Amazon (.com, the flagship U.S. store) is a popular destination for Ethiopia's online shoppers. The American behemoth has the best product selection in the world, stocking and selling virtually every imaginable product from every brand and store you have —and haven't— heard of. But shipping to Ethiopia from Amazon USA is complicated.
If Amazon won't ship to you in Ethiopia, Flycrates can order for you, then ship to you. Learn more
The short answer is: No - very few Amazon.com products ship to Ethiopia. About two thirds of Amazon stores (third-party sellers) that make up the bulk of merchants on Amazon don't ship internationally at all. So don't feel left out - every other country bar the U.S. is having trouble ordering US Amazon products and shipping internationally.
The main reason is Customs. As you may have already experienced, getting products shipped through Customs in Ethiopia can take time, and money. If a friend or relative has sent you a package from abroad, it was likely held up, inspected, and subjected to import duty, which you then had to pay to have the package released and delivered to you. It's such a poor customer experience that many US stores and brands prefer to avoid it altogether.
The second reason is added complexity. Some products (electronic, for example), require local customizations to function in Ethiopia or comply with its regulations. Beyond the product itself, there's the added complexity of offering an international warranty, dealing with returns, and localisation of marketing, packaging materials, and after-sale support.
Then there's the shipping itself. To ship a product from US Amazon.com to Ethiopia, the shipper (the seller, not Amazon) needs to:
(Note: Amazon's shipping restrictions page is incredibly unhelpful.)
So, what to do if Amazon won't ship to Ethiopia? At Flycrates we do one thing only: shipping to you when Amazon won't. Thanks to the Flycrates cart system, you can order from Amazon.com in a few taps:
No signup, no virtual address, no hassles.
Amazon.com accepts many payment methods but your card may be refused because of a Ethiopia billing address, or your card is not enabled or is prohibited from use in the USA. If this is a problem for you, please use Flycrates! We accept virtually all non-US cards. For security and peace of mind, card payments are processed by Stripe.
Visit our homepage for timing for orders to Ethiopia.
Flycrates offers simple flat-rate shipping.
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Questions? View the Flycrates FAQ, or email us anytime at team@flycrates.com.