Is the US Nothing Phone (3) actually better than waiting for the Dutch launch?

Why I think the Nothing Phone (3) hype is actually justified

I’ve been following Carl Pei’s journey since the first OnePlus days, but the 2026 launch of the Nothing Phone (3) feels different. This isn't just another incremental update; it's a statement. With the revamped Glyph Interface 3.0 and that sleek, transparent aesthetic we’ve all come to love, I found myself constantly refreshing tech forums to see when it would finally hit the shelves in the Netherlands. While looking at us trends, I noticed that the US version was already shipping with some pretty aggressive trade-in deals that we just don't see here in Europe yet.

Start Your Buy For Me Request for Nothing Phone (3)

Merchant Nothing US Amazon US StockX

Ship To Afghanistan Albania Algeria American Samoa Andorra Angola Anguilla Antarctica Antigua and Barbuda Argentina Armenia Aruba Australia Austria Azerbaijan Bahamas Bahrain Bangladesh Barbados Belarus Belgium Belize Benin Bermuda Bhutan Bolivia Bonaire, Sint Eustatius and Saba Bosnia and Herzegovina Botswana Bouvet Island Brazil British Indian Ocean Territory Brunei Darussalam Bulgaria Burkina Faso Burundi Cabo Verde Cambodia Cameroon Canada Cayman Islands Central African Republic Chad Chile China Christmas Island Cocos (Keeling) Islands Colombia Comoros Congo Congo, The Democratic Republic of the Cook Islands Costa Rica Croatia Cuba Curaçao Cyprus Czechia Côte d'Ivoire Denmark Djibouti Dominica Dominican Republic Ecuador Egypt El Salvador Equatorial Guinea Eritrea Estonia Eswatini Ethiopia Falkland Islands (Malvinas) Faroe Islands Fiji Finland France French Guiana French Polynesia French Southern Territories Gabon Gambia Georgia Germany Ghana Gibraltar Greece Greenland Grenada Guadeloupe Guam Guatemala Guernsey Guinea Guinea-Bissau Guyana Haiti Heard Island and McDonald Islands Holy See (Vatican City State) Honduras Hong Kong Hungary Iceland India Indonesia Iran Iraq Ireland Isle of Man Israel Italy Jamaica Japan Jersey Jordan Kazakhstan Kenya Kiribati Kuwait Kyrgyzstan Lao People's Democratic Republic Latvia Lebanon Lesotho Liberia Libya Liechtenstein Lithuania Luxembourg Macao Madagascar Malawi Malaysia Maldives Mali Malta Marshall Islands Martinique Mauritania Mauritius Mayotte Mexico Micronesia, Federated States of Moldova Monaco Mongolia Montenegro Montserrat Morocco Mozambique Myanmar Namibia Nauru Nepal Netherlands New Caledonia New Zealand Nicaragua Niger Nigeria Niue Norfolk Island North Korea North Macedonia Northern Mariana Islands Norway Oman Pakistan Palau Palestine, State of Panama Papua New Guinea Paraguay Peru Philippines Pitcairn Poland Portugal Puerto Rico Qatar Romania Russian Federation Rwanda Réunion Saint Barthélemy Saint Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha Saint Kitts and Nevis Saint Lucia Saint Martin (French part) Saint Pierre and Miquelon Saint Vincent and the Grenadines Samoa San Marino Sao Tome and Principe Saudi Arabia Senegal Serbia Seychelles Sierra Leone Singapore Sint Maarten (Dutch part) Slovakia Slovenia Solomon Islands Somalia South Africa South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands South Korea South Sudan Spain Sri Lanka Sudan Suriname Svalbard and Jan Mayen Sweden Switzerland Syrian Arab Republic Taiwan Tajikistan Tanzania Thailand Timor-Leste Togo Tokelau Tonga Trinidad and Tobago Tunisia Turkmenistan Turks and Caicos Islands Tuvalu Türkiye Uganda Ukraine United Arab Emirates United Kingdom United States United States Minor Outlying Islands Uruguay Uzbekistan Vanuatu Venezuela Vietnam Virgin Islands, British Virgin Islands, U.S. Wallis and Futuna Western Sahara Yemen Zambia Zimbabwe Åland Islands

Your Email

Product Url ^*

Product Name ^*

Unit Price (USD)^*

EST Service Fee: $59.9 $29.95

Quantity ^*

Color

Size

Instructions

Submit your proxy shopping order now and enjoy 50% OFF the service fee.

