I looked into why the Rabbit R2 is US-only and found a way to ship it to Italy anyway

Table of Contents

• The hype surrounding the Rabbit R2 in 2026
• Why we can't buy the Rabbit R2 in Italy yet
• How I used a freight forwarder to bridge the gap
• Why the BuyForMe service is necessary for US tech
• Estimating my costs and the Italy import tax
• Final thoughts on my setup

The hype surrounding the Rabbit R2 in 2026

It is only mid-April 2026, and the tech world is already buzzing about the Rabbit R2. I watched the launch event earlier this month, and the improvements over the original model are significant. We are looking at a much faster processor that handles local AI tasks almost instantly, and the upgraded camera makes the vision features actually useful for daily life. The design remains iconic, but it feels like a more mature tool now.

Estimate Shipping For Rabbit R2 AI Handheld Assistant

Price(US $) *

Weight(KG) *

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

Email

Create an account with your email & receive 15% OFF shipping coupon!

Get a Quote

Buy It For Me

Just a moment, securing your connection...

The problem, as usual, is that Rabbit has prioritized a US-first release. While my friends in New York are already posting videos of their R2 units, those of us here in Italy are left waiting. I didn't want to wait months for a global release that might not happen until 2027, so I started looking for a workaround.

Why we can't buy the Rabbit R2 in Italy yet

The logistics of a 2026 global launch are complicated. Between different wireless certifications and localized AI training, companies like Rabbit often stick to the US market for the first few months. When I tried to visit their official store, I realized they wouldn't even let me enter an Italian shipping address at checkout. This is where my experience with international shipping came in handy.

Common shipping barriers

Most US stores are hesitant to ship high-demand electronics overseas because of the risk of fraud and the complexity of international logistics. If you have ever tried to order a US-exclusive device, you know the frustration of seeing that "We do not ship to your country" message. But I've found that using a freight forwarder is the most reliable method to get around this.

How I used a freight forwarder to bridge the gap

I have been using comGateway for my US tech hauls for a while now. They provide me with a tax-free US address located in Oregon. This is a huge deal because it means I don't have to pay US sales tax on my Rabbit R2 purchase, which saves me about 8-10% right off the bat.

When you shop US store sites like Rabbit's, you simply use that Oregon address as your delivery point. Once it arrives there, the team notifies me, and I can choose my preferred shipping method to Italy. If you are worried about the rules, I always suggest checking the shipping rules for electronics and batteries before you buy.

Why the BuyForMe service is necessary for US tech

I need to share a specific hurdle I ran into. Some major US retailers—and I've seen this with Apple, Sephora, and even newer startups—will automatically decline orders if they see a credit card issued outside the US. My Italian Mastercard was rejected twice when I tried to pay Rabbit directly. This is a common issue where stores block international billing addresses or decline orders sent to known shipping hubs.

This is exactly where the buy for me service, also known as proxy shopping, saved my order. I used the comGateway "BuyForMe" service, where I simply told them what I wanted to buy. They used a US domestic credit card to purchase the Rabbit R2 on my behalf. By doing this, the store sees a local US transaction, which significantly reduces the chance of the order being cancelled.

For anyone in Italy trying to buy from stores that are notoriously "difficult," I highly recommend this. It is the safest way to guarantee your order actually goes through without getting stuck in a cancellation loop.

Estimating my costs and the Italy import tax

Before I committed to the purchase, I wanted to know exactly what I was getting into regarding the total price. I used the shipping calculator to get a rough idea of the FedEx international shipping rates from Oregon to Rome. It helps to have the package dimensions, but even an estimate for a small electronics box is usually quite accurate.

We also have to talk about the import tax. Italy is quite strict with customs. When the Rabbit R2 arrives, I'll be responsible for the VAT (IVA) and potentially some minor duties. I spent some time reading through the guide on import duties to make sure I wasn't surprised by a bill at my doorstep. Generally, for electronics, you should budget for the 22% VAT plus a small processing fee from the carrier.

Final thoughts on my setup

Getting the Rabbit R2 to Italy in early 2026 isn't as simple as clicking "buy," but it is definitely doable if you know the logic behind US retail systems. By combining a package forwarding address with a proxy purchase service, I managed to secure a device that isn't supposed to be here for another year. If you have questions about the process, the FAQ on the site covers most of the technical details about how the warehouse handles your gear.

I am looking forward to testing the new camera features once the package clears customs next week. If you are struggling with a US store that won't accept your card, give the BuyForMe option a try—it truly is the missing piece for international tech fans.