Buying from SHEIN in Argentina: customs fees & delivery experience

[Olivia1]

Hello everyone. Has anybody bought anything from SHEIN? Did you pay anything extra once the goods arrived in Argentina? Did they deliver it to your house?
Thanks in advance!

 

[VINO]

They have a bunch of Shein stores. My friend buys all the time from them and they ship to her apartment. Have no idea about taxes.

 

[Karol]

A friend of mine buys everything from there 😅 She actually got all the decorations and stuff for her kid’s birthday party from SHEIN recently, way cheaper than here and with way more variety. Everything arrived fine through a private courier.

 

[roland]

A friend of mine has ordered from Temu several times, it’s pretty similar to SHEIN, and she says the whole process is really simple. There are no extra steps to deal with; the private courier handles everything. So far, it’s been a great experience. She also mentioned that prices are quite cheap and you can find just about anything there.

 

[CraigM]

A friend of mine has ordered from Temu several times, it’s pretty similar to SHEIN, and she says the whole process is really simple. There are no extra steps to deal with; the private courier handles everything. So far, it’s been a great experience. She also mentioned that prices are quite cheap and you can find just about anything there.

Interesting. Why do you think Temu and SHEIN are having success in Argentina while Amazon is struggling?

 

[MikeYoung]

Interesting. Why do you think Temu and SHEIN are having success in Argentina while Amazon is struggling?

I think the prices points are for really cheap inexpensive stuff that is mostly stuff or can't break. Amazon seems to have long long shipping times and some things arrive broken and pay to pay shipping fees back. That is so different vs. US where you can return anything for any reason.

 

[Bettina]

Maybe the Chinese are more careful. A few people I know bought some things from Amazon from US and the items arrived broken and damaged or used and it was a hassle as Amazon wanted to this pay for some of the shipping. In the end they just disputed it on their American card. Seems too painful.

 

[CraigM]

Interesting. Amazon is truly expert at shipping and logistics, so it's surprising that Chinese companies are succeeding where they are not.

 

[Bettina]

Interesting. Amazon is truly expert at shipping and logistics, so it's surprising that Chinese companies are succeeding where they are not.

They are wonderful in the US. I tried them a few times from shipping and it was too painful. I think for some reason they are shipping returns to Argentina thinking that no one will notice or be too grateful to get products and returns has been terrible! Shein at least has stores here too in Palermo. I'm not sure if you can return items to the stores.

Amazon is a blessing in the US but here it's spotty based on my orders. Mercado Libre works very well.

 

[PatriciaL]

I recently ordered a few things from Shein and, honestly, the prices are out of this world; you just don't see those kinds of deals here in Argentina. I bought a bunch of stuff and it arrived in exactly two weeks in perfect condition. The best part was how easy it was: you just pay and forget about it. I didn't have to deal with any extra paperwork or weird forms. The courier system they use now handles everything for you and delivers it right to your door.
That’s where they totally blow Amazon out of the water. Amazon is amazing in the US, but trying to get stuff here is such a headache. You have to stay on top of the customs declaration on the Arca (formerly AFIP) website, track the package constantly, hope it doesn't get stuck... it’s just too much stress.

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[CraigM]

I recently ordered a few things from Shein and, honestly, the prices are out of this world; you just don't see those kinds of deals here in Argentina. I bought a bunch of stuff and it arrived in exactly two weeks in perfect condition. The best part was how easy it was: you just pay and forget about it. I didn't have to deal with any extra paperwork or weird forms. The courier system they use now handles everything for you and delivers it right to your door.
That’s where they totally blow Amazon out of the water. Amazon is amazing in the US, but trying to get stuff here is such a headache. You have to stay on top of the customs declaration on the Arca (formerly AFIP) website, track the package constantly, hope it doesn't get stuck... it’s just too much stress.

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Amazon is truly amazing in the US and that is largely due to their obsessive focus on logistics. That's why I find this failure so interesting, other companies are beating them at their favorite game.

 

[ElQueso]

Amazon is truly amazing in the US and that is largely due to their obsessive focus on logistics. That's why I find this failure so interesting, other companies are beating them at their favorite game.

Totally Craig. Amazon has nailed it in the US. They are obsessive on good customer service too. I don't think it is so easy in Argentina. Nothing is easy in Argentina. Mercado Libre is making strikes here. You would be surprised. I order things and it comes next day like Amazon. Some things same day like Amazon.

I am not sure they can penetrate Argentina so easily. What I have seen so far is sh*t. Have many friends that got broken or things that aren't in good shape. But it could also be aduanas here which is terrible. ML is the one to beat.

 

[GlasgowJohn]

Amazon tried to enter Argentina without having people on the ground here to sort out the logistics.

Quite surprising really , as they are a well run company

 

[Wally]

Amazon tried to enter Argentina without having people on the ground here to sort out the logistics.

Quite surprising really , as they are a well run company

Yes it's really impossible without having enough people on the ground. That was their mistake. ML has a big operation here. Will be tough to penetrate. Argentina is not the country to have a lot of employees in. Probably was a pain point.

 

[CraigM]

Argentina is not the country to have a lot of employees in.

Why is that Wally? 🙂

 

[carrider]

Why is that Wally? 🙂

This is a terrible place to have employees. Everyone I know that has a company here has said it is terrible. There are so many holidays, locals don't like to work at all. Clock watchers. You have to deal with employee lawsuits all the time. People don't want to work, calling in sick, doctors excuses, illnesses that excuse them from work with a doctor's note and still have to pay them.

Terrible place to have employees. Amazon probably is smart to stay out.

 

[CraigM]

This is a terrible place to have employees. Everyone I know that has a company here has said it is terrible. There are so many holidays, locals don't like to work at all. Clock watchers. You have to deal with employee lawsuits all the time. People don't want to work, calling in sick, doctors excuses, illnesses that excuse them from work with a doctor's note and still have to pay them.

Terrible place to have employees. Amazon probably is smart to stay out.

There was a funny thread about this last year. I have zero business experience in Argentina but I was visiting a good friend in BA, he told me a funny story about a local he was dating who declared "I'm a lazy person from a lazy country". We'd had a fair bit to drink, and he did fabulous job with the accent and haughtiness, and we couldn't stop laughing about it.

 

[lemonade]

There was a funny thread about this last year. I have zero business experience in Argentina but I was visiting a good friend in BA, he told me a funny story about a local he was dating who declared "I'm a lazy person from a lazy country". We'd had a fair bit to drink, and he did fabulous job with the accent and haughtiness, and we couldn't stop laughing about it.

Yes the locals hate working. Many of my friends openly admit to being lazy. I don't think it's a secret that productivity is terrible here. Probably why the country is such a mess!