Online shopping in Guatemala

Last activity 05 February 2018 by Climate refugee

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PriscillaViP04 October 2017 09:56:54

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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 Guatemala? 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 Guatemala?

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

SpiralCeeMember18 December 2017 13:39:36

Online shopping used to be easy...until the postal service shut down last year. It has yet to be fully restored. I lost two parcels that were in transit. The only options for shipping parcels right now are courier services such as DHL, GuateEx, etc.
There are several services that provide Miami mailboxes for shipments from Amazon and other online retailers -- Rapidito and Aeropost are two popular ones. Your parcels must be shipped to a business address, however.
In Panajachel, you can arrange for international shipments through El Ranchero.
For online shopping with shipping to your door WITHIN Guatemala, try guatemaladigital.com. I have not used them but others have recommended them.
Sometimes the best option is to find a friend who is traveling to and from your home country and use them as a "mule".

Climate refugeeNew member05 February 2018 23:32:12

SpiralCee is quite right. Just bear in mind that prices will be 50 to 100% higher, delivered to the door in Guatemala, compared with the US. That’s the case when you compare prices on computer products on Amazon and the same computer brought to you by Aeropost. Also, returning or repairing the product is complicated. Check if the warranty covers Guatemala.
Sometimes the price difference between USA and Guatemala equals the price of a flight ticket.

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