Why I used a freight forwarder to get the amaran Ace 25c delivered to New Zealand

The hype behind the amaran Ace 25c in 2026

I have been tracking the creator gear space for a while now, and the amaran Ace 25c Full Color LED Light Kit is easily the most talked-about piece of kit this year. Even in early 2026, it remains a standout because it packs 32W of power into a form factor that fits in my palm. Most lights this size barely hit 15W, so we are looking at double the brightness for our mobile setups.

Start Your Buy For Me Request for amaran Ace 25c Full Color LED Light Kit

Merchant Aputure B&H Photo Video Adorama

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: $12.5 $6.25

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

What I love about this light is the color accuracy and the magnetic mounting system. It makes setting up a professional-looking YouTube or TikTok shot incredibly fast. However, as many of my fellow Kiwi creators know, actually getting your hands on one locally has been a nightmare.

Why finding one in New Zealand is so hard

Every time I check local retailers in Auckland or Wellington, the amaran Ace 25c is listed as "out of stock" or "pre-order only." Because this light is a rising star globally, the limited shipments reaching New Zealand sell out instantly. I realized that if I wanted to upgrade my lighting before my next project, I had to look toward the United States.

US retailers like B&H or Adorama usually have much deeper inventory. The challenge for us in New Zealand is that many of these stores either charge a fortune for direct shipping or don't ship to our corner of the Pacific at all. That is where I found that using a freight forwarder is the most efficient path.

My strategy for buying from US stores

I decided to use comGateway to handle my purchase. By using their service, I get 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 the initial purchase. Once the light arrives at the warehouse, they handle the international shipping to my house in NZ.

If you are new to this, I recommend checking out their how it works page. It is a simple step-by-step guide that explains how your US address acts as a middleman. I have found this to be much faster than waiting months for a local restock.

Shipping estimates for the Ace 25c kit

To help you plan your budget, I put together some estimates for the amaran Ace 25c kit. You can also use the shipping calculator to get a more precise figure based on your specific location.

Before you commit, I suggest looking at the current international shipping rates to see which courier fits your timeline. I usually opt for DHL international shipping or FedEx international shipping because they are the most reliable for getting gear into New Zealand quickly.

What to do when US stores block your card

One hurdle I encountered while proxy shopping is that some US stores are quite picky. Certain retailers will block international credit cards or cancel orders that they see are going to a package forwarding address. It is frustrating when you are just trying to buy gear that isn't available in your own country.

We have a solution for this called "BuyForMe." If a store declines your Kiwi credit card, comGateway will buy the item for you using a US domestic card. This is the safest way to make sure your order goes through without being flagged. It takes the stress out of dealing with difficult checkout systems at stores like Apple or big photography outlets.

Handling New Zealand import tax

When you ship to New Zealand, you need to keep import tax in mind. Currently, for goods valued over NZD $1,000, you will likely be charged GST and customs duties upon arrival. Since the amaran Ace 25c is relatively affordable, you might stay under that threshold if you are only buying one. However, if you are bundling multiple lights or extra gear, keep an eye on your total.

I have found that even with the shipping fees, I am still coming out ahead compared to the inflated prices we sometimes see from local resellers—plus, I actually have the light in my hands while others are still waiting on backorder lists. It’s a great way to ensure a New Zealand delivery that is both fast and reliable for your creative business.