The questions people actually ask before ordering something from India: who pays the customs duty, how long it really takes, and how to tell a real seller from a risky one. We have answered them plainly, including the parts where the honest answer is that you should buy locally instead.
It depends on how the seller ships. On a delivered-duty-paid (DDP) order, the seller pays the duty up front and you owe nothing on delivery. On a delivered-duty-unpaid order, the courier pays it for you and then bills you, usually with a handling fee on top, before they will hand the parcel over.
For a tracked air parcel from a commercial seller, expect roughly two to three weeks door to door. Aalacart dispatches in 2 to 4 business days and delivers in 10 to 15 business days. Sea freight is far cheaper but takes six to ten weeks and is only used for bulk.
There are three realistic routes: a US-based Indian retailer, a marketplace seller shipping internationally, or an export storefront that buys in India and ships to you. Which is best depends entirely on whether the specific item has US retail supply.
It can be, and the checks are the same ones you would apply to any unfamiliar online seller anywhere. The country matters far less than whether the business is identifiable, states its terms plainly, and takes payment through a processor that gives you recourse.
Indian women's clothing is usually numbered by the bust measurement in inches, so a size 38 fits a 38 inch bust, which is roughly a US 8. Indian footwear follows UK sizing, so a US men's size is about one number higher than the Indian number and a US women's size is about two higher. Rings use a different scale entirely and should be matched by inside diameter in millimetres.
Often not. India runs on 230 volts at 50 hertz and the United States on 120 volts at 60 hertz, so anything built for Indian mains alone will not run correctly on American power, and a plug adapter does not change that. The exception is any device whose label reads 100 to 240 volts, which is built for both and needs nothing more than the right plug shape.
Anything classed as dangerous goods for air transport is refused, whoever the sender is. In practice that means aerosols and pressurised cans, most perfumes and nail products, flammable liquids including many oils sold as fuels or solvents, lighters and matches, and loose lithium batteries shipped on their own.
Air freight from India is priced on whichever is greater, the parcel's actual weight or its volumetric weight, and then by destination zone. That means a light but bulky box costs the same as a heavy small one, and it is the single biggest reason quotes differ so much between sellers for what looks like the same item.
You mostly cannot buy directly. Amazon.in sells to Indian addresses and generally expects an Indian payment method, and only a small export selection ships abroad. The three workable routes are a package forwarder with an Indian address, an export storefront that buys on your behalf and ships to you, or the Indian brands that Amazon already lists on amazon.com.
There are four routes, and the right one depends on what you are buying. Amazon.com for anything mainstream, a specialist boutique for a single high-value piece such as a wedding saree, a package forwarder if you want a specific Indian listing and will handle the import yourself, and an export storefront if you want Indian-market goods with one price and no customs to deal with.
Usually only for damage or a defect, and you should expect to prove it with photographs rather than ship the item back. Return freight from the United States to India routinely costs more than the item itself, so most cross-border sellers, Aalacart included, resolve faults by refunding or replacing rather than by collecting the goods.
On a delivered-duty-paid order you pay nothing on delivery, because the seller has settled the import charges before the parcel moves. On an ordinary order the courier clears it, pays duty and GST or HST on your behalf, and bills you the total plus a brokerage fee before handing the parcel over.
On a delivered-duty-paid order nothing is collected on delivery, because the import charges are settled before the parcel moves. On an ordinary import the courier clears it and bills you customs duty and VAT, plus its own handling fee, before it will release the parcel.
On a delivered-duty-paid order you pay nothing on arrival, because the import charges are settled before the parcel ships. On an ordinary import, GST applies to most goods brought into Australia, and the courier will either collect it from you or bill it with a processing fee attached.