How to Buy Online and Ship to Ethiopia from the UAE

Want to buy products online that are difficult to find in Ethiopia? Cross-border shopping gives you access to UAE stores and international brands, even when the retailer does not ship directly to Ethiopia.

The process is simple: shop online, send your order to a Dubai forwarding address, and then forward the package from the UAE to Ethiopia. This can be useful for clothing, electronics, accessories, beauty products, gifts and many other eligible items.

How to buy online and ship to Ethiopia

A package forwarding service gives you a delivery address in Dubai. You use that address when placing an online order. Once your package arrives at the forwarding warehouse, it can be prepared for international delivery to Ethiopia.

Step by step

1. Create your account. Register with a UAE package forwarding service and get your personal Dubai delivery address.
2. Shop online. Buy from UAE retailers or international stores that can deliver your order to the UAE.
3. Use your Dubai address. Enter your forwarding address as the delivery address when checking out.
4. Wait for your package to arrive. Once it reaches the warehouse, you can review the package before international shipping.
5. Consolidate multiple orders. If you bought from several stores, eligible packages can be combined into one shipment.
6. Ship to Ethiopia. Choose the available shipping option, pay the shipping charge and track your package to Ethiopia.

Can I buy from US stores and ship to Ethiopia?

If a US or international retailer can deliver your purchase to the UAE, you can use your Dubai forwarding address and then arrange onward shipping to Ethiopia. This can be useful when a store does not offer direct delivery to Ethiopia but does offer delivery to the UAE.

Always check the retailer's delivery options and the forwarding service's restricted-item rules before placing the order.

Does Amazon ship to Ethiopia?

Direct international delivery depends on the Amazon marketplace, seller and individual product. Some products may not offer delivery to Ethiopia.

For products available through Amazon.ae, a Dubai forwarding address provides another option: have the eligible order delivered locally in the UAE first, then arrange forwarding to Ethiopia.

Why consolidate packages?

If you shop from several online stores, your purchases may arrive as separate packages. Instead of arranging international shipping for each eligible package separately, consolidation allows multiple orders to be combined before forwarding.

This also makes it easier to manage several purchases as a single international shipment.

What to check before you order

• Restricted items. Not everything can be shipped internationally. Check the restrictions before buying items such as batteries, liquids or other regulated products.
• Customs duties. Ethiopian customs may apply duties or taxes depending on the product, declared value and applicable import rules. These charges are separate from the forwarding cost.
• Package weight and size. International shipping prices may depend on actual or volumetric weight, so a large lightweight package can sometimes cost more than expected.
• Returns. International returns can be more complicated than domestic returns, so confirm sizes, specifications and compatibility before ordering.

Start with a small first order

If you have never used package forwarding before, start with one relatively small purchase. You can see how the package arrives at the warehouse, understand the shipping quote and follow the delivery process before placing larger or multiple orders.

Ready to shop and ship to Ethiopia?

Create your CBC account, get your Dubai delivery address and use it when shopping from eligible online stores. Once your purchases arrive, you can prepare them for forwarding to Ethiopia.

Create your free CBC account →