, but I was able to get them on auction for under $5 each (it appears that they don’t currently have auction items). The polka dot dress is a Rare Editions plus size dress.

Trader Lou Smile Deal

Available through Jan 21st., for just $6 you can choose from a selection of over 200 items. Retail prices for similar handcrafted items range from $20 - $73. Choose one or more. But, for just the next few days, these items are only $6. Over 200 designs in this selection.

Save an additional 5% off anything in the store for orders of just $20 or more. Enter promotion code SMILE5 at checkout for the additional 5% savings.

Tip: Click the ‘Show All’ button to easily see all the designs.

Available while supplies last. Not available with any other offer. Available just through January 21st.

Note: I am not affiliated with Trader Lou in any way and receive nothing for publishing this information or for any purchases which may result.

Best eBay tips for newbies – and some great deals

My kids all know that I like eBay, although “like” is a kind of weak word. I’m actually intrigued by it. And so I’ve taken my time to study it – and in the meantime, I’ve come up with some amazingly incredible deals that are available (you’ll see those later in the post)

Here are some of the things you want to know before you start buying on eBay:

Feedback: eBay works like a (very large) community. The feedback means a lot. You want to make sure you’re buying from people who have a very high level of good feedback. Anything less than 98% or so – stay away…

Read the whole auction before you bid. You want to make sure of the following:

• You’re bidding on the item you want to buy (I saw someone bid $500 once on an iPhone case, because he didn’t read through and was misled by the title of the auction). He subsequently reported the seller for fraud and didn’t pay for the item, but you get the point. Read the description. If the picture includes more than one item, make sure exactly what the auction includes.
• There are no ‘insurance’ or ‘handling’ charges that aren’t part of the price you’re paying (or, if there are, that you know about them before you start bidding).
• That the shipping costs you see are actually the ones to the country you want to ship to. eBay still hasn’t really worked out the whole ‘country’ thing and I end up putting mine in multiple times each session. Be really careful, so that you don’t discover after your bid on a pair of 99 cent socks that the shipping is another $14.99…

If you’re not sure about something, contact the seller. If the seller doesn’t get back to you within a day or two, move on.

Silver is not always silver, even if the person’s got good feedback ratings. As for gold – I’d stay local.

If you’re not sure how much you should offer for something and you don’t really have anything to compare it to, go into the user’s feedback. Often you can see exactly what other people paid for the same item you’re about to bid on. Also click the “Buy it Now” only tab above the results. You certainly don’t want to offer more than you could buy it for without an auction…

Most serious sellers have more than one of the same item. If you like something, but the price is too high, put it in your “watch list”. You’ll be able to see when the seller relists the item (which happens often).

If you want more than one of something, use the word “wholesale” or “lot” in your search. I’m eyeing these silk jewelry rolls… You can get one for ~$4.85 (see the green one) or 5 for $15.98 (see the link below – note that the picture shows 6 & you actually only get 5). These prices are both “buy it now prices”.

 

Some places will combine shipping – that means that if you buy more than one item from the same seller, they’ll cut the shipping prices. Make sure exactly what the combined shipping gives you (like 5% is hardly worth trying to find something else to add, but if the first item is $14 and the second is $4, it might make sense) – and then make sure to pay for the items at the same time and to check that the deduction has been put into the invoice. If it hasn’t, contact the seller before you pay.

OK – and now to some great deals…

This UV Checker tests ultraviolet radiation from your cellphone and changes colors according to the radiation level (or so they claim). It’s 99 cents, including international shipping anywhere in the world. (‘Buy it Now’ price)

 

This seller sells Oriental art – all signed originals. All of his auctions start at 1 cent & offer free shipping worldwide. A look at the prices toward the end of the sales show that some of the pictures go for prices in the $5-8 range and some higher. None of the auction pictures are mounted.

And how about washcloths? I’m not sure how much they end up going for, but the auctions start at 99 cents for either 3 or 6 washcloths, with free shipping worldwide! They’ve got Barney, Mickey Mouse, Minnie Mouse, Dora, Hello Kitty, Disney Princesses, Peanuts, Thomas the Tank Engine and more. What kids wouldn’t love ‘em?

Bead Wholesale currently has over 10,000 items for sale on eBay. They’ve got any type of clasp, bead, hook or pendant you’re looking for. And their auctions often start at just 1 cent, with free international shipping. How about 5 cute mother & baby turtle magnets? Or 20 Millefiori glass heart pendants… The beads below, for example, are 4mm glass bicone beads. You get 200 for $2.99, including shipping anywhere in the world (‘Buy it now’ price).

My personal favorite is jewelry, but I’ll leave that for another day. Any great deals you’re looking for? Let me know and I’ll help you find them!

