Online Shopping & Delivery

I have used Laarbox for 10 years, to buy things from the states, although not necessarily always as a happy customer. Their site is in Spanish, and generally communications need to be in Spanish.

I was going to try Tiendamia next time since I understand they are owned by Amazon.

However, I always check out Mercado Libre first to see if they have what I need.  Generally speaking, you need  an Ecuador bank account to make a transfer to the seller's account. And  communication is almost always done thru Whatsapp texts rather than their app.. I also almost always have the item mailed to my local Servientrega office, assuming they are using that courier, so I can pick up the item at my convenience.

For Supermaxi deliveries, I always use Tipti, since the deliveries are usually made in cars. I also like the fact I can use my U.S. credit card.

By the way, when I passed a spell in Cotacachi, I would pick up my items at a Laarbox agency in Otavalo. If you have an easy to find home in Cota, probably not necessary....

From my TiendaMia app, I was trying to update all the profile info they require, and one of the obligatory fields is a second last name, which expats frequently don't have. Stupid sh*t. And they want a photo of your cédula so logically names need to correspond

I should add I sent an email to customer service and they will reply within 48 hours. Of course as a rule, I don't order anything from the states during a paro or when one is lurking. So I am basically trying to setup my account for future use.

In a moment of idleness, I was thinking about the two last name issue. I have always considered my middle name as my "second first name", because it really is more that, than a second last name. I decide to go back into the app and check whether the "second first name" was a required field. It was not! So, I am going to bet that they tell me to use my middle name as the "first last name" and my last name as my "second last name". We will see.

I received a reply from Tiendamia. They say it isn't a problem as long as I have my "documents". I guess that means cédula. They say I can put a period in the "second last name" field and then inform them of the order number so that they manually update their system.

Too backass for me. I will still stick with Laarbox for now, at least until they tick me off again

Gracias por comunicarte con Tiendamia.

Si tienes los documentos del país no tendría que tener inconvenientes en comprar con Tiendamia.

Al momento de finalizar la compra en el campo donde le solicita el segundo apellido podrías colocar un punto, y comunicarnos su numero de orden para poder actualizarlo de forma manual en nuestro sistema.

@rkg695 ,

I use a lady in Quito who shuttles items I order online at Amazon or Walmart to a location in Florida . Then she sends it for delivery to me in Cuenca for $5.25. She charges $8.00 per pound or portion thereof. Her name is Karolina Konczerewicz and her WhatsApp number is +***. Let her know Tom Howerton referred you to her.

… I just received my Tiendamia package at Servientrega with no problems, and yes, you need a Cedula to prove your identity and pick it up. No fees! 🤷🏼‍♂️ … and I just entered my last name twice lol

When I order, I just provide the following information (specifically for Cotacachi, but the idea is the same):

Servientrega - Cotacachi

Gonzalez Suarez y Garcia Moreno S/N

Bajo Fiscalia

Cotacachi, Imbabura,

Ecuador, 100350

Destinatario Final:

(Final Recipient)

. (Your full name)

. C: +593 (Your WhatsApp / Cell#)

. E: (Your Email)

”póngase en contacto con el destinatario final por mensaje de texto en WhatsApp en el momento de la entrega”

(please contact final recipient by text on WhatsApp upon delivery)

@Cuencaexpat …muchas gracias! I will keep it in mind when I look at ordering some larger items. Still figuring out what the import limits are; size, weight, cost… Tiendamia won't allow items over $400

Some months back I ordered a refurbished 24" monitor from Walmart for $99, which if I recall, is the max size allowed before you are subjected to import taxes. While I wasn't sure of the weight, I got an idea from Amazon's site and thought I had a chance to stay within 4 kilograms.  After it arrived to Laarbox, I got an email from a supervisor asking for a link to the web page where I bought it, which I thought was big-time weird. They also reflected a weight way over 4 kilograms. Then, when it arrived to aduanas, I got a tax bill for way more than what I was thinking it could be. Needless to say, I was pissed at myself for having ordered it, since I was going to pay about the same as if I bought one here in Ecuador. Then, it was delivered and I told the delivery man it was heavier than I expected. Turns out Walmart had sent me a 30" inch curved monitor with built-in speakers instead of the 24" flat monitor I ordered without speakers. I was pleased how things worked out despite the tax bill and elevated shipping charges. If I recall, I paid in total around $300 including the cost of the monitor.

Amazon is, in my experience, excellent at returns

and charge reversing when something goes wrong

with a shipment to Ecuador and the

customer complains.

However, I do not recommend sending stuff from

the USA to Ecuador as a rule .. unless you fully

understand the rules and penalties (which few,

if any Expats, do).

cccmedia

Mules tend to be expat friendly and offer certain advantages. I only have used Laarbox, an impersonal courier service, in my 10+ years and have shipped over 100 packages, plus multiple envelopes containing debit/credit cards.  I can't recommend them to expats, however, because they can be frustrating to deal with.

