How to shop at American stores with Prostobox's professional Buyers and why you might need this.
What is «Shopping with Prostobox buyers»?
Within the «Shopping with Prostobox buyers» service, goods are purchased from stores via your links by buyers. This can be an especially relevant solution for those stores that do not accept non-American cards for payment.
If you want to shop at stores on your own, simply order goods to our warehouse in Delaware.
How much does the «Shopping with Prostobox buyers» service cost?
The commission for the purchase service by operators is listed in the Services and Prices section on our website. As of December 8, 2021, the cost of purchasing from regular stores is 10% of the order amount, but not less than $10, and purchasing from picky stores is 15%, but not less than $15.
What is included in the buyer's commission?
Purchasing goods from the store according to the order placed by the customer, receiving the purchases at our warehouse in the USA, and registering the received order in the customer's personal account.
In addition to the cost of goods and commission, you also pay for the delivery of the parcel to your country according to the rates and the chosen delivery service.
Can I combine in one outgoing parcel goods purchased through the «Shopping with Prostobox buyers» service and incoming parcels purchased on my own?
Yes, of course! In an outgoing parcel you can place both goods purchased through our buyers and incoming parcels paid for on your own at US stores.
What are the conditions for buying at eBay auctions?
The minimum commission for each eBay lot is 10% of the cost of each lot, but not less than $10. We also charge an additional commission for participating in the auction and for the "make offer" option in the amount of $5 per lot. This payment is non-refundable. If the auction is canceled or the offer is not accepted, the purchase commission is refunded minus the $5 payment.
What price should I specify for items from eBay if the item is sold at auction?
In the «Price» field of the order form, specify the price up to which you are willing to bid.
We will gradually raise your bid using a sniper robot. For example, if the current lot price is $50 and you are ready to pay a maximum of $100 for the lot, specify the price in the order form as $100. If we purchase the lot for a smaller amount, the remainder will be returned to your balance.
Do you charge a commission for each store in the order?
Yes, the commission is charged for each separate store in the order.
How to place an order?
Register and add links to the items that buyers should purchase for you. Specify the size and color you need, if the item offers such a choice, and pay for your order. You can also specify alternative size or color options in case the needed one is not available at the time of purchase.
Our professional buyers will make purchases at stores via your links in order of queue as quickly as possible.
Do buyers place orders for items with individual design (custom)?
Yes. You need to specify in the item addition form a link to the already assembled version of the item. Parameters such as color and size also need to be specified, even if these parameters are already in the link.
We also recommend that you take a screenshot of the item page at the final stage and give us a link to the screenshot in the comment to the ordered item. This will help when processing your order to ensure that the item is placed correctly, and when received at the warehouse to verify all the details.
Are there stores you do not work with?
Yes. See the list of stores in our «blacklist».
The reasons stores end up on this list vary. But, as a rule, it is the stores' desire to protect their brands from being forwarded to other countries, which is why stores practice blocking cards and postal addresses of mail forwarding companies.
Another common reason stores end up on this list is a poor order tracking and processing system, which causes frequent confusion with ordered items. This list may also include outright unscrupulous stores.
You can try to make purchases at some of these stores on your own (through the «Virtual Address» service), however we cannot guarantee successful order processing by stores from this list. From time to time we review the list and remove some stores from it (for example, if a store has changed its policy on shipping to mail forwarding company addresses).
Do you work only on prepayment?
Yes, we start working on your order only after its full payment.
Is there a tax in the state where your warehouse is located?
Our warehouse is located in the completely tax-free state of Delaware, where no tax is charged on purchases. There is no tax when buying to our warehouse.
How can I find out how much the delivery from the store to your warehouse will cost?
You can top up your balance only for the order amount + our commission. When purchasing your order, the buyers, if necessary, will deduct the delivery on credit from your balance. The negative balance will need to be covered before the parcel is shipped.
How to pay for the order?
