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Browse millions of products from popular US stores, with no VPN, and check out straight away. Mix items from different stores in one cart.
About us
Big Apple Buddy is a personal shopping service based in New York. We buy from US stores for you, check the item, pack it, and ship it to your door in over 75 countries.
For over 10 years, customers have worked directly with our founder and CEO, Phillis, and her team, who look after each order from purchase to delivery.
Meet the founder
Phillis grew up in Melbourne, Australia. She knows the feeling of seeing a new product launch in the US and then waiting months for it to reach your country, or finding out the store will not ship to you at all. She started Big Apple Buddy in New York to be the friend in the US who buys it for you, so people anywhere could buy from US stores without that wait.
Today Phillis and her team handle orders every day for customers around the world. When you write to us, a real person who knows your order writes back, within 24 hours, 7 days a week. Many of our reviews on Trustpilot thank Phillis and the team by name.
What we do
No US address, US card or store account to manage. You shop, and we do the rest.
Browse millions of products from popular US stores, with no VPN, and check out straight away. Mix items from different stores in one cart.
Can't find it on our site? For eligible items not in our catalog, send us a link or a description. We send you an itemized quote with the item price, our service fee and international shipping, and you decide.
We place the order with the US store. It arrives at our New York facility, and we give it a careful visual check. Sealed manufacturer boxes stay sealed, and nothing is switched on. We pack it well and ship it to your door with FedEx or UPS, with tracking.
If something goes wrong
Most orders go smoothly. When one does not, Phillis and her team help with order questions and contact the store when something goes wrong, subject to the store's policies. This is what happens.
We tell you right away. If another store has the item, we offer you that option. You decide what happens next, including a full refund.
We do not photograph every order. If something looks wrong, such as damage or the wrong color or size, we take photos, send them to you, and wait for your decision before we do anything.
Customs duties and import taxes are set by your country. Where required, we collect VAT or GST at checkout, so you see it before you pay. Otherwise, any duties or import taxes are usually collected by the carrier when the parcel arrives, and we warn you about this in red at checkout. More in our customs FAQ.
We made the purchase and we hold the receipt, so we can ask the store for a return or warranty service where the store's policy allows it. A service fee and return shipping apply. With a package forwarder, you would do this yourself, from abroad.
Our fee
You pay a service fee for us to handle everything: buying the item, checking it, packing it, arranging shipment, and contacting the store if something goes wrong. The fee is shown before you pay, next to the item price and international shipping. See our pricing page for the full schedule. You can pay by card, PayPal, wire transfer or Wise.
If a store ships to package forwarders and you are happy to manage the purchase yourself, a forwarder will usually cost less. If you want one team to take care of the whole order, that is what we do. Compare a package forwarder and a personal shopper.
Track record
Big Apple Buddy has bought from US stores for international customers for over 10 years. The company was formed in New York in 2015.
Our founder and CEO, Phillis, and her team. They look after each order from purchase to delivery and reply within 24 hours, 7 days a week.
In New York. Every order arrives at our New York facility, where we check it, pack it and ship it with FedEx or UPS.
Write to us at support@bigapplebuddy.com, or ask for a free quote. We reply within 24 hours, 7 days a week. You can check out or request a quote today.
Phillis Chan, Founder & CEO, and the Big Apple Buddy team
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