When I launched My Strap-on nearly a year ago, I had no idea that my little website would attract an international audience. I wrote my buying guides with the intent of sharing them with my local kink community, so it came as quite a shock when I started receiving emails from around the world asking me where a strap-on can be purchased in their own country. The vast majority of these emails come from Middle Eastern and Asian countries where local laws and customs make it very difficult to buy a sex toy. I don’t know enough about their local markets to answer where specifically one can buy a sex toy in their country, but I have found a solution to help you obtain a sex toy in a country where they aren’t easily found: Buy them overseas and have them shipped to your home.
With this solution in mind, I created a quick and easy reference table of international payment methods and shipping policies offered by the leading American online sex shops. While Good Vibrations and Babeland explicitly state which countries they ship to, other stores like The Stockroom do not list which countries they will or will not ship to in their store policies. In these instances, I have used the label, “No country restrictions listed on their website.” If you are interested in buying from them, I recommend contacting them in advance to confirm that they will ship to you.
| Store | Payment Methods | Country Restrictions |
|---|---|---|
| Babeland | Visa, Mastercard, American Express, PayPal, Babeland eGift Cards | We ship to the following countries: Australia, Austria, Bahamas, Belgium, Bermuda, Brazil, Canada, Cayman Islands, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Monaco, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Puerto Rico, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, United Kingdom, Virgin Islands, U.S. |
| Good Vibrations | Visa, MasterCard, American Express, Discover, check, money order | We ship to the following countries: Albania, Algeria, Andorra, Angola, Antigua, Argentina, Armenia, Australia, Austria, Azerbaijan, Bahamas, Bahrain, Bangladesh, Barbados, Belarus, Belgium, Belize, Benin, Bhutan, Bolivia, Bosnia Herzegovina, Botswana, Brazil, Brunei, Bulgaria, Burundi, Cambodia, Cameroon, Canada, Cape Verde, Chad, Chile, China, Colombia, Comoros, Costa Rica, Croatia, Cuba, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Djibouti, Dominica, Dominican Republic, East Timor, Ecuador, Egypt, El Salvador, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Estonia, Ethiopia, Fiji, Finland, France, Gabon, Gambia, Georgia, Germany, Greece, Grenada, Guatemala, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Guyana, Haiti, Honduras, Hungary, Iceland, India, Iran, Iraq, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Ivory Coast, Jamaica, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Kenya, Kiribati, South Korea, Kosovo, Kuwait, Kyrgyzstan, Laos, Latvia, Lebanon, Lesotho, Liberia, Libya, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Macedonia, Madagascar, Malawi, Maldives, Mali, Malta, Marshall Islands, Mauritania, Mauritius, Micronesia, Moldova, Monaco, Mongolia, Montenegro, Morocco, Mozambique, Myanmar, Namibia, Nauru, Nepal, Netherlands, New Zealand, Nicaragua, Niger, Norway, Oman, Pakistan, Palau, Panama, Papua New Guinea, Paraguay, Peru, Philippines, Poland, Portugal, Qatar, Romania, Russian Federation, Rwanda, St Kitts & Nevis, St Lucia, Saint Vincent & the Grenadines, Samoa, San Marino, Sao Tome & Principe, Saudi Arabia, Senegal, Serbia, Seychelles, Sierra Leone, Slovakia, Slovenia, Solomon Islands, Somalia, South Africa, South Sudan, Spain, Sri Lanka, Sudan, Suriname, Swaziland, Sweden, Switzerland, Syria, Taiwan, Tajikistan, Tanzania, Togo, Tonga, Trinidad & Tobago, Tunisia, Turkey, Turkmenistan, Tuvalu, Uganda, Ukraine, United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom, Uruguay, Uzbekistan, Vanuatu, Vatican City, Venezuela, Yemen, Zambia, Zimbabwe |
| The Stockroom | Visa, MasterCard, Discover, Amex, JCB, international money orders | No country restrictions listed on their website. |
| SheVibe | International payments are processed through International Checkout, which accepts PayPal, credit cards, and bank transfers | No country restrictions listed on their website. |
| Tantus | Visa, MasterCard, American Express, PayPal | No country restrictions listed on their website. |
| Early2Bed | Credit cards, check, money order | We DO NOT ship to the following countries: Afghanistan, Argentina, Bahrain, Brazil, China, Egypt, French Polynesia, Ghana, India, Indonesia, Iran, Jamaica, Jordan, Korea, Kuwait, Lebanon, Malaysia, Mexico, Morocco, Nigeria, Pakistan, Philippines, Rwanda, Russian Federation, Saudi Arabia, Spain, Sri Lanka, Taiwan, Tanzania, Thailand, United Arab Emirates, Venezuela, Vietnam, Ukraine, and Yemen. |
| Fleshlight | Visa, MasterCard, American Express, Discover, money order | We DO NOT ship to the following countries: Afghanistan, Anguilla, Antigua & Barbuda, Argentina, Bahamas, Bahrain, Barbados, Belize, Bermuda, Bolivia, Bonaire, Brazil, Canary Island, Cayman Islands, China, Columbia, Costa Rica, Curacao, Dominica, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Egypt, El Salvador, French Guiana, French Polynesia, Ghana, Grenada, Guadeloupe, Guatemala, Guyana, Haiti, Honduras, India, Indonesia, Iran, Iraq, Jamaica, Japan, Jordan, Korea, Kuwait, Lebanon, Lesotho, Malaysia, Mexico, Montserrat, Morocco, Namibia, Nicaragua, Nigeria, Oman, Pakistan, Paraguay, Peru, Philippines, Qatar, Rwanda, Russian Federation, Saudi Arabia, Sri Lanka, St. Barthelemy, St. Eustatius, St. Kitts/Nevis, St. Lucia, St. Martin, St. Vicente, Suriname, Tanzania, Thailand, Trinidad & Tobago, Turks & Caicos, United Arab Emirates, Venezuela, Vietnam, Virgin Islands, Ukraine, UK Virgin Island-Virgin Gorda, Yemen |
Regarding Customer Privacy
The sex stores I have listed in my table take customer privacy very seriously. To avoid unwanted attention, orders are shipped in plain, discreet packaging with non-sexual business names in their return address. Stores are required by law to declare the contents of the package on the customs form, but they use discreet descriptions such as, “novelty item,” “massager,” or “plastic toy.”
Good Vibrations states in their shipping policy that they will remove the sex toy’s original packaging when shipping to certain countries in order to comply with local laws and avoid trouble at customs. Other stores may offer the same service if you request it before ordering.
The Risks
Ordering a product that is legally questionable in your country always carries the risk of being confiscated at customs. All of these online sex stores clearly state in their shipping policies that they will not provide a refund if your order is seized by customs. Do not make an order if you are not willing to take this financial risk.
Additionally, international shipping charges do not cover import duties, fees, and taxes that are levied upon the package’s arrival in your home country. Set aside extra money in case you receive an unexpected bill from the government.
Above all else, read the store’s shipping policy before placing an order. The policy clearly states what parts of the shipping process are your responsibility, so that there is no confusion if there is trouble at customs.
Photo Credit: Pleasure Happens