Why I used a freight forwarder to grab the Summer Fridays Golden Hour set from the US for less than in Italy

The Summer Fridays Golden Hour hype

I have been a fan of Summer Fridays for years, so when I saw the announcement for the Golden Hour Lip Butter Balm Set for the Summer 2026 season, I knew it had to be mine. This limited edition 3-pack features their most iconic shades in a special golden-themed packaging that just screams summer. Since it is currently a US-exclusive release, the social media buzz here in Italy has been through the roof.

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I find that these balms are the only thing that keeps my lips hydrated during the hot Milanese afternoons. The set includes three full-sized balms, making it the perfect haul for anyone obsessed with that high-shine, non-sticky finish. However, getting my hands on it while living in Europe turned out to be a bit of a mission.

Comparing the US and Italian price tags

One of the main reasons I decided to shop us store options instead of waiting for a local release was the massive price gap. If you look at UK retailers like Space NK or wait for high-end boutiques in Italy to stock these, you are often looking at a 30% to 50% markup once you factor in the currency conversion and localized pricing strategies.

In the US, the Golden Hour set is priced much more competitively. Even when I added the cost of a freight forwarder, I realized I was still saving a significant amount of money compared to what I would pay if I bought the individual balms locally later in the year. It simply made more sense to go straight to the source.

The struggle with US store checkouts

I initially tried to buy the set myself. I went to the US Sephora site, added the balms to my cart, and headed to checkout. That is where I hit a wall. Many major US retailers have a strict policy where they block international credit cards or automatically decline orders that are sent to known package forwarding addresses.

My Italian Mastercard was rejected three times. It is incredibly frustrating when you have the funds, but the store simply won't let you complete the transaction because of your billing address. I have heard of others having their orders cancelled hours after they thought they were successful. I didn't want to risk the set selling out while I played a guessing game with my payment methods.

How I used BuyForMe to secure my order

This is when I decided to try a different approach. I learned about the BuyForMe service offered by comGateway. If you have ever dealt with proxy shopping, you know how much of a lifesaver this can be.

The problem is that stores like Sephora or Nike often flag international shoppers. The solution provided by comGateway is simple: they act as an assisted purchase partner. They use a US domestic credit card and a local billing address to buy the items on your behalf. This is the safest way to guarantee your order doesn't get cancelled by the store's fraud filters. By using this assisted purchase method, I didn't have to worry about my Italian card being a dealbreaker. Within a day, they had secured my Golden Hour set, and I received the confirmation that it was headed to my tax-free us address in Oregon.

Shipping my balm set to Italy

Once the set arrived at the warehouse, I had to decide how to get it home. I used the shipping calculator to get a clear idea of what the total cost would be. Because the lip balm set is lightweight, the international shipping rates were very reasonable.

I always recommend checking the international shipping fees before you ship, just so there are no surprises. I chose a reliable international shipping service that offered tracking, as I wanted to keep an eye on my package as it crossed the Atlantic. The package forwarding process was seamless, and I could see every step of the journey from the US to my doorstep in Italy.

A note on import tax and customs

One thing we have to deal with here in Italy is the import tax (IVA). When you bring goods in from outside the EU, customs will typically assess a fee based on the value of the items. I always suggest checking out this guide on import duties to understand how these costs are calculated.

Even with the added customs tax, the total price I paid for the Summer Fridays set was still lower than the projected retail price in Europe. Plus, I got the set months before my friends here could even find it in stores. If you are looking for a specific US-exclusive beauty launch in 2026, using international shipping through a trusted partner is definitely the way to go.