Plus, get 10% OFF international shipping on your first shipment.

Submit Order

I was particularly impressed by the rumors of the new custom chipset and the improved camera processing. My current phone is starting to show its age, and the Nothing Phone (3) seems like the perfect leap into the mid-2026 tech landscape. The problem? The US got the first bite of the apple, and I didn't want to wait months for the local distribution channels to catch up.

Why I looked at US stores instead of waiting for local stock

I started wondering if I could just grab the US version. Why wait? In the US, major retailers are offering exclusive bundles—think Nothing Ear (3) included for a fraction of the price—and the trade-in values for older devices are significantly higher than what I could get at a local shop in Amsterdam. I realized that by using a freight forwarder, I could potentially have the phone in my hands weeks before my friends.

I spent some time browsing various shop us store options to compare prices. Even with the exchange rate, the base price in the US often looks more attractive, especially when you factor in the lack of early-bird discounts in the EU market. However, I knew I needed a reliable way to get it here without the package getting lost in the Atlantic.

The logistics of getting a US phone to my Dutch doorstep

My first step was finding a way to bridge the gap between a US-only shipping address and my home. I decided to use comGateway because they provide a tax-free us address in Oregon. This is a huge win because it means I don't have to pay US sales tax on top of the purchase price. When I was setting everything up, I made sure to check their FAQ to understand how they handle high-value electronics like smartphones.

I also wanted to make sure I wasn't going to be blindsided by the shipping fees. I used the shipping calculator to get a rough estimate of what it would cost to fly a small, light box from Oregon to the Netherlands. It turned out to be quite reasonable, especially considering the speed of the service. I’ve used a parcel forwarding service before, but the transparency here made me feel more confident about this specific purchase.

The credit card struggle and how I bypassed it

I ran into a major wall when I tried to checkout. I noticed that several US stores, including some of the big ones like Apple, Nike, or Sephora, have a habit of blocking international credit cards or outright declining orders sent to known forwarders. I tried my Dutch card three times, and each time, the order was cancelled within minutes. It was incredibly frustrating to see the "Order Cancelled" email hit my inbox over and over again.

This is where I discovered the BuyForMe service. Essentially, comGateway acts as an assisted purchase partner. I told them what I wanted, and they used a US domestic credit card to buy the Nothing Phone (3) on my behalf. Because the transaction looks like a local US purchase, the store didn't flag it. This proxy shopping method is honestly the safest way to guarantee your order doesn't get stuck in cancellation limbo. If you're dealing with a difficult store that refuses your non-US card, I highly recommend this route.

What I learned about Dutch import taxes and shipping costs

I couldn't ignore the reality of bringing goods into the EU. When the phone arrives in the Netherlands, I knew I’d have to deal with the tax man. Check our guide on import duties to get a better idea of how these are calculated. For us in the Netherlands, you have to account for the VAT (BTW) and potentially some customs fees depending on the total value of the shipment.

I used the estimate shipping cost tool again to include these potential duties in my budget. Even with the customs tax, the total price still felt competitive compared to the expected Dutch retail price, mostly because I saved so much on the initial US purchase price and the lack of US sales tax. Being prepared for the GST/VAT payment meant there were no nasty surprises when the courier knocked on my door.

My final verdict on the import process

I’ve been using the Nothing Phone (3) for a week now, and I don't regret my decision. The process of using a package forwarding service was much smoother than I anticipated. If you are a tech enthusiast in the Netherlands who doesn't want to wait for the local 2026 release cycle, importing is a very viable option. Just make sure you use the assisted purchase service if the US store gives you any grief with your credit card.

If you have questions about the specific steps, I found that the support team was actually very responsive. I’m already looking at other popular products I can grab from the US now that I know how easy it is to forward packages across the globe. Is it a bit of extra work? Yes. But for the early access and the better deals, I think it’s a total win.