Amazon Germany

@Snowball6 Yes! We use ggbg, you have the item delivered to them in Germany and they bring the goods over in a van and forward it to you via Econt. It's very easy to use and it just adds a little to your delivery time depending on the schedule.

There's also Gabieli that offer the same service but I prefer ggbg as you don't have to register your parcel in advance.

https://www.ggbg.bg/en/

https://gabieli.com/en/

You can also use them for UK Amazon deliveries and UK supermarkets.

Thanks for your info. very helpful.    Should have asked before Christmas,  would have saved a fortune!!!

I worked with ggbg for years until they screwed me over by not notifying me on time and coordinating about a fedex tax document they received in their office. Eventually I had to pay 40 euro more than the document itself. They never took responsibility for it. Ignored all my messages and emails. I do not suggest working with them.

Wow,  that’s not good.  Do they not have a complaints procedure?

I have tried several times over the past year to register for GGBG and have not been successful. It lets me get through the entire process, then when I try to log in tells me I don't have an account!

Ha, just tried a few times more and finally it worked! If you have the same issue and use Chrome, turn off automatic translate. I did, but then it kept turning itself back on! Once I got it to stay off, the registration went through.

That's also a problem making payments in epay. Fill in all the right boxes and click the right buttons, but the automatic translation somehow stops it going through.

    I worked with ggbg for years until they screwed me over by not notifying me on time and coordinating about a fedex tax document they received in their office. Eventually I had to pay 40 euro more than the document itself. They never took responsibility for it. Ignored all my messages and emails. I do not suggest working with them.
   

    -@Kanatanx

Ouch! That's not good!

@Snowball6 Nope, unfortunately. The call staff was also very unproffessional. When I called them, the guy had no idea what to do with my issue and told me 'he will call me back tomorrow'. He never did and I obviously called them back again and they tried to sweep the issue like its nothing, and marking the shipment notice of the invoice as complete. They marked it as complete because it was sitting in Sofia as 'being shipped to address' for 2 months, but never got shipped to me. When the package arrived in Germany, they also didnt notify me for around 2 months of the invoice existing in the first place. Then they notified me that they are shipping it to me, so I was waiting for it so I can pay for it, but they never shipped it, even though its marked as 'being shipped'. My bf is a laywer and he said they were technically legaly required to send me the tax invoice physical copy as its addressed to me, but never did.

So they didnt notify me right away and never shipped the invoice to me. 4 months of tax not paid got me a fine from tax collectors and I paid over 50 euro.

The lady whos number I had as well ignored me. I sent multiple messages through their service on website and emails, all were ignored too.

Therefore I am never gonna work with them again, they were good when small and very responsive, but now that they grew into a bigger company, they are just fat unproffessional sharks.

Struggling with registration anyway.  Do you use another company?

@Snowball6

Is this with GGBG? I had big issues, too. Turning off the Chrome autotranslate helped, but even so, some info has to be in Latin script and some in Cyrillic, and though fields are marked with an asterisk, they aren't ALL essential.

I might also try Gabieli, the other company @PlovidEd linked to. They look a bit more complicated as shipments need to be booked in advance, we can't just shop and have the parcels sent to them.

I managed to register successfully by switching from my phone to my ipad.  The form was different - God knows why!!!!  Another Bulgarian peculiarity

    @Snowball6 Yes! We use ggbg, you have the item delivered to them in Germany and they bring the goods over in a van and forward it to you via Econt. It's very easy to use and it just adds a little to your delivery time depending on the schedule.
There's also Gabieli that offer the same service but I prefer ggbg as you don't have to register your parcel in advance.

https://www.ggbg.bg/en/https://gabieli.com/en/

You can also use them for UK Amazon deliveries and UK supermarkets.
   

