India is an untapped demographic for most international beauty brands. Slowly but swiftly, many major beauty houses are understanding the importance of the large, sizeable beauty-loving community in India that could potentially generate additional millions of dollars in revenue. If you are a makeup enthusiast and love shopping from international websites, read through these important pointers.

1. Payment

• 80% of international websites accept Indian credit cards, a handful accepts debit cards, and few allow Paypal. 
• Don't be fooled by the accepted exchange rate. If the day's exchange rate is 68 (INR-$), some banks may charge as high as 70 (INR-$). Always check your bank's transaction rate before shopping.
• Opt for Paypal if available as a payment option. There is a considerate difference in the exchange rates as compared to the banks. Also, they provide buyer protection and you can raise a dispute in case you haven't received your products or received damaged products.

2. Shipping

• Most international websites use USPS (US) or Royal Mail (UK) for delivery. Read the transit time carefully, it will be mostly under the FAQ page of the website. 
• USPS usually takes an average of 20 days to deliver your package. 
• USPS hands over the package to Indian Postal office for delivery and service here in India, so have your local mail man's phone number handy.
• In case you haven't received your package within the stipulated time, contact the customer service immediately. Also, get in touch with the Nodal Postal office in your city. Most international baggage sorting facility will be in the Nodal office.
• As far as FedEx, DHL, and other private carriers are concerned, you have nothing to worry about except customs. They will contact you throughout the import process and you most certainly can track your package. 
• Be prepared with your KYC (Know your Customer) customs clearance documents (mostly 2 ID proofs, and address proofs) if you are a first-time international shopper.

3. Customs

• Customs duty on cosmetics is almost 37% (cosmetics is classified under unassisted baggage). If you are charged customs then you will have to pay additional cash which in turn can make your international shopping experience a big bust. 
• Keep your order below $50 to avoid unnecessary Customs duty. 
• Priority packages go through customs checking more than USPS.
• Some companies devalue the goods or mark items as 'Gift' to escape customs duty. Though not a fool proof method, if caught you will have to shell out double the duty.
• Customs randomly selects the package to inspect if the items are shipped via USPS. All items shipped through FedEx and DHL mandatorily goes through customs clearance. So basically, customs duty depends on your luck.
• Contact your Customs office through their social media handle. Cochin Customs is quite active on Facebook and are quick to reply to any queries.
• If you are unhappy with the service provided by Customs or have any items missing, send an email to the Commissioner of Customs (Google the email details for your area). Though there is no guarantee for a prompt reply, you can expect some reply.

4. Transit Time

• Waiting for your package is the most excruciating process of the whole shopping experience. Transit times can vary from a week (USPS: Makeupgeek) to 20 days (BeautyBay) to 1 month (BeautyJoint). 
• If you haven't received your items within the stipulated time, it's time to contact Customer Service.

5. Return/Refund Policy

• Read the Return/Refund policy carefully. Some companies will happily offer refund or free replacements for missing packages, some are little hard to crack through. BeautyBay/BH Cosmetics offers replacement on missing packages.
• Be persistent, and push for refunds. Don't give up if you haven't received a reply to your email to Customer Service. 
• If you have used Paypal for payment, raise a dispute.
• Contact the companies via their social media handles, Instagram, Twitter etc. Most are quick to respond through social media.

If you guys have some shopping tricks and tips, share down in the comments section.

International Beauty Websites That Ship To India

Luxola: A new player in the beauty market, operating from SG, they stock some much in-demand products like TheBalm, Zoeva, Sigma and so on. Priced slightly higher, the cost includes Customs  and duty charges.

I recently bought TheBalm palette from their website, the mirror of which came broken. The Customer Care was super supportive, and they arranged for a return pick up at no extra cost.

They ship via Aramex and you can track your package. My packages usually reach India within 3-4 days.
Shipping Charges: Free above ₹3000. ₹1000 for anything below the cut-off

UPDATE: Luxola doesn't ship to India anymore :(

Beauty Bay: To be honest, I was slightly skeptical, the first time I shopped from them, as the online reviews were not so glorious. I had to trust the courier gods and shop, as UD was at  40% off. I bought the UD Naked Basics palette. I received my package in 20 days. Payment is in British Pounds. One negative point is the packaging. Though the product itself was bubble wrapped, the outer cover was torn and in poor condition.
Shipping Charges: INR 600 flat-rate for orders below INR 6000 via British Mail. Above 6000 INR, shipping is free.

