summarizeEditor's Summary
I've used Ozon Global a few times, and it's been a rollercoaster ride. The prices are unbeatable, but the shipping is a major letdown. I'm sharing my experience, the good and the bad, so you can make an informed decision. With products from abroad, you're often paying upfront, and returns can be a nightmare. But, I gotta say, the value for money is hard to beat. Here's the deal – it's a gamble, but if you're careful, you can score some amazing deals. I'm not gonna lie, the build quality can be hit-or-miss, but the prices are always tempting. Worth every penny, or total letdown? That's what I'm here to tell you. I've had some great experiences with Ozon Global, but I've also had some not-so-great ones. The prices are always tempting, but you gotta be careful what you're getting yourself into. I've found some amazing deals on products from abroad, but the shipping times are ridiculously long, and often unreliable. Returns can be a nightmare, especially if you're buying from abroad. You'll often need to pay for return shipping, and the process can be slow and bureaucratic. Be sure to read the fine print before making a purchase. I've also had some issues with customer support, but I've found that if you know your rights, they can be helpful. Be aware that some sellers may be scams or sell low-quality products, so do your research, read reviews, and be cautious when making a purchase.
Hello everyone! I'm sharing my experience with Ozon Global, and it's been a wild ride.
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A little backstory: I've been seeing products marked 'from abroad' in my OZON app for years now. It all started in 2022 when Russian stores were shutting down left and right. We were desperate to find Adidas gear for my son, who's into football, and their shoes were a perfect fit. I scoured everywhere for Adidas shoes on OZON, and then I saw them – marked 'from abroad.' At first, I was stoked, but then I dug deeper and realized the truth: it was China (read: AliExpress), and the prices were way too good to be true. You had to pay upfront, before even getting the shoes and trying them on, no less. Returns were either impossible or only possible on that specific item. I wrote off international shipping for good, but my husband needed to order something recently... So, here's our experience.
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The ordering process was pretty standard. We choose our product, as usual. Products from China are usually easy to spot – they're often ridiculously cheap, and the shipping takes forever. I mean, Alishka (our local delivery service) is way faster, that's for sure. Here's an example of such a product:
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Next, you have to pay upfront. Some sellers now offer post-payment with a OZON card. It's a bit of a hassle, but it's doable.
Then, we fill out the customs declaration form. Passport info is a must! When declaring goods for personal use, the carrier or customs fills out the passenger customs declaration. OZON is an official data operator, registered with Roskomnadzor, and can request data to complete the declaration: for Russian citizens – passport details. According to the FTS order of 05.07.2018, #1060, passport details are not required when using Russian Postal Service delivery. Please enter your passport details within 48 hours of payment, or the order will be cancelled. OZON will forward them to the carrier or customs for the declaration.
You can enter your passport details right after placing an order or on its page in the list of orders. After placing the order, you can confirm that the data has been saved in Ozon ID for future international orders.
And then we wait, and wait some more, which is usually way longer than the few days we're used to. It takes weeks for the delivery to arrive. Check out the steps: our product was supposed to arrive on January 9th, but January 9th our order was pushed back to January 17th.
At this point, I was getting a bit anxious because, honestly, it's not clear what our next steps would be. But luckily, on January 15th, our order finally arrived. We picked it up, checked it out, and everything works fine.
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What's really got me worried is the possibility of being left without money and without the product. Because delivery from China is just this whole unclear process where Ozon is basically not accountable according to their own rules.
If the order doesn't arrive, we'll just be left with some moral problems: we waited, it didn't show up, we got a bit disappointed. But Ozon takes responsibility for canceling the order and refunding the full cost. And the deadline for this is 20 days (in the sense that a delay of 20 days is considered a critical deadline for canceling the order).
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If the delivery status stops updating during the delivery process, the order might be delayed at one of the stages, such as customs clearance or border crossing. If the order status doesn't get updated for more than 25 days, please reach out to us in the chat.
If there are any delays during delivery, the carrier will notify Ozon, and we'll get in touch with you.
But if the order doesn't arrive, Ozon will cancel it and give you a full refund.
And then there's the thrilling adventure of the return process. You'll need to contact the seller yourself, wait for confirmation, send the item back at your own expense, and then wait some more. Joy. But what if something happens to the item during shipping? Then what? It's all pretty straightforward: the item is cheaper, so there are risks involved. But for me, it's not cheap enough to warrant the uncertainty.
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The Bottom Line: I've had a mixed experience with Ozon Global. The price was great, but the shipping was a letdown. This time we got lucky, I think. We did receive our item, but it was a bit of a nerve-wracking experience. Based on this, I've made a decision: until Ozon sorts out their payment and return policies, which are far from customer-friendly, I'm not willing to take the risk and order from them again. I have to wonder, Ozon, why can't you even manage to deliver items within Russia without issues, let alone internationally?
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