News
Hop Shop Go…Right Out of Here!
- 31st August
- Elisabeth Lambert 81
With the release of PayPal and comGateway’s new collaboration, HopShopGo, the world of e-commerce is becoming truly international.
US based e-commerce businesses that have previously been deemed as no-go zones for the Australian consumers due to local delivery and payment restrictions, are now just a couple of perilous clicks away.
With the recent launch of PayPal and comGateway‘s team effort, HopShopGo, e-commerce consumers in the Asia Pacific region, are now able to access some of the most iconic stores in the US, including Bloomingdales, Macy’s and Saks Fifth Avenue.
Described as “a one-stop online shopping site that takes care of consumers’ payment and shipping needs”, HopShopGo is able to facilitate business between US-based stores that do not accept payment from or deliver outside the country, and shoppers worldwide. The site does this by allowing its users to set up a physical US address where purchased goods can be delivered and held until international dispatch instructions are received. This enables overseas shoppers to save money by adding different orders together to be delivered in one hit and take advantage of the site’s low shipping rates. Orders can also be repacked into smaller boxes as another way to lower delivery rates. Payment is via users’ PayPal accounts.
While this is fantastic news for consumers, it can only mean one thing for Australian retailers – an increased ability to cross-border shop gives the international big wigs of e-commerce more access to the Australian market. All of a sudden, stores that Australians have only seen on TV or read about in glossy magazines are available at their fingertips – along with lower prices, sales and hot deals on offer.
The integration of cross-border shopping works both ways – with Australian e-commerce retailers becoming more accessible internationally too. However, there still seems to be the notion that it’s the Australian e-commerce businesses that will ultimately lose out as a result.
With the consumer world opening up in such a way, what action do Australian e-commerce retailers need to take to benefit from this opportunity and build their brands internationally?
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After signing up with HopShopGo and receiving my forwarding address, I ordered a package worth around $700 from a US online store and had it sent via FedEx to the HopShopGo address they gave me. FedEx tracking information shows it was delivered and signed for by HopShopGo over a week ago – but according to their website, there is NO record of it arriving!!! Hopefully if it’s “disappeared” my credit card insurance will cover it – otherwise PayPal/HopShopGo will NEVER hear the end of this from me!!! DON’T TRUST THEM!!!
Hi I am currently having the same experience with them and they won’t return my emails.
I have been having the same problem. I have done all of my Christmas shopping on their site using both Ship for Me and Buy for me services. It took over 4 days for them to actually process one of my buy for me services. Very Annoying and I’m extrememly anxious that my presents won’t arrive in time for Christmas.
I did all of my shopping by the 3rd of December and only one parcel has arrived. This is my first time and probably the last time ever dealing with them as they won’t return any emails and the online chat has been disabled for over 2 weeks now.
Not happy!!!
I tried the HopShopGo “Buy It For Me” service. I did some forum searching first for other customer’s experiences … All looked OK at the time (Nov 2010). I placed my order from Amazon.com for 6 Tshirts/tops. One top was not available, I wasn’t notified by HSG. I was a little disappointed due to the lack of communication, but as it was so close to Christmas, I really didn’t worry too much. I followed the process of the goods being sent to the collection centre, all seemed OK. I then received my credit card statement and I had been charged $124 as a service fee, because they did the buying for me! I then checked my HSG account, and yes I had been charged for the service. So my $130 purchase now just cost me $254 without freight! Because HSG wouldn’t repack the three parcels (5 shirts) I was also charged for individual freight, another $50. So now my purchase from the US that should have been reasonably priced (thought I was getting a bargain with the AU dollar being so strong) just cost me over $300! I have put this down to a lesson learnt and I would not recommend HSG Buy It For Me Service to anyone.
I thought all this sounded too good to be true, I don’t like the fact you have to sign on through your PayPal account, and you are not protected In Australia with PayPal Protection plan…WHY NOT?..
I tried to find info about HSG on PayPal site and found Nothing!..
Then I read all these headaches above, Nope, not for me.
The best way is to get friendly with a trusted US Citizen and get them to send it to you…they are around.
Fantastic experience with them, though I only used the ShipForMe service. You need to register on HSG’s website the fact that you have placed an order and from which retailer – helps them track it when it arrives and appears quicker on your profile. Shipping was fantastic. It took 3 calendar days (yes) to go from HSG’s warehouse in Oregon to my house in Melbourne (much quicker than local shipping in US). Also, it cost me around $50 in shipping that DHL would normally charge customers around $150-$200. All up, the stuff I bought ended up 50% cheaper than available here in Australia, even after shipping.
Beside Evan, has anyone else had a bad experience? I spent alot of time shopping on the Nike site, then I thought I should try to calculate the shipping, but it’s not easy to estimate the size or weight of what you are buying, but according to their calculations for a 5kg parcel of 60cm x60cm it will cost over $300 to ship! Thats not so cheap now. It seems cheaper to buy off ebay.
HopShopGo is terrible ! DO NOT USE ! Issues so far
1. Real weight 5kg, got charged for a whopping 18.5kg
2. Repacking wasn’t available first time around, only after asking rep, they managed to reduce it to 12.5kg. Why wasn’t repacking available first time ? Too lazy ? 12.5kg is more than double the real weight.
3. Shipping estimator always underestimates shipping cost because they don’t calculate surcharges.
4. Want to return your item back ? Going to cost your dearly too.
I going to try http://www.priceusa.com.au/ instead, seems to be more transparent.
BEWARE! SHIPPING IS VERY EXPENSIVE!
I don’t normally write reviews but this company is a complete con that i had to warn people.
I purchased 2 beanbags from fatboyusa… normally in Australia they would cost me $1,000 but i got them for $480 from the US website. However, when it came to shipping my beanbags to Australia it was going to cost be over $1,100! because they go by volumetric weight rather than the actually weight… the weight for one beanbag was 42kg and the other 77kgs!
I had to return the items to fatboyusa through hopshopgo who then wanted to charge be close to $300 to post within the USA!
Hi Liz,
Sorry to here you and others have had bad experiences from the USA. I have a service agent in the USA who we work closely with to get goods to Australia for American based companies, rather than using integrators/ aggregated services – too expensive an no control over the service.
Please let me know if you need help in the future, if we can’t I’ll give you names of a couple of ex pat colleagues of mine who work in the freight industry up there..
Being bean bags they are always going to volume out if filled, I was just wondering, were they already filled with polystyrene beans? Best way would be to fill them here and get them shipped without, there would be no volume and it should only cost you under $55 to ship them flat packed through the standard FEDEX/ USPS types.
Anyway, best of luck with it
Hopshopgo?
Should be hopshopno!
Their service, at least, lives up to their parent company……………………dreadful!
Used them once, never again!