Shipping company Shiptanbul now offers Israeli customers a Greek address for shopping from websites of their favorite international companies that don't ship directly to Israel. This is particularly good news for Turkish shopping enthusiasts who lost access to a favorite online destination.
Customers can order from Zara Greece, Mango Greece, Mango Outlet and Pull & Bear Greece, and take delivery in Israel. Prices in Greece are lower than in the country, especially during Black Friday.
The process involves using an address provided by the company in Greece, which is the location of warehouses rented by the shipping firm. From there, the company ships the ordered items to Israel. The Greek address can also be used for European or international websites that don’t ship to Israel but do ship to Greece, such as Sinsay, LC Waikiki, Sephora and C&A.
Price gaps of up to 100% compared to Zara and H&M in Israel
A random comparison of websites for brands sold in both Greece and Israel reveals that the selection in Greece is larger and the prices are almost always lower. For example, Zara sells a velvet embroidered jacket for 306 shekels (non-sale price) in Greece, compared to 529 shekels in Israel – a 73% difference. A red glitter gel-look nail polish costs 49.60 shekels in Greece versus 89.90 shekels in Israel, an 81% gap even before Black Friday discounts.
Another example comes from H&M, where a kids' sweatshirt priced at 59.90 shekels in Israel is sold for 38 shekels in Greece, a 58% difference without any sale. Ahead of Black Friday, the item is discounted to 28.60 shekels in Greece, increasing the price gap to 109%, meaning the Greek price is less than half that of Israel. Meanwhile, H&M Israel is offering a 30% discount on online items for Black Friday.
A men's denim jacket is sold for 299 shekels in Israel compared to 191 shekels in Greece – a 57% difference without any discount.
A men's hoodie with a purple-flaming skull print costs 159 shekels in Israel versus 114.80 shekels in Greece and is currently discounted to 86 shekels. The price gap stands at 38% without the discount and 85% including it.
‘We found a country cheaper than Turkey’
Greece was chosen as the new shipping destination due to its proximity to Israel, low prices and mainly because Shiptanbul's operations in Turkey collapsed due to the war and President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
The company now ships from the U.S. (competing with DealTas and RedBox) and offers shipping from Greece, competing with IDGU, which ships from the UK; BerlinBuy, which ships from Germany; and DealTas, which has also started shipping from Germany. However, no one had yet tried shipping from Greece, making Shiptanbul the first to do so.
"It's sad because I really connected with Istanbul – I lived there for three years – but they backed us into a corner and here we are. We found a country cheaper than Turkey," says Yoni Yishai, one of the two owners, who spent much of the past year in IDF reserve duty.
"When we were called up for reserve duty, the business was still running, even though all we cared about was the country. In March–April of last year, Turkey decided to stop trading with Israel. Our contract was canceled, flights to Israel were halted and we were on reserve duty,” he recalled.
“Even before that, the situation was tough. We brought packages from Turkey via trucks and through Greece. We decided to rethink our method. We launched a shipping line from the U.S., which is great because shipping from Delaware is tax-free, but we wanted to open the next Zara."
What do you mean by 'the next Zara'?
"Some 80% of the purchases Israelis made through Shiptanbul in Turkey came from Zara. The cheapest Zara brand in the world is in Spain, but shipping is expensive and there are no flights available. So, we decided on Greece. Prices there are significantly lower than in Israel.
“There's an online influencer who bought a coat from Zara Israel for 1,700 shekels and found it in Greece for 800 shekels. The price gaps will only deepen during Black Friday. Flights are challenging since only El Al operates cargo flights there, but once Aegean is set to resume soon, we’ll be able to charge even less for shipping,” he explained.
"Service is also very important to us. Packages from Greece arrive in under a week. So it’s not just cheaper, it’s also faster."
How does it work?
"Sign up on Shiptanbul's website. Browse international and Greek websites and fill your carts. The challenge with Greek sites is the language and script, which require frequent use of Google Translate or AI tools. Some sites allow switching to English.
Get the Ynetnews app on your smartphone: Google Play: https://bit.ly/4eJ37pE | Apple App Store: https://bit.ly/3ZL7iNv
"It’s recommended to create a Greek user account on the relevant sites before shopping and to compare shipping costs with competitors like those shipping from the UK or Germany. Also, compare prices to Israel, just in case it's cheaper here.”
“You can use the discount code SHOPGREECE for 15% off shipping from Greece on Shiptanbul's site. In the address field, enter the Greek address provided by Shiptanbul. Don’t forget that shipping starts at $20 – it’s not cheap. However, the price differences usually justify the cost. To avoid VAT, keep purchases under €70."