Currently, Ukrainian consumers are actively interested in purchasing environmentally friendly alternative energy sources, such as portable energy storage, in particular models from EcoFlow. These devices, which include portable lithium-ion batteries that can be charged via solar panels or the mains, have become especially popular among those looking for a reliable source of energy when camping, traveling or even for use at home during power outages.
In Ukraine, against the background of massive power outages, the shortage of blackout equipment is increasing, and its prices are rising rapidly. Many sellers no longer have the product, they are forming lists of customers for future deliveries, which are promised in a month or a half. But the advance payment must be made now - 50%, or even 100% of the cost of the equipment. But there is another option. Equipment can be ordered directly on foreign Internet sites. Moreover, prices there are lower than in Ukrainian stores. However, there are nuances with delivery.
How to order generators, charging stations or solar panels abroad and how much you will have to pay.
Sales and "funny" prices
In Ukraine, the technology "from blackout" is running out - many models are already in short supply, prices are rising. But there is no such problem on foreign Internet sites - the choice of equipment is very wide. But the main thing is that the prices are lower than in Ukraine.
For example, in the online store of the Mediamarkt chain (it operates in Germany and Poland), the Hahn&Sohn HD 9000 SA diesel generator is now offered at a discount - for 1499 euros (old price - 2499 euros).
On the Ukrainian platform prom.ua, the same generator is displayed for 140 thousand hryvnias. At the current exchange rate, this is 3174 euros, which means that it is much more expensive than not only the promotional price, but also the full price of Mediamarkt.
The 7 kilowatt AiPower SC8000i inverter generator is sold on Mediamarkt for 1,700 euros. There are no promotions on it, it is the full price.
In Ukraine, such a generator model is also offered, but it is already more expensive than 100 thousand hryvnias. For example, the Power Live company posted a price tag of 103 thousand hryvnias, which is 2335 euros, that is, 600 more expensive than in Europe.
The same model costs 102,949 hryvnias in the Comfy electronics and household appliances network, and almost 108,000 hryvnias at the Electro 100 site.
What about charging stations?
On Amazon's online sales service, the EcoFlow River 2 charging station is sold for 207 euros. In Ukraine, according to the online store Hotline, the price range for such a model ranges from 10,550 to 17,220 hryvnias, which is 239-390 euros. As you can see, the minimum price level of Ukrainian sellers is not much higher than Amazon's price tag. Another thing is that for 10.5 thousand hryvnias this charging station remained with a limited number of sellers. Others suggest waiting for new supplies, but warn that prices may change. So, to buy this charging station in Ukraine now, you will have to pay almost twice as much.
Nevertheless, according to EcoFlow, the price difference in Ukrainian and European stores is not as great as in the case of generators.
For example, another EcoFlow model, the Delta Max 2000, costs about 1,540 euros on Mediamarkt.
In Ukraine, according to Hotline, prices for this model range from 59,999 to 84,999 hryvnias, i.e. 1,360-1,927 euros. The lower price bar is even lower than the European one.
The reason is that the official EcoFlow supplier has been working in Ukraine since last year. As told to "Telegraph" in an authorized store, our prices are plus or minus the same as in Europe. But now there are interruptions with some models, waiting for new deliveries. The store could not specify when they will be. There are also other sellers, and when there are problems with official supplies, they try to make as much money as possible.
In Ukraine, similar sets cost 50-70 thousand hryvnias, but many sellers no longer have them.
There are also many inexpensive power banks on this site. For example, Baseus 3000 mAh costs 1500 hryvnias. In Ukraine, the same one is offered for 3,000-3,500 hryvnias.
In general, there are many promotional offers on "blackout protection" equipment on AliExpress. You can find quite decent models for ridiculous money, such as, for example, a LiFePo4 Battery charging station with a discount of almost 70% — for 9,455 hryvnias or a 4.8 kilowatt generator with a 60% discount — for 11,000 hryvnias. Ukrainian sellers offer models of such power for at least 30,000.
How to deliver to Ukraine
However, the "blackout protection" equipment, which is not a problem to order from foreign sellers, still needs to be delivered to Ukraine. And with this there are many nuances.
For example, since the beginning of the war, most energy goods have not been delivered directly to Ukraine from AliExpress. This is due to restrictions on the transportation of equipment with power elements in transit through other countries (which is how goods from China are now delivered to Ukraine).
This does not mean that Ukrainians cannot order a generator or power bank from a Chinese platform. You just have to overpay. Regular buyers of equipment on AliExpress, with whom "Telegraph" talked, advise to register with one of the Ukrainian delivery services (for example, "Mist Express" or "Nova Poshta") and get there the address of a warehouse in a European country, for example, in Poland. And specify this address as the destination when ordering on AliExpress.
Delivery of most products from AliExpress to the destination is free. But you will have to pay for delivery from a European warehouse to a Ukrainian address. The tariff is quite high - 7-8 euros per kilogram. That is, ordering a heavy generator at such a fee is unlikely to be very profitable, delivery can cost hundreds of euros.
But there are other options. For example, you can order delivery not to large services, but to private intermediaries, of which there are many now. Their appetites are much lower - from a dollar per kilogram of product weight. That is, you will have to pay 30-50 dollars for the delivery of the generator, and 5-10 dollars for the charging station. But there is a risk of running into fraudsters and being left without the product altogether.
Do you have to pay tax on the generator?
There is another nuance of purchasing equipment abroad - taxes. According to Ukrainian legislation, private individuals can import goods worth 150 euros without duties and taxes. Anything over this amount is subject to 10% duty and 20% VAT. For example, if a solar panel costs 1,000 euros, then 30% or 255 euros must be paid from 850 euros. But it is possible to get a tax refund in the country of purchase of the goods (according to the tax free system), however, in most EU countries, 12-15%, not 20%, is returned to the equipment.
