Online shopping in Cape Verde

Priscilla wrote:

Hello everyone,

Shopping online can be far more convenient and offer greater choice than going into shops, be it grocery shopping or retail.

Are there options for online shopping in Cape Verde? Which sites or apps do you use most frequently and are these local or international?

Are there particular products that are cheaper to buy online or that are perhaps not available in Cape Verde?

What is the delivery process like  is it easy to receive deliveries and what are the costs of shipping? Are there any taxes to pay upon receipt?

Thank you for sharing your experience.

Priscilla

There are no local services in Cape Verde four online shopping. Cape Verde is to small (micro market) for local services to be feasible. In addition, there are no delivery services which would reach your door. And most houses do not have an "official", numbered street address.

You can use foreign online shopping sites such as Alibaba and others, but goods shipped to you will have to pass through customs as they are considered imports. You will need to go through the normal import process (which could take some time)  and pay any duties (which can be considerable depending on the nature of the item). Of course, you will also have to pay for the costs of shipping...which can be exoensive or in some cases unavailable depending on the size of the item.

Due to the considerable inconvenience and the additional costs, very few people use online shopping. Except for items that are simply not available in Cape Verde, most people find it easier and cheaper to purchase items in the local stores. For example, it would not be feasible to purchase a refrigerator online because there would be no way to have it shipped here. But a mobile phone might be feasible (even after the 42% custom duties and VAT) if you care to put up with inconvenience of going through the customs process.