Shopping on eBay from Kenya

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Posted by on Friday October 12, 2012 at 8:57:7:

In one of my articles about getting Paypal funds to Kenya, I mentioned conversion as one of the easy ways to do it and this simply involves using your Paypal funds for shopping, getting the item shipped to Kenya and then reselling it to someone else for cash.

Yes, that is one reliable way to get Paypal funds converted to Kenyan shillings but you will need one thing else, a US shipping address

Shopping on eBay with Paypal
As you should know, eBay is one of the few places where Paypal payments are accepted and so you can pay online and get the item shipped to a US address.
However you should know that ebay also sells some fairly used stuff and brand new items and for computers, the import duty in Kenya is restrictive and to encouraging so it's better to buy new computers if interested in them or buy other electronics that won't incur much charges on importing to Kenya. Import duty on importing used computers in Kenya is about 25% while for new ones it's just at about 3%. So i think it's better whn shopping from Kenya to buy other items rather than used computers.

How this works
- Get a US shipping address
- Shop on ebay and ship to your US address (or ship straight to Kenya if possible)
- Ship to Kenya and pay shipping fee
- Expect it via DHL within 5 to 7 business days.
- You may resell the ebay items to another buyer in Kenya for cash.

Note:
- Getting a US address(freight forwarding) just helps you to buy a lot of stuff, consolidate them and ship as a single package
- Shipping fee depends on weight and size of the package




Comments:
    Re: Shopping on eBay from Kenya Reply by Morgan on Sunday October 14, 2012 at 11:22:35:

    Thanks, But how does one know the import duties on this items?



    Re: Shopping on eBay from Kenya Reply by Felix Okoli on Sunday October 14, 2012 at 11:22:35:

    Best place to get the import duties in Kenya is to checkout websites like www.kra.go.ke or www.revenue.go.ke


    Re: Shopping on eBay from Kenya Reply by Elly on Thursday October 25, 2012 at 11:4:50:

    When it gets to Kenya via DHL, where do you pick the item? I have heard of rumors of items getting lost in transit,what are the chances of this happening?



    Re: Shopping on eBay from Kenya Reply by Felix Okoli on Thursday October 25, 2012 at 11:4:50:

    DHL delivers straight to your home as far as I know so there is no reason for you going to pick it up.


    Re: Shopping on eBay from Kenya Reply by humphrey Kimaathi on Friday January 11, 2013 at 11:50:43:

    Hi Felix, i have been buying from ebay using my paypal account and goods are usually shipped to me directly to my paypal address...that my home(kenya) address. otherwise your site is very educative.

    Regards Humphrey



    Re: Shopping on eBay from Kenya Reply by Felix Okoli on Wednesday January 23, 2013 at 10:43:24:

    Nice to know Humphrey. At least now Kenyans would know they can on ebay.



    Re: Shopping on eBay from Kenya Reply by Francis Wafula on Thursday January 31, 2013 at 22:13:14:

    If I ship stuff through our Kawaida, postal mail, will it get lost or stolen? I have bought some stuff online and had them sent through postal mail, some electronics chips, and they fikaad. However I'm rather scared that if I buy something like a camera that can be easily used by someone else, that it could get stolen at our local post office, My mom sent us toys from Australia when we were kids and they never reached. Incident was one of the saddest in my childhood cuz was so psyched for that sackful of toys



    Re: Shopping on eBay from Kenya Reply by Felix Okoli on Thursday January 31, 2013 at 22:13:14:

    Why don't you stick with dhl?


    Re: Shopping on eBay from Kenya Reply by Julie on Thursday February 21, 2013 at 13:59:28:

    At what point of the sale-delivery are you expected to pay for the import duties?



    Re: Shopping on eBay from Kenya Reply by Felix Okoli on Thursday February 21, 2013 at 13:59:28:

    It has to be at the point where your shipping is about to take place. It is normally included in the shipping costs and if there are any other charges, they would contact you when it gets to Kenya


    Re: Shopping on eBay from Kenya Reply by Samuel njuguna on Wednesday March 6, 2013 at 9:41:32:

    Please help question:...how much total tax will I pay if let's say I purchase a $100 pair of headphones?