    -@PlovdivEd

I've used Gabieli ever since they started - I've had well over 1,000 deliveries with them; you don't have to register your package, although they prefer that you do.  The reason for that is so many people mess up the addressing - as with GGBG you need to have your customer number as part of the address, so they can identify your package if there are any problems.  I don't bother registering them as they know me well now anyway and I've only ever had one package go astray, which was swiped by a member of staff from another company with whom they once shared premises.  They reimbursed me for the full cost, including the shipping to their UK office.  My packages have varied in size and weight from a single book to a full-size 4-person sauna on three pallets.  I have a couple of packages coming from the UK with GGBG at the moment - I want to see what, if anything, happens when they go through BG Customs...

Thanks Jim J.   I ordered an item from a UK store but had to pay tax which ended up a right palaver.  Pages of forms,  photocopies of original order etc.  That’s why I’m using Amazon.de from now on.  What address should I put in when ordering?

@Snowball6

If you're talking about Gabieli, you need to register with them first to get a customer number, which you then need to add to the delivery address you give to Amazon.  It only takes a few seconds to register.

It’s ggbg I’ve registered with

@Snowball6

From the GGBG site:

How to do it in three steps

Step 1 - Registration

Register here and get an ID number. You can find your ID number in your profile page in the GGBG website.

Step 2 – Address fill-in when purchasing

When you shop online from a company based abroad, you provide the GGBG facility address in the relevant country. In the TO field, fill in your name, and next to it enter the ID number you got during the initial registration. The GGBG system uses the ID number to recognize the packages addressed to you and ensures that your package shall not be delivered to another registered user with the same name.

It is useful to enter the ID number along with the GGBG indication in some additional field in te address as shown below. If, for some reason the retailer does not enter the ID number along with your name, the other one will still be featured in the additional field.

Germany

Vorname (Name): fill in your ID number and name - example: 1234 John

Nachname (Last name): fill in your family name - example: Dough

Straße / Nr. (Street/Number): Maerkische Allee 193

Straße / Nr. (2)* (Address Line 2): fill in your ID number and Abt 9 GGBG - example: 1234 Abt 9 GGBG

*If there is no Address line 2, you can fill in the data in the field Firmenname (Company name) or any additional field

Postleitzahl (Postal Code): 12681

Ort/ Stadt (City): Berlin

Land (County): Berlin Bundesland

М: (+49) 01767 3366403

Step 3 – We deliver

During the separate legs of delivery, you will get three messages by email. You will get the first one when your Package arrives at the GGBG facility in the country of departure and it is identified. The second one will confirm the Package is on its way to the country of destination. once the Package is there, it will be processed, and you will get the third message on delivery options. There are three such options:  directly at the GGBG office, via GGBG delivery (only for Sofia), or via courier service.

That’s really helpful,  thanks janemulberry

Amazon lets us use multiple addresses so we can add that one and choose it when an order is placed.

Just don't let them make it your default address or it will change your address on ALL the Amazon sites to the GGBG one!

Cheers

Amazon won’t accept GGBG address as valid.    I’ve checked over and over but can’t see where I’m going wrong.    Help!!!

Address in Germany I mean

@Snowball6

Out of curiousity, what kind of products do you find are still better/cheaper via Amazon?

I like Amazon, and I still have Amazon Prime for the TV... but I don't order much from them these days. Indeed, I still have a US mail-drop and forwarding service from when the US was significantly cheaper than Europe, but it's some years since I bothered purchasing there.

I find most things are quicker and easier (and usually similarly priced, especially factoring in the shipping) from local Bulgarian websites.  For example, I use Emag for general stuff and small electronics, Decathlon for sports stuff, Technopolis for household appliances, Sopharma for supplements/pharmacy stuff, IKEA and JYSK for our furniture, Praktiker for DIY supplies and tools. If I'm being really price-sensitive then I use AliExpress (ebikes, escooters, smart bulbs, etc.).

And, to be honest, I really like Econt/Speedy (as used by many of the local websites) and the way they deliver to your hands (wherever you are, or a local office, if you prefer). I got kinda fed up in the UK of the way Amazon deliveries often get dumped in your bin or near the doorstep when you're not in... and then goes "missing".

