Hi there. There's an expat price comparison site (partial link this is ... expatistan.com/cost-of-living) which gets updates all of the time by thousands of Expats around the world. Based on that, it dawned on my wife and myself that there's obviously no comparison for Online and/or Bulk Bargains which can be had, if you have an internet connection. I'm saying this because my wife and I have been Online since 1991 (even met Online in 1996), and we buy just about everything imaginable Online, including properties and all of our vehicles since 2001 (no, we're not buying either of those things Online once we're in Ecuador).
But looking at that Expat price comparison site, it got us to wondering ...
Is it even possible to buy everyday line items ... Online ... in Ecuador? We're used to saving lots and lots of money every year, by purchasing things like appliances, toilet paper, papertowels, clothing articles, tools, electronics, daily vitamins, etc. on the Internet. For example, just for convenience we purchase our toilet paper once per year in bulk since that's really the cheapest way ... not to mention the convenenience of having it delivered to your house. Is that not possible in Ecuador/Cuence?
Another part of the reason why we're asking this question, has to do with the fact that we've read "horror stories" about shipping merchandise in Ecuador. How can it be so difficult to have merchandise shipped in a Country as small as Ecuador? No, not griping, just trying to figure out what we'll do once we get to Ecuador, if we have to turn our lives upside down, just as far as normal every day shopping is concerned?
When a Country makes it next to impossible to import a vehicle, while selling used vehicles for 3 - 5 times their actual value, we suspect that shopping becomes a major issue for quite a few Expats, especially ones who are used to getting things Online, no?
Culture Shock won't be much of an issue. At our age we just plan to settle down in/around Cuence and of course, we plan on learning the Spanish language as well. Any insights having to do with Online shopping in and around Cuence would be very much appreciated. What kind of speeds are available and at what cost? Do some companies limit access to the Internet, based on the amount used GB per month (we get our news, TV, and movies Online as well)? Thank you.