Personalized t-shirts & clothes you can ship worldwide

Check out Printfection - they're currently running a $2 white t-shirt promotion. Yup. Just $2 and you can design your own shirt - excluding shipping, which is another $6.99. Still a fantastic price for that shirt you've always wanted to make your sister for her birthday (I ended up drawing my own. Some people thought it was pretty scary...) They've got t-shirts and sweatshirts, but they also sell water bottles, mouse pads, cutting boards and aprons.

You can even personalize coasters. If you buy just one, it’s $4.49 – but if you get a set of 6, you’ll pay only $3.99 each.

At Shopbop, you’ll have to shop their sale items to find anything under $50, but they do have some. This shirt is just $13.50 – and they offer free shipping everywhere. They currently have an extra 20% off of all sale items that are 50 or 70% off, which would mean an extra $2.70 off – that’s $10.80 (coupon code EXTRA20). You could also get this dress for $34.50 (before the extra 20%) but I have to admit it looks more like a slip than a dress to me… And then there are leggings on sale for $30. You’d have to pay me much more than $30 just to try them on (in a private dressing room, preferably with no mirrors so I wouldn’t have to suffer) but hey, it’s a matter of taste (or lack thereof…), right?

Freepeople is a site worth going to whether you’re looking for clothes or just like beautiful websites. It’s actually 3 sites – Free People, Intimately and We the Free. Free People sells clothes, accessories and shoes. Intimately sells beachwear, bras, undies (their word) and more. Their shipping is expensive ($35 international flat rate), but wow – I love the site…

More shops coming soon…

Revisiting & updates

Book Depository - great site. I've now bought quite a few books from them and I love the freedom of being able to just buy a single book on a whim. Several of the items I've posted about have gone out of stock, which makes me wonder how much stock they hold...

Hong Kong Silk continues to offer a variety of items with free international shipping, like a silk scarf for just $10.99. Their other items include silk pillowcase covers, a variety of boxers, briefs & panties; camisoles, nightgowns & robes.

Jewelry: Trader Lou* is awesome. I highly recommend joining their mailing list to find out about their specials. I ordered a $5 surprise pack they offered & I got a really cute silver charm. The $5 included international shipping - who can beat that? CeeGee* continues to have beautiful items & with shipping at just $5.00 worldwide (and just 50 cents for a second item), totally reasonable.

Cosmetics: Strawberry Net is having a sale & some of their items are 65% off - If you're thinking about buying make up, hair care products, or fragrances - check them out now. All of their prices include free shipping worldwide. The Pupa make up set I featured at $22 is now just $17(!)

Brabraland* is now also selling women's clothing - suits for $30 with an additional $13.40 shipping.

Gadgets: FocalPrice is running a Christmas sale with 99% of one item for every order over 99 cents. They choose the item and I believe it changes daily. DealExtreme continues to surprise me with new items (check out their New Arrivals section). I got their silly spoons last week - love them (collecting interesting spoons is a hobby of mine)!

eOutlet4U* which sells children’s clothing (OshKosh, Carters, Ralph Lauren & Disney, mostly) is running a 15% off sale on everything (not including shipping). You can only see their shipping costs once you put items in your cart, but I've found it runs around $12 for the first item and much less for subsequent items.

I added several links on the right - a whole section for glasses & contact lenses; PinkApple - a site that sells feminine products (like the difficult to obtain Gynol II contraceptive jelly, and a wide variety of feminine hygiene products, massage oils, ovulation & pregnancy tests, books and more); UndercoverCondoms - a site that deals almost exclusively with every type of condom I never knew existed (and those I'd heard about too). At both these sites, international shipping on your entire order is just $11.95.

Coming up next – where to buy fancy dresses for girls for prices you won’t believe.

* I am in no way affiliated with these sites & do not receive any payment or commissions from them

Gadgets with free international shipping

In addition to Deal Extreme, which I've ordered from several times (and highly recommend), I recently got an email about FocalPrice. The email was from PayPal, which makes me think they're probably totally legit... They've got more USB fans than I knew existed & a selection of inexpensive watches like this one on the right. It runs $3.70 if you buy one, but just $3.41 if you buy three or four. The price continues to go down if you buy 5 or more. These sites are great if you’re looking for watch batteries, cell phone batteries, or any of those little batteries for car alarms, digital scales, etc. (I just got a 10-pack of the kind I needed from DealExtreme for $2.14.) They’ve also got a crazy selection of computer and other gadgets; ipod, nds & psp accessories – including chargers, carrying cases, etc. The stock is always growing, so it’s worth checking out the “New Arrivals” section every few days.

How can you resist this adorable 5” bear for $3.33 (including free international shipping) – and only $3.05 if you buy 3 or 4…

1freeaday is another one to check out. They offer one free item per day with $3.49 flat shipping. The other items on the site include free international delivery on every item. They’ve got a wide selection of items – from baby products and clothing to laptop keyboards, various cables, usb hubs and lingerie (yeah, I’m not quite sure how these fit together either). This picture (on the right) gave me a laugh, but the item itself looks pretty nice – a hood you can wear as a scarf when you go inside -it’s $8.27 including worldwide free shipping.

