If you’ve considered shipping your online goods to the UAE, you’ve probably also had some doubts about logistics. Like whether your customers will have to wait too long to receive their items or whether they will incur additional costs for duties and customs.
You are right to consider these factors before jumping in – we’ve all been bitten by unexpected tariffs and hold ups at some point in our lives. However, you’ll be pleased to know that shipping to the UAE is refreshingly uncomplicated.
I’m thinking about shipping to Dubai or Abu Dhabi. Is this a good idea?
As you may already know, the UAE, made up of seven states, including Abu Dhabi, Dubai, Sharjah, Ajman, Umm Al-Quwain, Fujairah and Ras Al Khaimah, is rich in oil and has one of the fastest growing e-commerce economies in the world (it’s estimated to reach 17 billion US dollars by 2025). They are a very tech-savvy bunch in the UAE and generally happy to buy online.
One thing you may not have considered is that there is also a large expat community living in the UAE. In fact, over 75% of the population is made up of expats and over 240,000 of them are British, according to the Expat Insider 2023 report. Many of these expats could be missing home and struggling to find products with which they are familiar. If your product fits that criteria, they might be willing to go out of their way to get their hands on it.
What e-commerce opportunities are there in the UAE?
What would you miss if you moved abroad? Is there a specific type of chocolate, sauce, shampoo, make-up, shoes, clothing or part for your car that you can’t get anywhere else? Sure, you may be able to go without in the short term, but if you were away for the long haul, you would more than likely start to miss those luxuries.
Don’t forget, many expats living in the UAE are high earners. They’ve moved there to do a job that they are highly skilled at, which means they are probably on quite a high salary. Furthermore, expats living in the UAE don’t have to pay income tax. That’s right, their take home pay is exactly as their salary. This means that their spending power could be 20, 40 or even 45% higher than it is here in the UK!
Amazing! But how easy is it to ship to the UAE?
Surprisingly, shipping to anywhere in the UAE is relatively straightforward. If you ship with a trusted shipping partner your item will arrive between four to six working days. You don’t have to worry about VAT (it’s low at just 5%) and delays in customs are uncommon.
SAMOS guarantees one price and no surcharges. We also cover your VAT and Delivery Duty Paid (DDP) – so your customers won’t be charged anything on the doorstep.
What items are restricted from the UAE?
There are a few items that cannot be shipped into the UAE and it’s wise to check the list of prohibited items to ensure that your goods aren’t included before you start selling there.
Dangerous and offensive items will not be allowed into the country, however, there are a few others that you need to watch out for. You can check the list of prohibited goods here: https://u.ae/en/information-and-services/finance-and-investment/clearing-the-customs-and-paying-customs-duty.
If you are unsure whether the goods that you are selling will be accepted by the UAE, you can contact SAMOS for a no obligation chat.
How much does it cost to ship to the UAE? Will my parcels arrive safely?
SAMOS specialises in providing simple solutions to shipping problems. With our service you can deliver an item weighing up to a kilo for as little as £11.72. You’ll also have complete transparency over the whereabouts of your package at every stage and our friendly experts are on hand should you require more support.
Plus, SAMOS now provides a fully managed returns service portal so your customers can organise a return in just three clicks. That’s a real bonus when you are building brand loyalty and looking for repeat business. Word of mouth is the best kind of advertising, and a positive experience will help to ensure you don’t lose out on all those other sales from expat friends either.