"It Costs 8x As Much In My Country": 15 "Normal" Things Non-Americans Literally Fly To The US To Buy

Yahoo

16-04-2025

Across the BuzzFeed Community and Reddit, non-Americans have been sharing for a while now the items they always make sure to buy when in the US. Whether it's food, beauty products, or clothing items, the goods mentioned paint a fascinating look at global consumer traits. Here are just 13 responses that really stood out:
Responses have been edited for length and clarity. Reddit responses have been compiled from a series of threads, including here, here, here, here, and here.
1.Canada: "Our faves are the Trader Joe's Dark Chocolate Peanut Butter Cups, the elote chips, the Everything But The Elote Seasoning Blend (sooo good on popcorn!), the Green Dragon Hot Sauce, licorice, Bamba, and lots of great snacks for kids as well."
—hazleweatherfield1
"Dark Chocolate Peanut Butter Cups from Trader Joe's are what got my fiancée to like chocolate and peanut butter together."
—amontpetit
2.Canada: "Oreos for sure. They have so many different flavors than we do."
—J0NAN
"This is one thing I noticed, too. Why don't we have as many Oreo flavors here as they do?"
—BeingHuman30
3.Canada: "I'm obsessed with Ghirardelli Chocolate. The US has so many more varieties than Canada."
—stellarclementine
"Apparently, the Ghiradelli Double Chocolate Brownie Mix is bomb."
—eyespeeled
4."I bring back the weirdest stuff each time: Welch's Fruit Snacks, Tootsie Rolls, the $1 muffin mix bags, peanut butter, mint Oreos, Celestial's Sugar Cookie Sleigh Ride tea, comfort plus heels, Airspun loose powder, and iron frying pans."
—rohonhonhon
5."Something I always buy from the pharmacy (Walgreens, CVS, etc.) is the Tide to Go Instant Stain Remover pens. They are so good for little unexpected stains on clothes!"
—questionskiddo
6."I'm more interested in makeup in the US. Mostly things I could get online but can't swatch in a store, like Rare or Fenty. I know they're available in other European countries but not mine."
—Structure-Impossible
7.Germany: "I'd probably go and look at all the Aveeno products. Their range is bigger in the US, and the prices are better."
—Gatita_Gordita
8.Luxembourg: "I would still hit a REI store for heavily discounted Janji gear for myself and Ruffwear gear for my dog. We don't get that big of discounts here at EU retailers."
—LOLARISX
9.UK: "Peanut Butter M&Ms. Always stock up when I go."
—No-Body-4446
"Why are they so hard to find in the UK?! Easily the best version of M&Ms."
—Talking_to_my_diary
10.UK: "Cowboy boots/leather work boots, if that's your thing. Many high-quality brands are made in the USA. Red Wing, Tecovas, Lucchese, Danner, etc."
—Successful_Fish4662
11.UK: "I still have a pair of 'roping gloves' I bought in a gas station in Texas for about $5 years ago. Better than any gardening gloves you could ever buy here at a fraction of the price!"
—VariousJackfruit9886
12.India: "I bought an Abercrombie hoodie for $60 six years ago, and it's still going strong."
—llll-havok
13.India: "Definitely shoes. They sell shoes in half sizes, and stuff like Jordans are available for cheaper (the non-hypebeast ones, at least.)
—MrCrackSparrow
14.Singapore: "Crayola is a premium brand here, but the same little box that costs SGD 4 is often on sale for USD 0.50."
—stikskele
15.Finally, Singapore: "New Balance shoes are around 30% cheaper at retail price in the United States vs. Singapore. You get a much larger range and color selection, too."
—agentxq49
Are you a non-American with a specific item or set of items you always buy when in the US? Let us know in the comments below or through our anonymous form!