Why my Dutch credit card wouldn't let me buy the Summer Fridays Birthday Cake balm and how I finally got it

Table of Contents

• Why I wanted the Birthday Cake edition so badly
• The struggle of buying US-exclusive beauty in the Netherlands
• The hidden barrier of international credit card blocks
• My experience using the BuyForMe service
• Shipping my haul from the US to my doorstep
• Budgeting for shipping and import rules

Why I wanted the Birthday Cake edition so badly

I have been scrolling past the Summer Fridays Lip Butter Balm in the Birthday Cake edition for months now. It is March 2026, and the hype has not died down one bit. If anything, the FOMO in the Netherlands is worse than ever. This limited-edition scent is a viral sensation, especially on Thai social media, which always seems to predict what we will all be obsessed with next. I love the original vanilla, but the Birthday Cake version has that perfect subtle shimmer and sweet scent that I just could not find locally.

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Buy It For Me

The struggle of buying US-exclusive beauty in the Netherlands

We all know how it goes when a brand is based in the US. I checked our usual high-end retailers in Amsterdam and online, but it was either sold out or marked up to a price that felt a bit ridiculous. I realized that the easiest way to get it was to shop US store sites directly. They restock more often and the base price is much lower, even when you factor in the journey it has to take to get here. I decided to use comGateway as my freight forwarder because they provide a tax-free US address in Oregon, which saves a few extra Euros on the initial purchase.

The hidden barrier of international credit card blocks

I thought I was being clever by just shipping it to my new US address. However, I hit a massive wall. I tried to use my Dutch Visa card at Sephora and the official Summer Fridays site, but my orders were cancelled within minutes. It turns out that many major US retailers have a policy of blocking international credit cards or declining orders that are sent to known parcel forwarders. This is a huge headache for those of us living in the Netherlands who just want to buy a lip balm. I felt like I was stuck behind a digital wall that I couldn't climb over on my own.

My experience using the BuyForMe service

This is when I decided to try a different approach. I found the BuyForMe service on the comGateway site. Instead of me trying to force my Dutch card to work, I asked them to buy the item on my behalf. We essentially give them the link to the product, and they use a US domestic credit card to make the purchase. This is the safest way to guarantee that your order doesn't get cancelled by stores like Sephora, Nike, or Apple that are notoriously picky about payment methods. It took away all the stress of wondering if my order would actually ship or if I’d get another cancellation email.

Shipping my haul from the US to my doorstep

Once the BuyForMe team confirmed my purchase, I just had to wait for it to arrive at my US address. If you want to see how the whole process flows from start to finish, I recommend looking at their how it works page. It really helped me visualize when I needed to take action. I also didn't want any surprises when it came to the total cost, so I used the shipping calculator to get a rough estimate of the freight charges to the Netherlands. Since the lip balm is small, I waited to consolidate it with a couple of other items to make the most of the shipping fee.

Budgeting for shipping and import rules

Before I clicked ship, I made sure to stay informed about what I could actually bring into the country. Check our guide on prohibited items to ensure your beauty products don't contain any restricted goods that could get stuck at the border. Generally, lip balms are fine, but it is always good to be certain. Also, keep in mind that we have to deal with Dutch customs. Check our guide on import duties to understand how VAT and other fees are calculated. Having that extra bit of knowledge made the arrival of my Birthday Cake balm much smoother, and I finally have that perfect shimmer on my desk here in Utrecht.