    Re: Shopping on eBay from Kenya Reply by Felix Okoli on Wednesday March 6, 2013 at 9:41:32:

    I'm not really sure. You are probably not going to spend more than the cost of shipping it. You should check with the customs website


    Re: Shopping on eBay from Kenya Reply by George on Tuesday March 19, 2013 at 10:17:43:

    I have seen some Kenyan ebay site but it looks funny and phony. Is it related to the real ebay site because I know Kenyans can be cunning when it comes to money. Anyone with an answer please??



    Re: Shopping on eBay from Kenya Reply by michuki on Thursday March 28, 2013 at 12:27:56:

    Iwant to buy my son a skate board with all the protection gears is it possible if i order it will be shiped to me?
    coz i dnt knw any place in town were they sell skateboards




    Re: Shopping on eBay from Kenya Reply by Felix Okoli on Thursday March 28, 2013 at 12:27:56:

    Have you seen the skate board you are looking for? Yes it can be shipped for you if the seller offers direct shipping to Kenya. If the seller doesn't ship to Kenya, then I suggest you also get a US mail forwarding address from myus.com. They would give you a US address to shop with on ebay which you can then use to ship directly to Kenya after it has been received.


    Re: Shopping on eBay from Kenya Reply by daniel thingithu on Wednesday April 24, 2013 at 19:55:36:

    how expensive is dhl?was told it can be quite expensive to use dhl if you are buying something heavy like a tv



    Re: Shopping on eBay from Kenya Reply by Felix Okoli on Wednesday April 24, 2013 at 19:55:36:

    You can estimate your shipping costs with dhl or any other courier service before doing your shipping and you should know that heavier items cost more and so do larger items too


    Re: Shopping on eBay from Kenya Reply by Eric on Thursday May 23, 2013 at 6:54:59:

    ALLOT of misinformation here . Firstly. if you cannot ship the goods yourself from ebay you cannot dictate what courier ( dhl or ups or what ) you are going to use . thats the seller to choose when shipping to you.
    buying from ebay is very straight forward..If you have the tracking number just go to City square post office parcels section (hapo 2nd floor) and you will collect your parcel. Customs officers are also based there to handle any payments. Otherwise the procedure is that once a parcel arrives, they send the small green card to your postal address to ask the recipient to collected the parcel. Tax is calculated based on the declared value of the item. They usually send some notification to your postal address for you to go to the City Square offices. There the parcel shall be opened, the content appraised and if duty is payable (which will most likely be the case) decide on how much which you would then pay at a bank (think National Bank) and you get your parcel. If they haven't sent the notification yet but you have the details of the parcel then just go there and sort it out. Note that they charge some amounts if you do not collect after a specific time so the earlier you pick it the better

    I have imported a few items and those posta/customs guys are pretty straight forward.

    you will have to pay 25% tax plus ksh. 150 handling fee



    Re: Shopping on eBay from Kenya Reply by Felix Okoli on Thursday May 23, 2013 at 6:54:59:

    @Eric, actually you can choose your courier since you'll be the one initiating the final shipping to Kenya. This is only optional if you are using the US shipping address I recommended. With that address, you would just get all your ebay items sent to a warehouse in the US and then you can ship it to Kenyan when you want. It costs just about $70 a year and you can hold your goods for up to 30 days before shipping in bulk to Kenya to reduce shipping costs.


    Re: Shopping on eBay from Kenya Reply by Denis on Friday May 31, 2013 at 23:53:34:

    thank you for your informative article admin, well i do not possess a credit or debit card because my parents are quite strict with me when it comes to money, so am wondering can you purchase for me something online and i will foot all the necessary expenses? you can email me. thank you



    Re: Shopping on eBay from Kenya Reply by hesbond on Saturday July 6, 2013 at 14:42:8:

