When purchasing goods from brands leaving Russia from private intermediary buyers, you may encounter high delivery prices, long waiting times, and you may also fall victim to scammers. The newspaper writes about it “News”.
The newspaper’s article notes that the demand for the services of buyers in Russia has increased significantly – intermediaries who buy goods abroad for individual orders and forward them to the country. Thus, at the beginning of 2023, the number of requests for the purchase of IKEA products in Turkey increased from zero to several thousand. Russians also often look for middlemen to purchase household appliances, clothes, shoes, cosmetics and accessories.
Leo Shevchenko, General Manager of Mercatus Sellers School, explained that importing some goods into the Russian Federation has become quite difficult due to sanctions and it is impossible to procure all of the separated brands despite parallel imports. At the same time, the specialist pointed out that part orders from intermediaries are more profitable than the store due to logistics costs, fluctuations in exchange rates and delivery times.
Experts attribute the long wait for delivery and the probability of becoming a victim of scammers minus purchases from intermediaries. One of the scams of scammers is that when they collect several orders using fake accounts on social networks and instant messengers, and customers transfer money to them through crypto wallets or payment systems without opening a bank account, they stop communicating.
Additionally, there are risks associated with shipping, loss or damage to cargo by a shipping company or postal service. It is especially unprofitable to buy large-sized furniture or household appliances, since the price may increase by 1.5-2 times due to delivery.
When choosing such intermediary services, it is recommended to pay attention to the reviews and rating in the profile of the performer.
Previously reported in Russia stoped Large-scale deliveries of IKEA branded products.