Shopping the Sales Internationally

Well Christmas is nearly upon us and soon the Boxing Day sales will be causing chaos and madness.  Whilst we love a good sale and there’s nothing quite like shopping in person, this year we might have a little virtual shop online in the comfort of our own home.  A number of our favourite stores from the United Kingdom and the United States now ship to Australia, and with many products on sale and special deals on postage, now might be a good time to shop.

Marks & Spencer

One of the UK’s favourite shops is rumoured to be opening stores in Australia.  While we wait for that to happen, Marks & Spencer are offering special postage deals to entice us to shop.  For a limited time, you can enjoy free standard shipping on all orders over £30 on http://www.marksandspencer.com. For orders below £30, the standard delivery charge is £15.

From left to right – Mercury Glass Door Knob, Home Sweet Home Door Stop, Snowflake napkin ring, 3 Heart Serving Dishes all from Marks & Spencer.

John Lewis

Another favourite UK department store will now ship some items to Australia..  Prices and postage are in GBP (Great British Pounds)

Featured – John Lewis Butterfly Framed Print, White Heart, Orla Kiely Throw, Lace Platter, all from John Lewis

Next

Also from the UK is Next International known as Next Direct.  Next have made it easy for us by only showing products that can be shipped and showing the price in Australian dollars.  When we looked they were offering free delivery if you spent more than A$30.

From left to right, Lace Towel, Hare Sculpture, Heart Oven Mitt, Script Table Runner

Macys

And one of the US’s favourite department stores now ships to Australia.  Macys.com

Kassatex Bath Accessories,  Decorative Cushions   Martha Stewart Set of Frames,

What You Need to Know

• Always check the delivery costs and times before placing your order
• Check exchange rates where prices are not in Australian dollars
• Bed lien sizes in Australia are different to the US & UK so quilt covers will not fit Australian quilts
• Electrical products and lighting needs to comply with Australian standards, so should not be purchased overseas.
• Some items cannot be imported under customs and quarantine regulations, this often includes wicker items and artificial flowers.
• Obviously furniture and bulky items will be prohibitive to ship.

Whilst international shipping does have it’s limitations, we now have access to so many more beautiful products and that’s worth getting excited about.

DIY Decorator wish you a Merry Christmas.  Enjoy the sales and we will be back on 6th January, 2014.

I'm Kylie, and I love to share practical home decorating and styling tips. I'm a qualified interior designer and self taught crafter and DIY'er. I'm addicted to decorating, and can't walk past a homewares shop without going in for a look. I live in a 1930's Queenslander in Brisbane's inner suburbs which I'm turning into a home one project at a time.