I too use emag, technopolis etc.   I use Amazon.de predominately for wider choice and unusual or specific items unavailable here.  Prices comparable with UK I would say.  However delivery costs ridiculous and often 3 or 4 times the cost of the item, that is why I’m looking into logistics companies.  Amazon still a favourite with me.

@Snowball6

You've screwed up the address somehow - maybe not used the correct postcode(?)

Amazon certainly DO accept the address, I registered it with them two days ago.....

The address im trying to put in is:

Markische Allee 193, 12681(postcode), Berlin(city).    It’s having none of it.  Also,  won’t let me put ID with name

You're missing the second line of the address (Abt 9) - just add your GGBG id, including the # in front, after Abt 9.  You can't put number/special characters in the Name field - it gives you an error message telling you that if you try.

I'd show you a screen-grab of mine but the rather primitive software this site's run on doesn't allow uploading image files.

Alternatively, just use Gabieli - in my view they offer a better service; both company's offices are fairly close together, and they're very convenient for where I live

I found Az wouldn't accept the number with the name.  As JimJ said, just make sure your ID number is in that second line of the address.

@gwynj

Wryly LOLing at the Az UK habit of putting parcels in or near the rubbish bins. Especially when they do it on bin emptying day!

I'd rather order from a Bulgarian business where possible but the range in some things seems a lot more limited. I'm after a specific type of kitchen shelving like a baker's rack. Az De has loads to choose from, but I haven't been able to find anything remotely similar on any Bg site.

@janemulberry

Have you looked at Ikea - they have quite a decent range, with home delivery if you can't collect from the store. Their Omar range isn't bad, if you like the "industrial metal" look.

    @janemulberry
Have you looked at Ikea - they have quite a decent range, with home delivery if you can't collect from the store. Their Omar range isn't bad, if you like the "industrial metal" look.
   

    -@JimJ

IKEA Bg is my backup plan, though they don't have exactly what I hoped to use in my kitchen and Az De do.

I would definitely prefer to buy from a business located in Bulgaria if possible. I'm certainly buying the bulk of what is needed for my house in Bulgaria. We're talking about 350 EUR worth of shelving. Almost certainly made in China, so perhaps I should also check Ali Express and then Bulgaria gets the import duty not Germany.

Worth considering,  although never a fan of Ikea

will not accept 12681 as valid postcode or Berlin as valid city.  I give up

Agreed with IKEA. I used to love some of their stuff but the quality is not what it was twenty years ago.

It's weird that Az isn't accepting the GGBG address!

    will not accept 12681 as valid postcode or Berlin as valid city.  I give up
   

    -@Snowball6

I can assure you 100% that it does both of those - I just set up my wife's Amazon.de account with those details without a hitch.  I'd suggest you sign up with Gabieli as well and then add their address details to your Amazon account...

@janemulberry

Its the address you may need to change, Maerkische Allee 193 doesn't exist as a direct translation really,, in German there's no "e" and an umlaut instead above the "a" so its Märkische Allee.

I use GGBG.bg all the time with Amazon so it can be used, but Amazon will not always let you put your membership number before your name which will also stop you registering the GGBG.bg address.

Good luck, hope one works.

@grahamstark1

Amazon.de, Iike every German organisation, accepts the conventional ä/ae substitution. Either of them works fine. The problem lies with some form of user error when entering the address data...PEBKAC

Heres another one thats got me scratching my head. Why are we all fussing about with ggbg. How come Bulgarians just get their bits and bobs delivered with nothing but their phone numbers?
I ordered a couple of bits from Amazon then Speedy dropped them off to me. They gave me a bell the day before and told me they come twice a week. Once the driver couldnt suss out where my house was so I went down to meet the driver. Turned out to be a decent excuse for a walk and a bit of a chinwag.
Gwynj nailed it there Emag is about the same price anyway. Rather give my money to local websites than Amazon to be honest.

So would I if they could supply what I want

Personal choice is personal, who is anybody to question my preferences?

Its to do with the cost of delivery buddy, pay a fraction of the price. And there are very definitely things not available in Bulgaria that I have had to order from Germany. I too tend to use Emag first purely on delivery times but Amazon is a great fall back.