@cccmedia …And TiendaMIA by the way is an Amazon owned company. Yes they were great at following up on package delivery… I did have to reply back to their calls on WhatsApp by text so that I could translate of course… mi lecciones de espanol estan en progresso… poco y poco

@rkg695

I put a prefix of XXX: on my links now:

XXX:https://listado.mercadolibre.com.ec/bidet#D[A:bidet]

Amazon has recently started offering shipment and customs clearance to Ecuador.  Since my desktop died recently, I ordered new components (unavailable here in EC) through Amazon to test out the service.  They estimated delivery in ~4 weeks. Items have been/are being shipped through UPS and first shipment is estimated to arrive in the next couple days. Can't recommend yet, but will update when and if items are delivered and can answer any questions about the process.

Amazon has recently started offering shipment and customs clearance to Ecuador. Since my desktop died recently, I ordered new components (unavailable here in EC) through Amazon to test out the service. They estimated delivery in ~4 weeks. Items have been/are being shipped through UPS and first shipment is estimated to arrive in the next couple days. Can't recommend yet, but will update when and if items are delivered and can answer any questions about the process.
-@antialiased

Amazon has been shipping things to Ecuador for a lot longer than "recently", although I haven't followed it closely . When So & So in Belgium was president of Ecuador, I ordered a book from Amazon and had it sent to the box I had at the Post Office here in Cuenca. Of course, in that period, there was a $42 tax for items qualifying under the "4x4" category per customs. However, books were exempted from the tax, so I think I paid around $25 for shipping.

Just for fun, I put a flash drive costing $7 in my cart with my Cuenca address to see how much they would charge me for shipping it. To receive it by December 12th, using AmazonGlobal Expedited shipping, they charge $23.39. To get it by December 7th using AmazonGlobal Priority Shipping they charge $46.01.

If I used Laarbox, I would be charged $5.99 by Amazon to mail it my free box with Laarbox in Miami, and then $11.00 by Laarbox to send it to Cuenca (under 1 pound package), so a total of $17.00. I would expect to receive the drive in about two weeks, based on my experience. So a savings of about $7. Of course, expats are generally comfortable using Amazon exclusively, so it may be worth the extra $7 for them.

Amazon has been shipping things to Ecuador for a lot longer than "recently", although I haven't followed it closely . . .

Just for fun, I put a flash drive costing $7 in my cart with my Cuenca address to see how much they would charge me for shipping it. To receive it by December 12th, using AmazonGlobal Expedited shipping, they charge $23.39. To get it by December 7th using AmazonGlobal Priority Shipping they charge $46.01. . .
[email protected]

So, I've received most of order (more info on "most" below).

Amazon actually uses UPS currently (which operates here through laarbox). Amazon may have shipped a few items to Ecuador in the past, but most of the products did not ship here. That changed in the last couple years and now almost every product will ship here. Obviously, for a small item coming in under 4x4, the numbers are skewed since Amazon presumes full taxable amount and then refunds the difference between the estimated charge and actual duty paid. For my purposes - building a high-end graphics workstation after mine died - none of the parts were available domestically and none of the boxes would have qualified under 4x4.

Details: For my order of ~$1700, I paid $135 in shipping and $175 in duties (guaranteed maximum charge). Laarbox quotes shipping and customs duties of $439 for the same order - an increase of $129. Order was placed on Nov. 2, all but two items shipped on the 15th. A second shipment containing one item was shipped on the 21st and both packages were delivered on the 24th (had to drive down to gas station to meet courier since my road doesn't exist on google maps).

Now as to problems: UPS was great. Fast shipment and customs clearance - received items about a week after Amazon shipped... Amazon, however, apparently only ships to Ecuador from one or more specific warehouses. This leads to delays (a week or two) in shipment while they shift items between warehouses. May not be important normally, but I needed a high-end graphics card for my workstation and those tend to run out of stock fast. That meant I waited a month for the card to ship only to find out Amazon had run out of stock before shipping it and had not notified me. Have reordered a similar part and expect it to arrive within the week (paid for priority shipping and have contacted customer service who have, due to my previous problems, supposedly expedited shipping on their end). That priority shipping was an extra $40 and is included in figures above. So, with normal shipping, Amazon would have been almost $170 (~40%) cheaper than Laarbox.

Verdict: Will probably use Amazon again, though will be very aware of when an item is likely to run out of stock and will be more vigilant.

Hi can anyone possibly help me get clothes from a merch shop in Guayaquil and then ship it to me in the US? They won't ship international. I can only seem to find shipping from US to Ecuador.

Regarding bidet attachments, local hardware stores in Cotacachi or Quito might have options.