I saved a fortune by shipping my Summer Fridays Birthday Cake Balm from the US to New Zealand

Why the Birthday Cake edition is all over my feed

It feels like every time I open Xiaohongshu lately, I see that iridescent, sprinkle-inspired packaging. The Summer Fridays Lip Butter Balm in Birthday Cake was released as a limited-edition anniversary treat, and the hype is very real. I have been a fan of their vanilla and cherry balms for a while, but the Birthday Cake scent is on another level—it smells exactly like a fresh vanilla buttercream cupcake from a high-end bakery.

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Buy It For Me

Just a moment, securing your connection...

Because it is a limited-edition drop for 2026, it sold out almost instantly in many regions. I noticed that while local stock in Oceania is non-existent or heavily marked up, the US stores still have much more reliable inventory. I decided I wasn't going to miss out just because I live in Auckland.

Why I skipped local New Zealand resellers

I did a quick search on local marketplace sites and was shocked. Resellers in New Zealand are trying to charge upwards of $85 NZD for a single tube that retails for $24 USD (about $40 NZD). Even with the cost of international shipping, the price gap is huge. I realized that if I bought two tubes or added a few other US beauty exclusives to my cart, I would come out way ahead by shopping directly from the source.

I decided to shop US store sites directly to ensure I was getting the authentic product. To make this work, I used a freight forwarder to give me a tax-free us address, which also helped me avoid US state sales tax at checkout.

My shipping estimates for the lip balm

One thing I always do before I hit 'buy' is check the potential logistics costs. Since this is a small beauty item, it is incredibly cheap to move if you know what you are doing. I used the shipping calculator to get a rough idea before I committed.

If you are worried about international shipping rates, I recommend wait-listing your items and shipping them together. My strategy was to bundle the balm with a few other essentials to maximize the base weight fee.

The struggle with US store credit card blocks

I ran into a bit of a wall when I first tried to check out at Sephora US. A lot of these major US retailers have strict security filters. They often block international credit cards or automatically cancel orders if the billing address doesn't match a US zip code. I have had my orders declined before when trying to send them to a freight forwarder, which is incredibly frustrating when you are trying to catch a limited drop before it sells out.

How I used proxy shopping to secure my order

To get around the card cancellation issue, I used the BuyForMe service. This is essentially a proxy shopping feature where comGateway acts as the buyer. I simply gave them the link to the Birthday Cake balm, and they used their own US-based payment methods to complete the purchase for me.

This is the safest way to guarantee your order doesn't get flagged. Once they bought it, the balm was sent to my US suite, and I was notified the moment it arrived. It took all the stress out of wondering if my NZ Visa card would be accepted or if my order would be voided at midnight.

New Zealand delivery and import tax

When it comes to New Zealand delivery, we have some specific rules to keep in mind for 2026. Since my total order was well under the $1,000 threshold, I didn't have to worry about heavy import tax or extra customs entry fees. However, I always make sure to keep my invoices ready just in case Customs NZ asks for verification.

I chose a parcel forwarding service that offered shipping fees that included tracking, so I could watch my Birthday Cake balm travel from Oregon all the way to my doorstep. If you are in a rush, you can opt for DHL international shipping or FedEx international shipping through the portal to get it in about 3 to 5 business days. I found the process much more reliable than waiting for a local reseller who might not even have the stock in hand yet.

My final tip? If you're looking to forward packages to NZ, always check the buy from US ship to New Zealand guide on the destination page to stay updated on the latest GST regulations for low-value goods. Now, I’m just waiting for my next coffee date to show off this balm!