I remember when online shopping began picking up in Lebanon back in 2010, I was super excited to start ordering. I had my credit card on hand and bought a pair of sunglasses I have been coveting for awhile. I remember how happy I was to find out how much cheaper they were online, because I had seen the exact same pair at a popular retailer in Beirut for exactly double the price. “This is it”, I thought, “I’m never ever buying anything from Lebanon again.” I had finally beat the system. But those aspirations were quickly shattered a week later, when the $99 sunglasses arrived with another bill, the local customs fee; $89 dollars to be exact. To be handed to the delivery company at the door in cash upon receipt. No prior warning. No breakdown, no explanation. Nothing. Just pay up to receive your package. And I did.
I was no longer so proud of my little online shopping plan at that point. In fact I felt a little silly. Not only had I paid almost double the price, I had also paid around $15 in delivery fees. So in total, I had paid around $204 for a pair of sunglasses that otherwise should have cost me $99. From that point onwards I had put my credit card back in the drawer and vowed never to shop online again.
Fast forward five years later, and I’m heavily pregnant prepping for Luca’s arrival. I had a list of highly recommended baby gear I needed that were unavailable in Lebanon. (surprise!) I remember finding them on many renowned International online stores but hesitating. How much custom fees would I be expected to pay on a $300 CacoonaBaby? I did some more research. “It varies” was the most common answer I received. “You won’t really know until the item arrives.” Well that wasn’t a gamble I wanted to take. After racking up a $1500 list, I had decided it was cheaper for me to buy an airline ticket to the US and physically shop there rather than risk paying a surprise delivery and customs fee.
Which brings me to my latest discovery. Finders.co. In a nutshell, Finders.co is an online store that aggregates everything you’re looking for from International retailers like Amazon, Walmart and even Macy’s. You might be thinking so why not order directly from those sites instead of going through Finders.co? That’s because they take care of everything. Yes that includes, customs and delivery. So no more surprises and no more delivery headaches. The price you pay to Finders will be the final one. No extras whatsoever. So sure, you will notice the item is more expensive on Finders, but they are 100% transparent about it, no hidden fees. And even if Finders does encounter a problem with that item, it will be something they will have to take care of. That problem will never become your problem. Besides, stores like Amazon, Walmart and Macy’s do not always provide delivery options to Lebanon in the first place… so we don’t really have much options there.
And that’s how the idea of Finders.co was born. When four of its founders moved back to Lebanon after having lived abroad, they wanted to create an e-commerce platform that simplifies online shopping process and gets people to trust the process again. They created a feature on Finders.co that will allow online shoppers to compare the deals instantly by pasting product links directly from Amazon, Walmart or Macy’s, and find out on the spot, how much any item would cost to reach their door steps.
I fell in love with the concept as soon as I heard about it. Because literally I can shop for ANYTHING now. Finders.co also creates pages, divided into categories to make browsing easier for you, such as Home, Kitchen, Beauty, Electronics, Fashion and many more. And… I’m super excited to collaborate with them on my very own lists, where I’ll be regularly curating my favorite items on the Mom & Baby page as well as the Beauty Page. I actually just ordered the highly popular Boogie Boards for my kids and they are loving them and I just added them to my list.
You can follow Finders on Instagram as well to stay up to date with their latest additions and offers! And here’s a little tip, they will be announcing Free Shipping for a limited time only, so make sure you turn on notifications to stay posted! There are constantly updating their site with gift ideas and new releases curated from your favorite International Online retailers. Let me know what you end up ordering! Happy Shopping Loves!
