Been almost a month since I uploaded a post and I've missed it. So here I am back with a post that has been requested by almost all my readers residing in Pakistan. When I posted my latest Colourpop haul on Instagram, I got a ton of queries regarding shipping, customs and how to get Colourpop products to Pakistan smoothly.
Disclaimer: The post is going to be pretty long since I have tried to cover all the aspects, so please do bear with me!
When Colourpop released their Pressed Eyeshadows, I knew I had to have them. Plus they were offering a free palette if you bought 4 eyeshadows. I inquired around with the pages and wasn't satisfied with the prices that they were quoting for 4 eyeshadows and a palette. At that time, Hira and Maria from the blog, The Sisters Go Shopping, posted a blog post on how they managed to get Colourpop delivered to their home in Pakistan. I was apprehensive about ordering directly because of the unpredictable delivery dates and custom charges but after reading their blog post (which you can read here), I decided to take the plunge and place my order.
Choosing 4 eyeshadows from the stunning range was a feat in itself and if my budget allowed, I would have ordered the entire collection. Anyways, I restricted myself to only 4 eyeshadows and along with that decided to add 2 of their new Matte X Lippie Stixs in my cart. I didn't want my order to be too big in order to avoid unnecessary custom charges hence my order total was only $34.99 with shipping. Shipping is free on international orders above $50, while below $50 they are $9.99. Since I was ordering for the first time, I got a $5 off coupon also which I used to bring down the shipping charges.
Colourpop says that shipping takes between 7-21 business days for international orders, so after placing my order I read a silent prayer and pushed this to the back of my mind. 3 weeks later, the postman arrived at my doorstep with my box and took 60 rupees for handling and customs leaving me immensely relieved.
A few months later, Colourpop decided to introduce pressed blushes and highlighters as well as eye brushes and once again I could not resist ordering those so I decided to place another order. This order totalled to around $58 with free shipping. Unfortunately, this order of mine proved to be a little troublesome. After a month of being shipped, I still hadn't received the package which really worried me. Hence, I decided to take a little trip down to the International Mail Office located in the GPO on Mall Road, Lahore. Upon reaching there and providing the required details, I discovered that my package had been stopped by the Customs Office for reasons unknown. Then began a process to fill different forms and get clearance from the Customs Office so that my package may be released. Thankfully since the package was small, the Customs Office cleared it on spot and did not charge an extra amount on the package. After the necessary paperwork was done, I was told that I will receive the box at the given address in a day or two. And two days later, the postman came and dropped it home.
Disclaimer: The post is going to be pretty long since I have tried to cover all the aspects, so please do bear with me!
Choosing 4 eyeshadows from the stunning range was a feat in itself and if my budget allowed, I would have ordered the entire collection. Anyways, I restricted myself to only 4 eyeshadows and along with that decided to add 2 of their new Matte X Lippie Stixs in my cart. I didn't want my order to be too big in order to avoid unnecessary custom charges hence my order total was only $34.99 with shipping. Shipping is free on international orders above $50, while below $50 they are $9.99. Since I was ordering for the first time, I got a $5 off coupon also which I used to bring down the shipping charges.
Colourpop says that shipping takes between 7-21 business days for international orders, so after placing my order I read a silent prayer and pushed this to the back of my mind. 3 weeks later, the postman arrived at my doorstep with my box and took 60 rupees for handling and customs leaving me immensely relieved.
A few months later, Colourpop decided to introduce pressed blushes and highlighters as well as eye brushes and once again I could not resist ordering those so I decided to place another order. This order totalled to around $58 with free shipping. Unfortunately, this order of mine proved to be a little troublesome. After a month of being shipped, I still hadn't received the package which really worried me. Hence, I decided to take a little trip down to the International Mail Office located in the GPO on Mall Road, Lahore. Upon reaching there and providing the required details, I discovered that my package had been stopped by the Customs Office for reasons unknown. Then began a process to fill different forms and get clearance from the Customs Office so that my package may be released. Thankfully since the package was small, the Customs Office cleared it on spot and did not charge an extra amount on the package. After the necessary paperwork was done, I was told that I will receive the box at the given address in a day or two. And two days later, the postman came and dropped it home.
Given the two different experiences, I will just add here that it is best to keep your order small in order to avoid too many extra and unnecessary overhead charges. Furthermore, be prepared to take a trip to the post office in case your package gets stuck. Colourpop ships its packages by USPS Standard Shipping and tracking is usually available only till the package is inside the United States. Once it departs from there tracking is usually not available and you cannot determine the exact location of your parcel. Usually when all international orders reach Pakistan, they are sent to the local International Mail Office (IMO) present in all cities. In case your package gets stuck, that the place that you will get it from.
I don't want this post to be longer than it has already become so will just sign of here. I hope this post proved to be useful for you all and if you have any more questions don't hesitate to comment or send me a message and I will be glad to be of assistance.
Love.