This transit service allows buyers to circumvent the EUR 150 tax-free limit on purchases from foreign retailers, which the Russian government is expected to establish soon. Shopfans has already used a similar scheme in Belarus, where the duty-free import limit is EUR 120.
Transit through Kazakhstan does not conflict with Russian laws. However, the authorities of Kazakhstan and Belarus could follow in Russia’s footsteps and change limits on purchases from foreign online stores.
Shopfans.ru’s business model is based on the mail forwarding of goods to Russia from US stores such as Amazon, eBay, Disney, Barnes & Noble, Apple and others.
Cross-border ecommerce to Russia amounted to approximately USD 3 billion in 2013, up 75% in volume from 2012, according to a research study by East-West Digital News.
Check out our Cross-border Ecommerce Research section for more info on country-specific ecommerce facts & figures, preferred payment methods, risk and fraud, as well as ecommerce legislation & regulation in the Russian Federation.
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