You can't get that in Australia: the online shopper's gripe we need to talk about.

I have a confession to make: recently I’ve found myself engaging in a dangerous before-bed habit. No, it’s not watching TV in bed or going to sleep after just eating dinner, though sometimes I do those things too. I hop under my lumpy doona, pick up my phone and surrender my eyes to my latest obsession.

Instagram makeup tutorials.

You know the ones I’m talking about. The ones where beauty bloggers transform their faces and in a flash, they look like contoured Kim Kardashians. From facial oils to contour palettes, beauty blenders, powder bronzers and liquid illuminators, I suddenly find myself on US makeup sites frantically clicking *add to cart*.

I scroll excitedly through the pages and roughly tally the amount I’m spending as I convert US dollars to AUD in my head. I begin entering my name and address and then when I get to shipping options, my makeup dream falls apart just like a blush slipping out of my hands and smashing into a million pieces on the floor.

Well done, beauty bloggers of Instagram, you've well and truly got me sucked in.

Panic sets in...they don't ship to Australia!

I curse at my wasted time and get inexplicably angry over the fact that us Aussies always get everything last and pay an arm, leg, and our first born child for it too. I flick over to the Australian Sephora to see the exact products at a wildly inflated price, if they're even available at all. Anastasia Beverly Hills Glow Kit, I'm looking at you.

Not being able to get the international products you want in Australia extends to so many branches of retail, including clothing lines that don't ship the whole ranging or current season here. Us Aussies just can't seem to catch a break when it comes to internationally sought after products.

I wish I'd known earlier that there was actually a solution to my problem with shopping online overseas all along. Commit this name to memory: Shop & Ship. It’s a service that allows you to shop online with a local shipping address in any one of 18 countries around the world, and get your purchase delivered right to your door here in Australia.

Before I knew about Shop & Ship, my partner and I even considered arranging an American PO box so we could use that as our postal address when buying on American sites and trying to find a way to have our purchases forwarded on to us in Australia. He's big into gaming like I'm big into beauty, but at the end of the day, we couldn't justify the extra costs and decided against it.

But Shop & Ship is perfect for online shopping where a product isn't available here or doesn't ship here. Suddenly, the US Amazon site and Etsy are within our reach. There are also so many other products that this could extend to: think electronics, toys, sporting and special interest goods such as bike parts or camera parts. Another benefit is that many of these products are far cheaper when shopping local, saving you extra cash as well. It's really a win all round.

Shop & Ship ensures you have the freedom to shop where you want and have it delivered to your door in Australia. Finally we can get the most up-to-date products that normally aren't available here to begin with.

It's simple to use too. All you have to do is sign up and you'll have access to the local address' that you can use to shop. When your package arrives at the overseas warehouse you'll receive shipping costs and details. From there your purchases will be shipped straight to your door or preferred address. They also have a really simple rate calculator on the site if you want to inquire beforehand.

No longer will my hopes and dreams be dashed when I reach the shopping cart of an international website. It seems things are looking up in the shopping world for Aussies, and I'll be continuing that late-night Instagram scroll for a bit longer after all...

What have you always wanted from the US but haven't been able to get shipped here?

This content was created with thanks to our brand partner Shop & Ship.