Top up your balance for the order amount in any convenient way and pay for the order. Immediately after payment, your order is assigned to an available buyer for purchase.
How quickly do you purchase orders?
Buyers are in different time zones and purchase your orders around the clock. Usually within a few hours from the moment of payment. In some cases, the order may be processed not by Russian or European, but by American operators. Such orders are purchased in the afternoon, approximately from 5:00 PM Moscow time.
Can the purchase of an order be expedited?
Yes, of course. To expedite the purchase of an order during its placement, you need to select the "Buy as soon as possible" service and pay for it. The cost of the service is 15% of the cost of goods in one store or one lot from eBay, but not less than $15.
Promo codes for free purchase are not valid. Orders placed at night from 10:00 PM to 8:00 AM Moscow time may not be purchased within 1-3 hours, but will be purchased after 8 AM in the priority queue order.
I placed an order with a buyer, but some items have the status «Out of stock». What to do?
If an item is out of stock, you can replace it with a similar item or another color (size). You can also decline the replacement by deleting the missing item from the order. In this case, the money for the canceled item will be instantly returned to your balance.
Please note that we do not wait for your decision on replacements and purchase all items that are currently in stock. Therefore, please take into account that replacements will be purchased at stores as a separate order, which means the store may charge us for delivery again, which we, in turn, will have to charge you.
If you are against possible charges in such cases, just cancel the items missing from the order.
I placed an order and paid for it, what's next?
Approximately in 4-7 business days the items from your order will be delivered to our warehouse. In your order you can always see different statuses. That the order has been fully or partially purchased. That the store has partially or fully sent the item to the warehouse.
Please note that the delivery times from stores to our warehouse are approximate.
Do you provide tracking after the order is shipped by the store?
No, we do not provide a tracking number from the store.
The order you purchased still has not arrived at your warehouse. What to do?
If more than 10 business days have passed since the purchase and your order still has not arrived at us, please submit a ticket. Our buyers will find out the reason and, if necessary, contact the store to resolve this issue.
All items from the order have arrived at the warehouse. What is required from me?
Proceed to creating the outgoing parcel.
Do you check the item upon arrival from the store?
Within the «Shopping with Prostobox buyers» service, we provide the purchase service and subsequent receipt of the parcel at the warehouse. Unfortunately, we do not verify or check the order for conformity of color, size, set completeness, or missing items on the part of the store. When registering a parcel with items purchased through operators, the list of items received in this parcel is designated by warehouse operators according to the shipping report provided by the store for the items in this parcel.
To check the item that arrived at the warehouse, you can order a photo or video service of the parcel contents. It is arranged by clicking on the camera icon next to the parcel (before sending the parcel for assembly). After submitting the request, our operators will take a photo (video) and you will be able to check the composition and conformity of the order received.
Since fulfilling photo/video requests is additional work, payment for the work is made according to the pricing from the Services section.
Is it possible to return or exchange an item?
Unfortunately, for the «Shopping with Prostobox buyers» service, returns to the store and exchanges are not available. The only exception is in the case of non-conformity of the ordered item with the received one or the presence of an obvious defect (if such is revealed based on the results of ordered photos of the items while the parcel is at the warehouse).
Why do we recommend buying through Prostobox buyers?
- Prostobox buyers have completed a special training course and understand American shopping better than any third-party buyer.
- Prostobox is responsible for the quality of the buyer's work and we take any possible mistakes upon ourselves.
- To avoid errors and mix-ups, work with the buyer is conducted only through the Prostobox personal account.
- There are several buyers and they purchase orders 24/7, which is important during sales.
- Buyers speak English and can correspond and call stores.
- Buyers purchase goods using American credit cards.
- Buyers have several additional American addresses at their disposal for ordering from picky stores.
- Buyers know about store discounts and apply them to orders.
- Buyers know how to buy at eBay auctions.
- Buyers can fill out the declaration for you. The service is paid and costs $5.
