The ability to order things online with a few clicks means that shopping is easier than ever.

Online shopping for swag that’s only available overseas is even more tempting, especially with apps like Wish that provide you with hundreds of super cheap goodies.

Warning – the super cheap part should be your first clue that this isn’t a good idea, which brings us to the sad souls below who probably ordered something, then waited forever for it to arrive, before finding out that it was stuck at customs, where parcels go to die.

That’s if it arrives in South Africa at all.

Even worse is going through all the effort to get your goods cleared, only to arrive home and have this happen:

1. They ordered new chairs for the dining room:

2. Gotta get those Yeezys:

3. This dress:

4. The emoji says it all:

5. Not the PJs you’ll want to wear to the family getaway:

6. This guy doing his best to be socially conscious:

7. This Converse backpack was ordered for a teenager. The cat scored:

8. The world’s smallest face mask:

9. This guy ordered a pillow with his picture on it for his girlfriend. This is what came in the mail:

10. This instructional mug:

We’ll throw an 11th your way, just for gees – another pillow fail:

Take a moment to revel in others’ misfortune, and then learn from their mistakes. Sure, there are deals to be had out there, but sometimes getting drawn in by the cheap knockoff stuff ends up costing you in the long run.

You can still make the most of cheaper, overseas deals, without worrying about whether your goodies will ever arrive. Step one – order from respectable international suppliers, even if they don’t ship to South Africa (usually the biggest stumbling block), using Postbox Courier.

For those of you who are slightly behind, Postbox Courier is the groundbreaking service that gives you a shipping address in the US, UK and Hong Kong. So if you’re buying products that don’t ship to SA, you give your overseas address. As soon your order is delivered there (often the same day), Postbox Courier will send it straight to your door.

The whole process usually takes around three to five working days, and Postbox Courier handles your package every step of the way, meaning that it won’t get stuck at customs, and you won’t get stung with the wrong VAT duty.

To put it simply – you do the fun shopping part, while they take care of the rest.

Visit the Postbox Courier website to take your retail therapy global.