    Thanks guys i was looking for information on ebay Kenya and glad i got this site. I just saw a fake one called ebay kenya with all the colors switched and letter B on ebay capitalized. Its so fake. Anyway i am a powerseller and Top rated seller with ebay for over 6 years and really wants to start selling things on ebay to my fellow kenyans. The information have really helped and i can see that there are ebay fans out there. What i have been thinking of doing is let people buy things on ebay and have them shipped to my address in the US where i can consolidated them and ship them to kenya.The info is great.You can see my ebay store called top brand name shoes clothing and accessories on ebay:

    http://stores.ebay.com/topbrandnameshoesaccessories



    Re: Shopping on eBay from Kenya Reply by Wairimu on Monday July 15, 2013 at 17:3:41:

    Hi....sooo happy to have found this...i want to buy an ipad and a gel nail kit from ebay since they are cheaper...any advice?can i get them shipped directly to avoid excess costs?




    Re: Shopping on eBay from Kenya Reply by Felix Okoli on Monday July 15, 2013 at 17:3:41:

    To minimize your cost when shopping on ebay, one thing you can do it buy and ship all your items from a single seller. This will eliminate multiple shipping costs. If using a US shipping agent, consolidate your items first and then ship in bulk.


    Re: Shopping on eBay from Kenya Reply by Ken on Saturday July 20, 2013 at 20:58:28:

    Hi admin is it possible to credit a KCB general purpose card through M-pesa




    Re: Shopping on eBay from Kenya Reply by Felix Okli on Saturday July 20, 2013 at 20:58:28:

    I'm not sure about that. KCB card is normally issued by the bank


    Re: Shopping on eBay from Kenya Reply by nelaiyah on Saturday July 27, 2013 at 19:37:50:

    Felix am kenya, KISII how can I ship goods to my door step n can I pay via airtel money or Mpesa ?



    Re: Shopping on eBay from Kenya Reply by Felix Okoli on Saturday July 27, 2013 at 19:37:50:

    eBAY doesn't accept mpesa but only Paypal


    Re: Shopping on eBay from Kenya Reply by Dr. Husein on Tuesday July 30, 2013 at 7:55:21:

    Hello admin, i want to buy stuff on ebay, but i don't have a postal box..please help on how to go about it. Thank you very much.



    Re: Shopping on eBay from Kenya Reply by Felix Okoli on Tuesday July 30, 2013 at 7:55:21:

    It would be hard to receive any items from an international courier if you don't have a shipping address or P.O.Box to ship to. Maybe you can use some other residential address where you can receive your items.


    Re: Shopping on eBay from Kenya Reply by john on Friday August 23, 2013 at 24:48:7:

    hi ebay fans i wanted to know if there is anyone who can help me buy and ship some stuff n i will foot all he/she incurs .thanx in advance



    Re: Shopping on eBay from Kenya Reply by Jayden on Friday September 20, 2013 at 12:43:29:

    Hi Felix,

    I have just opened a paypal account. Hypothetical question-supposing I buy a product worth 50k..how can I know how much duty it will cost here in Kenya.




    Re: Shopping on eBay from Kenya Reply by Kenya-Aircargo.com on Saturday November 23, 2013 at 1:25:36:

    Hello

    We can help with shipping from eBay, Amazon, online retailers etc to Kenya to your door or you can pick from our Kenya office, we are based in UK.

    We can provide reliable shipping when you order and chose our office as delivery and we forward it to you in Kenya to your door all custom cleared from £ 3.75 per KG.

    We also do bulk shipping and large cargo shipments to Kenya and we believed that allot of people want to shop online from eBay amazon and UK retailers so we offer this service secure and payments of shipment can be made to us by PayPal or on when you collect it from our Agent in Kenya.

    Give us more info on how often you ship or buy and how we can help to give you solution to shipping to Kenya all custom cleared ready for you or your customers if you sell.

    We have customers from Kenya using our service for years, which is the solution to this postal problem from major online sellers. Our direct email is info@kenya-aircargo.com

    Hope to hear from you soon,

    Regards,

    Abdiwali



    Re: Shopping on eBay from Kenya Reply by Jody on Saturday May 24, 2014 at 9:26:16:

    Has anyoone used Kenya Air Cargo?