Why I am importing my Owala FreeSip from the US instead of buying in NZ

Why I traded my old bottle for an Owala in 2026

I used to be a die-hard Stanley fan, but lately, I have noticed that everyone in my social circle in Auckland has moved on. The Owala FreeSip has officially taken over. It is not just about the trendy colors; it is the patented spout that lets me sip through a straw or swig through the opening. I honestly found it much more convenient for my morning gym sessions and office desk.

We Can Buy Owala FreeSip (Limited Edition 'Color Drop') For You

Merchant Owala Official Amazon US Target

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 ^*

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

However, finding the specific colors I wanted in New Zealand stores was a headache. Most of the local shops only carry the basic range, and they sell out almost immediately. That is when I started looking at the US market, where the variety is endless.

The price gap between NZ and the US is wild

I did a quick comparison and was shocked. In New Zealand, a standard 24oz Owala can retail for a significant markup, often reaching upwards of $90 or $100 NZD once you factor in the "limited" nature of certain shades. When I checked the official US site, the price was around $30 to $40 USD. Even with the exchange rate and shipping, I realized I could get a much cooler, limited-edition design for nearly the same price as a boring one here. I love using comGateway because they give me a tax-free US address in Oregon, which means I don't pay any US sales tax on my purchase. This makes the price gap even more noticeable.

Scoring the limited edition Color Drop from New Zealand

The real prize for me was the "Color Drop" series. These are exclusive, limited-run designs that Owala releases every few weeks. They are highly collectible and almost impossible to find outside the US. I managed to grab one recently, and the design is unlike anything I have seen on the shelves at home. To make this happen, I had to act fast and use a freight forwarder to get it from the US to my door in NZ.

My shipping estimates and weight breakdown

If you are thinking about doing this, you probably want to know what the shipping will look like. I used the shipping calculator to get an idea of the costs before I hit the checkout button. Here is my rough guide for a single 24oz or 32oz Owala FreeSip bottle:

I usually check the prohibited items list just to be safe, but water bottles are perfectly fine to ship. If you are ever unsure about a specific item, the FAQ on their site is super helpful for clarifying shipping rules.

My secret for US stores that block my Kiwi credit card

One hurdle I ran into was that some US stores are quite picky. I have tried to buy gear from brands like Nike or even certain boutique retailers that host Owala drops, only to have my order cancelled because I used a New Zealand credit card. Some stores also flag orders sent to package forwarding addresses. This is where I found a great workaround.

I started using the "BuyForMe" service. The problem is that many US websites simply won't accept international payment methods or they block forwarders. The solution is easy: I just tell comGateway what I want, and they buy it on my behalf using a US-based credit card. This is the safest way to guarantee my order doesn't get cancelled at the last second. It is a lifesaver for those high-heat limited edition drops where you only have a few minutes to complete your purchase before it sells out.

A few things I learned about NZ customs

We are lucky in New Zealand because the GST threshold is quite straightforward, but I always keep an eye on it when I am importing stuff. For most single-bottle orders, it is a breeze. I have found that the process of forwarding packages from the US is often faster than some of the local shipping I have experienced within the North Island! My last Owala arrived in less than 10 days, which was impressive for a parcel traveling halfway across the world. If you want a bottle that stands out and you want to save a bit of cash compared to the local reseller prices, I highly recommend looking at the US stores.