Shipping to Belize: Can You Online Shop/Amazon Prime in Belize?

I get this question quite a bit:  Does Amazon Prime ship to Belize?  And so I’ll answer.

The answer is Yes…well…sorta…but…

Here are the buts – they might seem like significant hurdles if you are used to ordering regularly or even daily on Amazon (or other quick shipping companies):

• You need to have an international credit card/valid payment method
• You need to FIRST ship it to a shipping/consolidating company in the US (generally Houston, LA or Miami) for further shipment to Belize (so there is a middleman!)
• It is most certainly NOT going to arrive in 24- to 48-hours

But let me back up a bit…

I moved to Belize in May 2007. Amazon Prime was just starting in the US—I had never heard of it. It was still very limited and didn’t have many subscribers. The very first iPhone was just about to be released in the US. And I was churning butter every Sunday. (I’m kidding about that last one, but that’s probably how kids now picture those days!)

Online shopping was just getting off the ground.  Amazon, with its current 200 million subscribers, its fleet of Amazon delivery vehicles and planes and space shuttles, was not a thing…yet.  It was a very different time. It was a time of flip phones, paper clothing catalogs arriving in the mail, and TiVo (there was no streaming yet)

So when I moved to Belize -life here wasn’t the e-COMMERCE CULTURE SHOCK that some might experience today.  You couldn’t just think of something and have it in your house 24 hours later unless you went outside, got in a vehicle and went to an actual store.  OH THE HUMANITY!

Read:  16 Things No One Told Me About Living in Belize

I definitely wouldn’t say that I am one of those people who wants to renounce all material thingsand bring as few things as possible for my move to Belize. I like my stuff. I shudder when I watch those tiny house shows. Trying to jam all your things in a 125-square-foot box or home sounds like hell to me.

I like shopping for things (to a degree); it’s so fun to buy stuff that makes you feel good.  Simple stuff.  Like pretty smelling soaps or Easter candy you remember from when you were young or a new pair of flip-flops once in a while.

And I am an avid user of the internet and social media where it seems like these days, 95% of it is devoted to selling something to me.  I might be lowballing it but whether it’s a targeted ad, an Instagram influencer, a list of top 10 SOMETHINGs that YOU need, Wirecutter from the NYTimes, things to buy are everywhere!

PLUS, imported goods in Belize can be expensive and limited in selection so…when a friend talked about shipping from the US a few years back, I listened.

And started using one of the MANY consolidating companies that ships to Belize.  Some ship monthly, some twice a month.  Usually from Houston, Miami or Los Angelos…google it.

I use one called Joseph Freight.  I’ve recommended them to people with varying degrees of success.  People have had issues – I have had none.  I suggest you ask friends – you might find that EVERYONE is shipping.

Many folks recommend Belizean Queen Freight to me. They have a website AND tracking services. You can shop around.

Here’s how “my” company works.  I send things to their address in Miami when I want to order.  Throughout the month.  They have a set schedule for shipping – posted a few months in advance.  Generally, 2nd and the 4th Mondays of the month.  They consolidate my various packages into one or two boxes. (Sometimes they charge me a consolidation fee, sometimes they don’t) 

They ship it (by truck or cargo ship; I don’t need to know the details) to San Ignacio, Belize. It almost always takes about two weeks.

If the stevedores in Belize City are on strike…it might take longer.

Once my stuff arrives in San Ignacio – they WhatsApp me a shipping fee, I pay it via Belize Bank transfer (or via Paypal) and…they ship to me in San Pedro.  On the water taxi from Belize City.

The next day is one of my favorite days of the month.  Shipping day!

Here’s the box I picked up earlier this week.  Shipping from the US to Belize was $80bzd.  They calculate it based on the size of the box only.  Not weight.  Not contents.  Size of the box.  Allegedly, I could order a small anvil and 5000 ball bearings and if they fit in this box, it would be the same price.

Shipping on the water taxi from Belize City to San Pedro was $8-12bzd.

We’ve shipped quite a bit of stuff over the last 5 years – especially around the holidays – and I’ve received it all. We’ve been sending down things for the new camp – from sheets and blankets to lighting and rugs.

But again…ask your friends in person or on Facebook which companies they use.  Many have set rates for larger boxes and computers and electronics – we shipped down a FireTV a few years back – it had a special, higher rate.

Here’s a random box of things I like to order. In case you are wondering what sort of stuff I ship…

1.// CeraVe Face Cleanser  2.//  Lion Mane for Dog Costume   3.//  Rope Woven Bag  4.//  Rodelle Organics Baker’s Extract  5.//  Twining’s Tea Three Pack  6.//  All Day Allergy Tablets- 300 ct.  7.//Bacon Flavored Benebones (2)  8.// Silicone Micowave Popcorn Bowl  9.// Single Coconut & Papaya Soap & 3-pack Hemp and Vetiver Soap

#4 because I bake ALOT and imported Vanilla extract is EXPENSIVE here.  This Baker’s Extract is delicious, and I think it is as good as real vanilla for baking.    #5 because I LOVE Irish Breakfast tea and I can’t find it in Belize.  #6 because of the massive savings I get by ordering these allergy pills online.  #7 because our dogs LOVE Benebones.  They are chawing on them all the time.  And #2?  Well…why does anyone need a dog’s lion mane costume.  Because it’s awesome.  #8 – we use this EVERY SINGLE DAY. Literally. Popcorn popped in coconut oil is just divine when watching Hulu or Netflix in the evening.

Whether you are interested in what I ordered or not – here’s my point…you CAN order Amazon or whatever (these items just all happen to be from Amazon because while it is a black hole for the world’s economy, it’s just SO dang convenient!) but it is going to take a while for it to get here.

So yes, you can ship Amazon Prime to Belize…but there are a few more stops in between you and the company.   If you are in Belize, Prime does NOT mean overnight…or even 2-3 days.  It means 2 weeks…maybe 4 weeks…maybe 6.

Patience 🙂

Please let me know how/if you do it.

And also, one reluctant but necessary note:  Please don’t send me messages that you are disappointed that I am not Buying Local.  I LOVE local products – Belize companies, for instance, make great soap and great bags…but sometimes?  I like a little variety.