And what girl wouldn’t love this pink tutu that costs just $10.07, including shipping anywhere in the world? (Currently only available in 3-4yr size).

Vitamins and Supplements with International Shipping

My brother, Ben, introduced me to this site - Vitacost.com (get $10 off if you sign up via this link) - that sells vitamins, dietary supplements, herbs, diet products, bath & beauty products and more. Not only are their prices amazing, they ship internationally for just $5. (You can see a list of the countries they ship to on this page). Ben said that their home brand, VSI, usually comes out the cheapest.

Vitacost also sells kosher vitamins, vegetarian Omega 3 & they provide a variety of tools, including recommendations for what vitamins you should be taking based on a questionnaire you fill out (I forgot to fill in my height, leaving it at 1 foot tall, and was informed that I'm overweight - you might not want to miss that field :-))

Another awesome site is iHerb (Get $5 off your first order if you order via this link) - They offer a wide variety of food products, vitamins and more - and offer really cheap international shipping - just $4 for a package. It's limited to 4lbs, which means that you can't order that much, but it comes super-fast (usually) and packaged nicely.

Wishing you all good health!

Skin Care, Make Up, Hair Care & Perfumes with Free International Shipping

One of the things expats miss most is the products they used to use – knowing exactly what you want makes it pretty easy to shop online – whether for yourself or for someone you want to send a gift to.
StrawberryNet Cosmetics sells skin care products, make up and fragrances for men & women – all with free shipping anywhere in the world. They’ve got literally tens of brands – Ahava, Aramis, Bare Escentuals, Biotherm, Chanel, Christian Dior, Clarins, Clinique, Decleor, Dermalogica, Elizabeth Arden, Estee Lauder, Giorgio Armani, Givenchy, Guerlain, Guinot, Hugo Boss, L’Occitane, Loreal, Lancome, Nina Ricci, Payot, Shiseido, Stendhal and Yves Saint Laurent – to name just a small sample!

This Pupa Make up set (Diamond Pochette) that includes all over powder, 6 types of eyeshadow (2 glitter) and 6 lip colors costs $22 – including international shipping!
StrawberryNet currently has a deal where new customers get a free Stila make up set (with a choice of colors) with any purchase over $25.
Feel Unique is a similar store, also with free shipping worldwide - an example of one of their products is Lancome Hydra Zen Day Cream Set for just $33.15. If you'd like the site to only show products that ship to your country, select the currency - in the box that opens, a checkbox allows you to filter the items in the site, so you see only ones that can actually be shipped to your country!

Jewelry with free shipping worldwide

I love jewelry. Two summers ago my big kids and I bought over 2000 pieces of jewelry on eBay – pearl necklaces, bracelets, earrings and rings; bracelets from Tibet, earrings and bracelets from Peru and much more. We had a blast deciding what to buy and waiting for the packages. We sold some stuff, discovered other to be junk and used quite a lot for Bat Mitzvah and other presents. It turned out to be a good investment – we’ve more than made back what we spent AND we still have tons of jewelry left… and with four girls in the house, there are plenty of people to wear the jewelry too. I plan to write a guide to buying on eBay, since I think I’ve gotten pretty good at it, but for now you’ll have to settle for this tip.

Trader Lou, Merchant Adventurer (that’s what it says on the site) is a really cool shop. They’ve got a wide variety of sterling silver jewelry at totally affordable prices and they ship worldwide for free…

The Bellisima Cinderella pendant on the right runs $28.53, including international shipping.

By the way, Trader Lou doesn’t only have  jewelry. They’ve also got gemstones, beads, shoes, handbags and other items. You can sign up to the newsletter to get information about sales or specials. Enjoy!

Shops that ship internationally - Welcome

I was born and raised in the good ol' USA, where shopping is entertainment. On Sunday afternoons, we hit the mall (if we were lucky) and going shopping with my mom was fun. The shopping where I live now is somewhat less exciting, more expensive & with less variety. I've spent loads of time searching for a resource for online shops that ship internationally, especially ones that ship for free and I've never found any such resource that doesn't try to tack on various fees.

So far, I've found quite a few shops that do ship internationally & in this blog, I'll share them with you. Each post will include at least one shop or one deal that's actually reasonable. I mean, Land's End ships internationally, but their fees start at $28 (for countries other than the US, Canada & Japan) - so that doesn't cut it for me.

If you've got any recommendations, send them over & I'll make sure to give you credit.

Here's the first: Book Depository - Free International Shipping on every item. They have a wide variety of books, for example:

Guess How Much I Love You by Sam McBratney, illustrated by Anita Jeram (and just happens to be one of my favorite books) for just $2.93.

and they've got Origami paper starting at $3.55 - and remember, these prices include free worldwide delivery - the price you see is the price you get*. I've ordered from them a few times so far and I'm impressed.

*Prices quoted based on today's exchange rate from British Pound to US Dollar. Prices fluctuate with the exchange rate.