UPDATE: Lost 2 packages. Had to a tough time getting the refund on the package 1, I got the refund for package 2 easily.

iHerb: I had my first tryst with international shopping on the iHerb website. They stock RT, and back in the time, they were the only source of RT brushes at affordable rates. I had to pay Customs duty the first time around ($10 for an item valued at $18). The next time, I didn't pay. The shipping is super fast, reaches India in 3 days flat and they ship via DHL. The shipping charges are close to $10. They always have some coupons that you can use so it would be a great idea if you can search online for a coupon code before making the purchase.
Shipping Charges: $10 for DHL (depends on weight)

BeautyJoint: One stop destination for US drug store products. They stock brands like NYC, ELF, Milani, LA Girl and so on. They ship via USPS, and I usually receive my packages in a month or so.
Shipping Charges: $5-6 for untracked standard shipping (depends on weight)

Makeup Geek: A favorite website to shop from, their brushes are to die for. Yes, especially, the face brush. I have shopped from their website twice, both times the items reached me in less than a month. The personalized custom message by MUG staff is a brilliant branding effort.
Shipping Charges: $8 for USPS

Real Techniques: RT products can be sourced from their mother site. The only issue is the wait time. I received my package after 1.5 months. I was scared, of all the horror stories I had heard of lost packages. I sent numerous emails to their customer care, without a reply. Finally, when I posted a complaint on their FB page, they deleted my comment !!!let's just say, I never shopped from them again.
Shipping Charges: $2 for standard shipping

Coastal Scents: I shopped from them a long time before, in 2014, during one of their sales. Took a month to receive the package via USPS. Coastal Scents sends generous samples. The shipping cost is towards the higher end, but if you can shop during the Sales, you can save money and the shipping cost doesn't tug your purse strings.
Shipping Charges: $16 for USPS standard shipping

Sleek MakeUP: I shopped from the once, only to have lost the package mysteriously. The Customer Care was extremely supportive and send in another package, and this time, a speedy one, at a different address based on my request. Kudos to them on customer service.
Shipping Charges: $3 for standard shipping

BH Cosmetics: Billed in US dollars, this website gives a lot of onus to customer satisfaction. I had ordered for a palette and a brush from them. I received the package in 20 days, but the cardboard package was empty. The contents must have slipped off from the package (talk about shoddy packaging). I send the images as proof to the customer care. They asked me if I would like a replacement. I received my replacement in again 20 days, but this time, one of the items were missing. I emailed the customer care and they were happy to refund the cost of that item.
Shipping Charges: $5 for standard shipping

Makeup Revolution: Billed in British Pounds, this is another website that gives lot of onus to customer satisfaction. I received my package in 15 days. Neatly packaged. I had to use PayPal for money transfer. Currently, they accept all credit and debit cards.
Shipping Charges: $12.30 for standard shipping

Cult Beauty: Another UK website that stocks Becca and ABH products. I purchased Becca products from them during their Anniversary promotions.  First-time customers will receive free shipping and if you complete a survey on their website, you will get a 10% off on your second purchase. I paid via PayPal and I received my products in 10 days as a registered post.
Shipping Charges: INR 600

Anastasia Beverly Hills: This famous US based brand provides 2-day priority shipping to international customers. The courier partner is FedEx and the courier reached me in 5 days. Payment is through Paypal or Credit Cards.
Shipping Charges: $18 Flat for FedEx priority shipping
Customs Duty: INR 2000 ($30) for $65 (exclusive of shipping) valued good/INR 1261 for $45 (exclusive of shipping) valued good.

Kylie Cosmetics: The 'K' brand offers shipping to India via USPS. I received my package in 15 days. Payment can be made via Paypal or Credit card.
Shipping Charges: $15 flat and free above $60.

Jeffree Star Cosmetics: Offers shipping to India through APC Postal Logistics. I received the package in 20days. When the package didn't arrive in 17 days, I send an email to info.apcpli@gmail.com requesting for information and they gladly gave me the tracking number. From there on the tracking process was easy-breezy. Wish they had given the tracking at the time of shipping itself. 
Shipping Charges: $11 and may vary based on package weight.

Colourpop: Shipping is via USPS and I received my package in 20 days. They do have free international shipping offers now and then. You can use credit card or Paypal.
Shipping Charges: For international orders below $50, the shipping cost is around $15. Above $50, the shipping is free.

Dose of Colors: Shipping is via Globegistics and I received my package in 10 days!!. You can use Paypal or credit card for the transaction.
Shipping Charges: $12 for orders below $50.

Notes

• I am not affiliated to any of the above-mentioned sites.

• The above mentioned are the international websites that I have shopped from, there may be others, like, Strawberrynet.in. I have not shopped from them personally, and hence not including them in the list.

• All international purchases are made through my credit card.

• I have not paid Customs duty on packages unless stated otherwise. For more information on Indian Customs Rules and Regulations, check out my post here.

• All experience my own.

• Packages shipped to Bangalore (India) or Kerala (India). Shipping time to other cities may vary.

• Images captured for the corresponding websites' home screen.

Other Websites that Ship to India (that I haven't shopped from)

• Tarte: Shipping is free above INR 5000, and below that value, the shipping charge is INR 1200.
• Huda Beauty: Shipping is free above $75 and below that value, the shipping charge is $20.
• Colored Raine: Shipping is around $9.