How it works
You paste a link. We do the other seven steps.
AmeriKiwi is run by people, not an algorithm. Here’s exactly what happens between your request and your parcel — including the parts where we might say no.
Step by step
The full process
Eight steps. You're only responsible for two of them.
- 01You
Send us the link
Paste the product page and tell us the size, colour, variant and quantity. Add anything we should know — a deadline, a substitute you'd accept, whether the packaging matters.
Takes about two minutes. You don't need an account and you don't pay anything yet.
- 02Us
We review it properly
Our software flags obvious problems immediately, then a person checks the product against what can actually be imported and flown. If it can't come in, we tell you why in plain English.
Automated checks are triage only. A human makes every decision, and human review is always the authority.
- 03Us
We prepare an itemised quote
Product cost, US domestic shipping, US sales tax, our service fee, international freight, NZ delivery and estimated duty — each on its own line, in New Zealand dollars.
Anything we can't pin down before we've handled the parcel is clearly labelled as an estimate.
- 04You
Accept and pay
Happy with the quote? Accept it and pay. Not happy? Decline it — there's no obligation and nothing to cancel.
We don't buy anything before payment clears.
- 05Us
We buy it in America
We place the order with our US card and US address, then send you the retailer's order number and US tracking.
This is the step that defeats most people — US retailers reject NZ cards constantly.
- 06Us
It lands at our US location
We open it, check it's the right item in the right condition, photograph anything that isn't, then weigh and measure it.
If you've got several orders in flight, this is where we consolidate them so you pay freight once.
- 07Us
We prepare it and fly it over
Repacked to reduce volume where that's safe, declared correctly, booked onto a freight service and handed over.
You get the carrier and the international tracking number the moment it ships.
- 08Us
It arrives and gets delivered
It clears into New Zealand, goes to a local courier and turns up at your door. The timeline in your dashboard updates the whole way.
If anything goes sideways, you get a person who already knows your order.
Your tracking timeline
Twelve states, one reference number
This is the exact timeline you see in your dashboard. Every change is stamped with who did it and when.
- 1
Request received
We have your request and it is queued for a human to review.
- 2
Product review complete
Good news — we can look into buying this. We're preparing your quote.
- 3
Quote ready
Your itemised quote is ready to review.
- 4
Awaiting payment
You've accepted the quote. We'll start as soon as payment clears.
- 5
Payment received
Payment received. We're buying your item in the US.
- 6
Purchased in the USA
We've bought it. Next stop: our US receiving address.
- 7
Arrived at our US location
It's landed with us in the US. We check and measure everything.
- 8
Prepared for New Zealand
Checked, repacked and booked onto a freight service.
- 9
On the way
Your parcel is in transit to New Zealand.
- 10
Arrived in New Zealand
Touched down in New Zealand and clearing for local delivery.
- 11
With local courier
Out with your local courier for the last leg.
- 12
Delivered
Delivered. We hope it was worth the wait.
How long does it take?
- Review and quote
- Usually within one business day
- US retailer dispatch
- 1–7 days, depending on the shop
- Transit to our US address
- 2–6 days
- Check, repack and book
- 1–2 days
- Air freight to New Zealand
- 5–12 days
- NZ clearance and courier
- 1–4 days
Two to four weeks end to end is typical. Pre-orders and made-to-order items take as long as the retailer takes.
How freight is priced
Air freight charges on whichever is greater: what the parcel actually weighs, or how much space it takes up. That second number is the volumetric weight:
length × width × height ÷ 5000
A pair of shoes in a big retail box can be charged as three times its real weight — which is why we repack. We can’t know the true number until the parcel is in our hands, so freight is quoted as an estimate and confirmed once we’ve measured it.
Ready when you are
Paste the link and we’ll start with step two.