I saved 40% importing Summer Fridays Birthday Cake to China using proxy shopping

The Summer Fridays Birthday Cake Hype

I noticed the Summer Fridays Lip Butter Balm in 'Birthday Cake' taking over my social feed recently. While the brand is already popular, this specific limited edition shade has gone viral across Japan and China for its unique shimmer and scent that isn't available in our local retail stores. As of May 2026, it remains a US-exclusive that sells out within minutes on Sephora.

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Buy It For Me

Just a moment, securing your connection...

I wanted that specific iridescent finish, but finding it locally meant paying double the price to resellers. I decided to look at us trends to see where the stock was most consistent and realized that buying directly from the US was my only real option to guarantee an authentic product.

Why I bought directly from the USA

The price difference is staggering. In the US, the balm retails for a reasonable price, but by the time it reaches third-party sellers in China, the markup is often 100% or more. I knew that using a freight forwarder would be the most efficient way to get it to my door in Shanghai.

I started by checking the shipping calculator to see if the weight of a few lip balms and some other skincare favorites would make the trip worth it. By bundling a few items, the cost per item dropped significantly compared to local prices.

The Sephora Cancellation Problem

Here is where I hit a wall. Many US retailers, especially Sephora and Nike, are notorious for declining orders that use international credit cards. Even if I used my tax-free us address, Sephora's system often flags and cancels orders if the billing address doesn't match a US bank. I tried twice, and both times my order was cancelled within minutes. This is a common frustration when trying to shop us store locations from overseas.

How I used BuyForMe to secure my order

To fix this, I used comGateway's BuyForMe service. This is a proxy shopping solution where their team in the US buys the item on my behalf using a domestic US credit card. I simply sent them the link to the Summer Fridays balm, and they handled the transaction.

This is the safest way to ensure an order doesn't get cancelled by picky retailers. Because they are a trusted freight forwarder with a physical US presence, the stores treat the purchase as a domestic sale. I didn't have to worry about my payment being rejected or the item going out of stock while I struggled with the checkout page.

A quick step-by-step guide

If you want to try this, here is the step-by-step guide I followed. I submitted my request, paid comGateway, and they confirmed the purchase within 24 hours. It removed all the stress of dealing with Sephora's strict payment filters.

Shipping from the US to China

Once the package arrived at my US suite, I had to prepare for international shipping. I made sure to check the list of prohibited items to ensure that cosmetics were allowed (they are, as long as they aren't pressurized aerosols).

For the final leg to China, I chose a reliable international shipping service. I usually prefer FedEx international shipping for speed, but DHL international shipping is also a great option for tracking reliability. My package arrived in about 8 days.

The Math: Saving Money vs Scalpers

Let's look at the numbers. A reseller in China was asking for nearly 450 CNY for a single Birthday Cake balm. By using comGateway, here was my cost breakdown:

Even after accounting for potential import tax, I still saved over 150 CNY per tube. When you are buying limited editions, the savings add up fast. Plus, I have the peace of mind knowing the product is 100% authentic from the source.

If you are looking to grab this 2026 limited release, don't bother with the local markups. Use a shop us ship international approach and let a proxy service handle the difficult US checkout systems for you.