Amazon's Afghan Conundrum: Navigating The Complexities Of Delivering To Afghanistan

Amazon does not ship to Afghanistan directly. However, there are ways to get around this restriction. Amazon has an international section that displays items available for international shipping. Alternatively, you can use a freight forwarder, a company that gives you a US address to receive packages, which can then be forwarded to you in Afghanistan.

Amazon International Shopping

Amazon frequently ships products internationally, but this depends on the item. To order from Amazon International Shopping to Afghanistan, you can use one of two options:

Option 1: Buy Directly from Amazon

• Go to Amazon’s International Shopping Portal and browse the catalog for the products you want to buy.
• Log in or create an account and set up a “1-click address” for Afghanistan. Go to “Account & Lists” >> “Account”. Under the “Ordering and shopping preferences” list, go to “1-Click settings” to manage your addresses. After inputting your Afghanistan address, Amazon will only display items that can be shipped to your country.

Option 2: Shop on Amazon USA/UK Using a Shipping Forwarder

This option tends to be more expensive but makes buying from Amazon in another country possible. It enables you to buy any product that Amazon won’t ship directly to Afghanistan. Package forwarders like MyUS.com provide a US/UK address so that you can ship any product to the forwarder and then have them ship it to your Afghanistan address.

To use a shipping forwarder:

• Sign up for an international shipping forwarder like MyUS.com.
• Shop on Amazon USA or UK and use your MyUS address to place your order.

Using a shipping forwarder like MyUS has several benefits. You can see how much your shipment will cost before shipping to Afghanistan, and they offer the lowest rates, tax-free shipping, and detailed photo requests of your purchases. They also combine multiple packages into one box to save on shipping costs.

Amazon Prime in Afghanistan

Amazon Prime does not ship directly to Afghanistan. However, there are freight forwarding services that can be used to get around this restriction.

Freight forwarders are companies that give foreign customers a US address to receive packages. The packages are then forwarded to the customer's international address. One such freight forwarder is MyUS.com, which has been recommended by several sources. MyUS provides a US address, consolidates packages, and ships them internationally for a lower cost than other freight forwarders. They also offer a free estimate on shipping costs before purchasing.

To use a freight forwarder, you would first need to sign up for an account and get your US-based address. You can then add this address to your Amazon account and purchase your items, which will be shipped to the freight forwarder. They will then forward your package to you in Afghanistan.

In addition to freight forwarding services, Amazon has recently expanded its International Shopping selection, which includes items from the main US Amazon store that can be shipped to Afghanistan and other countries. This is a good option to try if you want to avoid the extra steps and costs of using a freight forwarder.

It is also worth noting that Amazon Prime Video is available in Afghanistan, and Amazon sells thousands of products that can be shipped to overseas military mail addresses.

Shipping costs to Afghanistan

Courier Services

There are several courier services that deliver to Afghanistan, including:

• DHL
• FedEx
• UPS
• USPS
• Eurosender
• ShipW
• Flycrates
• Coolparcel
• Easyship

Shipping Methods

The cheapest way to ship to Afghanistan is typically through economy shipping methods such as USPS. DHL is known for its fast delivery times, but it can be costly.

Freight Forwarding Services

If you are looking to ship items from Amazon to Afghanistan, you will need to use a freight forwarding service as Amazon does not directly ship to Afghanistan. Freight forwarders provide a U.S. address for you to ship your items to, and then they will forward the package to your address in Afghanistan. Popular freight forwarding services include:

• MyUS
• FishisFast
• BigAppleBuddy
• Flycrates
• ShipW

Costs

The cost of shipping to Afghanistan depends on the weight of the package and the courier service used. For example, shipping a 10 kg parcel from the United States to Afghanistan will vary in price depending on the service. DHL, FedEx, and UPS tend to be more expensive options, while USPS is known for offering unbeatable shipping rates.

Customs Fees

In addition to shipping costs, you may also need to pay customs fees when shipping to Afghanistan. Afghanistan calculates these fees using the CIF method, which means that import duty and taxes are based on the value of the imported goods and shipping costs.

Payment methods for Afghanistan

Payment methods for Amazon.com

Amazon.com accepts a variety of payment methods, including:

• Credit cards (Mastercard, Visa, American Express, JCB, Discover, UnionPay, Diners Club)
• Debit cards
• US-based bank accounts
• Amazon.com store cards
• Amazon gift cards

However, your card may be refused due to an Afghanistan billing address, or because your card is not enabled or is prohibited from use in the USA.

Alternative payment methods

If you are unable to use any of the above payment methods, you can use a package forwarder such as Planet Express or MyUS.com, which offer a 'Shop For Me' service. This means they will buy the product you want using their credit card, and you will pay them directly instead of paying Amazon.

Payment gateways in Afghanistan

Shopify has partnered with leading international payment providers to support sales in Afghanistan. Payment gateways available in Afghanistan include:

• 2Checkout Convert Plus (by Verifone)
• APS - Amazon Payment Services
• Atome PayLater - 3 easy payments, 0% interest
• Cartão de Crédito - Oceanpayment
• Checkout.com - Offsite Payments
• Credit / Debit Card - Mint
• Credit/Debit Card Payments via Paynamics
• OnePAY - Credit/ATM card/QR
• OnePAY - Installment (Credit Card)
• PayTR - Kredi / Banka Kartı
• Xendit Payment Gateway

Freight forwarders

Amazon does not directly ship to Afghanistan. However, customers in Afghanistan can use freight forwarders to get their Amazon packages delivered.

• Sign up for an account with a freight forwarder.
• Get a US shipping address from the freight forwarder.
• Add the US shipping address to your Amazon account.
• Purchase your items from Amazon and have them shipped to the US address.
• The freight forwarder will receive the packages and forward them to your Afghanistan address.

There are several freight forwarders that Amazon customers in Afghanistan can use, including MyUS, Flycrates, and DHL Global Forwarding.

It is important to note that using a freight forwarder to ship Amazon products internationally may result in complications that are not covered by Amazon. For example, Amazon will not accept returns or issue refunds for lost or damaged items that the customer or their freight forwarder exports. Additionally, Amazon is not responsible for any damage, defect, or loss that occurs to items after they are delivered to the customer or their freight forwarder.

When using a freight forwarder, the customer (or the freight forwarder) is considered the exporter and is solely responsible for compliance with all export and import regulations.

Frequently asked questions