Let us start by defining what cross-border shopping and proxy servers are before discussing how they can be used together.
What Is Cross-Border Shopping?
Cross-border shopping involves buying products from another country. Since the internet has no physical boundaries, many online retailers have taken advantage of this opportunity to make their products available to customers from all around the world through their e-commerce stores or online stores. This has been a great benefit to shoppers, who can now conveniently access millions of products and brands from the comfort of their homes, only needing a mobile phone or computer and an internet connection.
The vast selection of products is one of the primary reasons why people shop from foreign online stores; they have more options compared to when shopping locally. Furthermore, availability is another factor, as certain items may not be available in their country, so the only way to obtain them is to order them from a foreign country. Price is also a contributing factor, as people can find many products with a much lower cost in foreign online shops. Retailers are frequent cross-border shoppers, as prices are usually lower when buying in bulk, allowing them to resell foreign products to their local customers.
Some companies also have different prices for each region. For example, the cost of the most recent AAA game might be listed in USD for the American region, and the same amount in EUR for the European region. However, 100USD and 100EUR are not equivalent – the difference is almost 15%! Additionally, by using a proxy from a different region, buyers can find lower prices on software, streaming service subscriptions, plane tickets, holiday deals, and many other items.
What Is a Proxy Server?
A proxy server acts as a gateway between an internet user and the rest of the web. It intercepts and relays web requests, hiding the user’s IP address and location from the target website. This means that websites can only see the proxy’s IP address, which is different from the user’s. The proxy then receives the responses to the user’s requests and passes the content to their original IP address. This allows them to choose a proxy IP address from any location, making it appear as if the request originated from that location.
The primary benefit of a proxy server is that it keeps IP addresses and locations private, protecting sensitive data and ensuring that no traces of online activity are left behind. This is incredibly helpful when shopping across borders; a proxy server allows users to pretend they are in another country, giving them access to international products and services.
Reasons to Use a Proxy for Cross-Border Shopping
At times, masking your identity as a foreign customer can enhance your transnational online purchasing experience. This is because certain e-commerce platforms offer differing content for users in different countries. For instance, some items from a Chinese e-commerce store may not be accessible to shoppers in the US or Europe, even though they are accessible to customers in China. To appear as a Chinese buyer in this situation, using a proxy can be beneficial. It allows you to select a Chinese IP address, so you appear to be a regular shopper.
Furthermore, by concealing your authentic location and making e-commerce stores think you’re a local consumer, you can benefit from price discrepancies and spend substantially less money on the products you’re interested in.
Best Proxies for Cross-Border Shopping
With OneProxy, you can ensure that your true location and IP address are kept hidden at all times when shopping across borders. This protects you from bans and blocks while giving you access to premium residential and datacenter proxies with IPs from all over the world. Residential proxies are the best option for international shopping as they provide an IP address from a real device within the country you’re shopping in, making them secure and reliable. Datacenter proxies, although they offer high speeds and unlimited bandwidth, are not the most secure choice.
