Zara Israel Imposes Delivery Fee, Driving Shoppers to Cheaper European Options
Translated & summarized from Vesty by baba
Zara has introduced a 14.90 shekel delivery fee for online orders in Israel, prompting consumers to seek cheaper alternatives abroad. A Ynet report revealed significant price differences, with items in Greece costing substantially less than in Israel. Israeli shoppers can use forwarding services like ShipTanbul to order from Greece, factoring in local delivery, international shipping, and potential VAT refunds. This method allows access to a wider range of products and can lead to considerable savings, especially during sales events.
The story in 6 lines · by baba
- Zara Israel now charges 14.90 shekels for online delivery, ending free shipping over 199 shekels.
- Ynet reported Zara items in Greece are significantly cheaper than in Israel, sometimes nearly half the price.
- A men's cashmere cardigan costs 859 shekels in Israel versus about 450 shekels in Greece.
- Israeli shoppers can use services like ShipTanbul to forward purchases from Greece.
- Forwarding costs include a Greek address fee and international shipping, plus potential VAT refunds.
- Ordering from abroad offers access to items unavailable or sold out in Israel.
Zara has begun charging a 14.90 shekel fee for online order deliveries within Israel, a change from its previous policy of offering free shipping for orders over 199 shekels. This new charge comes amid significant price disparities between Zara items sold in Israel and those in European countries, with some goods in Greece costing nearly half as much. A Ynet report on Tuesday, October 20, highlighted Spain as the cheapest country for Zara purchases, but recommended Greece as a viable alternative for Israeli shoppers.
Israeli consumers can utilize services like ShipTanbul, which provides a local Greek address for online purchases and then forwards the items to Israel. For example, a women's checkered blouse (article 8040/621/093) priced at 239 shekels in Israel costs approximately 125.47 shekels in Greece, a difference of 113.53 shekels. A children's set (article 4174/550/415) is 89.90 shekels in Israel versus about 55.67 shekels in Greece. The most substantial price gap noted was for a men's 100% cashmere cardigan (article 2893/359/724), retailing for 859 shekels in Israel and about 450.21 shekels in Greece, before shipping and taxes, a difference of 408.79 shekels.
To order from Greece, customers must register with a forwarding service like ShipTanbul to obtain a Greek address. They then select Greece as their shopping country within the Zara app, which can be switched from the default Israeli setting. The forwarding service's fee for delivery to a Greek address is 2.95 euros (about 10.27 shekels), with additional costs for international shipping to Israel starting at 62 shekels, depending on the package weight. ShipTanbul's shipping to a pickup point costs $20 and to a home address $26 (around 80.60 shekels). A discount code, KAPARA, offers 10% off international shipping, and the possibility of reclaiming Greek VAT is also mentioned.
Yoni Hai Ishai, co-owner of ShipTanbul, noted that price differences become even more pronounced during sales, advising shoppers to monitor Zara, Mango, and H&M during events like Black Friday. Ordering from abroad also allows access to items not available in Israel or that are sold out locally.
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