Big Apple Buddy
Big Apple Buddy is a New York-based shopping concierge service that purchases products from U.S. retailers on behalf of international consumers and ships them to over 100 countries via FedEx and UPS, charging a minimum $50 service fee per order.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2014
- HeadquartersNew York, United States
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingServices
What Big Apple Buddy does
Big Apple Buddy is a privately held, Brooklyn-based shopping concierge service founded in 2014 by Ben Chaung and Phillis Chan that enables consumers in over 100 countries to purchase products from U.S. retailers that are otherwise unavailable in their home markets due to geographic restrictions, lack of international shipping, or customs complexity. The company operates a direct-to-consumer e-commerce platform organized into six product categories (Tech, Beauty, Fashion, Outdoors, Health, Fitness) sourced from major U.S. retailers including Best Buy, Sephora, Michael Kors, Coach, and Goop. Customers either browse a self-serve catalog or request custom quotes for items not listed, after which Big Apple Buddy purchases from official U.S. stores, inspects and consolidates items, files customs paperwork, and arranges international shipping through FedEx and UPS.
Big Apple Buddy firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Big Apple Buddy
- Legal name
- Big Apple Buddy LLC
- Website
- https://bigapplebuddy.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2014
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- Big Apple Buddy is a New York-based shopping concierge service that purchases products from U.S. retailers on behalf of international consumers and ships them to over 100 countries via FedEx and UPS, charging a minimum $50 service fee per order.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Big Apple Buddy industry classification
Industry- Product category
- International Shopping Concierge
- NAICS
- Freight Transportation Arrangement (488510)
- SIC
- Arrangement Of Transportation Of Freight & Cargo (4731)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Long-Distance/International Gift Shipping Coordination (HSACANAK)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- Large-Item E-commerce Delivery (Bulky/Two-Person/White-Glove) (TLAAAFAH)
Keywords
Where Big Apple Buddy is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- New York
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
Big Apple Buddy business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Operations, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Service Fee: Minimum $50 service fee charged for the entire purchasing process including product sourcing, inspection, consolidation, repacking, customs paperwork filing, and international shipping arrangement.
- Product Cost Pass-through: Product pricing passed through from U.S. retailers at cost. No markup on product prices.
- International Shipping: Shipping costs passed through from FedEx/UPS carriers. Customers pay actual shipping rates based on weight, dimensions, and destination.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Transaction based/ take rate | Pay-as-you-go | Standard service fee structure |
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels1 record
Marketing channels4 records
Big Apple Buddy product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Big Apple Buddy is a New York-based international shopping concierge service that purchases products on behalf of customers from official U.S. retailers and arranges international shipping to over 100 countries. The company charges a minimum $50 service fee per order on top of pass-through product and shipping costs, handling product sourcing, consolidation, repacking, customs paperwork filing, and delivery via FedEx and UPS partnerships.
Product overview
Big Apple Buddy is a New York-based international shopping concierge service that enables customers in over 100 countries to purchase products from U.S. retailers that may not be available in their home countries. The service acts as a purchasing intermediary, buying items on behalf of customers from official U.S. retailers and shipping them internationally via FedEx and UPS. The core offering consists of the shopping service itself, which includes product sourcing, purchase facilitation, customs paperwork filing, and international shipping logistics. The company does not sell products directly but rather facilitates purchases from U.S. stores including Best Buy, Michael Kors, Sephora, and other retailers, charging a service fee on top of product and shipping costs.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- International Shopping Service
- Custom Quote Service
- Tech Products
- Beauty Products
- Fashion Products
- Outdoors Products
- Health Products
- Fitness Products
Quantifiable outcome
- Delivery in as little as 2 business days
- +1 more outcomes
Companies that use Big Apple Buddy
Customer profileNamed customers3 records
Segments1 record
Ideal customer profiles1 record
Big Apple Buddy technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration10 records
Big Apple Buddy partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- FedExcorePrimary international shipping carrier partner. Offers FedEx Priority (1-4 business days) and FedEx Economy (5-8 business days) shipping options. All orders include shipping insurance and tracking.
- UPScoreInternational shipping carrier partner providing UPS Worldwide shipping option. All orders include shipping insurance and tracking through UPS network.
- StripecorePayment processing partner enabling secure credit and debit card transactions. Powers the checkout experience on the e-commerce platform.
- PayPalcoreAccepted payment method for customer transactions. Provides additional payment flexibility alongside Stripe card processing.
- Best BuycorePrimary source retailer for tech and electronics products. Big Apple Buddy purchases products from Best Buy on behalf of international customers and ships worldwide.
- SephoracorePrimary source retailer for beauty and cosmetics products. Products sourced from Sephora for international shipping service.
- Michael KorscoreFashion brand retailer for jewelry, accessories, and apparel. Big Apple Buddy sources products directly from Michael Kors official store.
- GoopminorRetailer for beauty and wellness products sourced by Big Apple Buddy for international customers.
Scale indicators2 records
Recent moves4 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Big Apple Buddy competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- MyUS: U.S.-based international package forwarding and shopping concierge service. Most established direct competitor to Big Apple Buddy, offering U.S. address assignment, consolidation, and shipping to customers worldwide with similar retailer sourcing.
- Shipito: International package forwarding service operating U.S. warehouses with consolidation, repacking, and assisted purchasing. Closely comparable service model and target customer (international shoppers wanting U.S. products).
- comGateway: Singapore-founded U.S. package forwarder focused on Asia-Pacific shoppers. Same core model of U.S. address + assisted purchase + international shipping to customers abroad.
- Stackry: U.S. package forwarding and consolidation service offering tax-free shopping in certain states. Direct overlap in cross-border e-commerce concierge for international consumers.
- Forward2Me: UK-based U.S. parcel forwarding service shipping internationally. Comparable assisted-purchase and consolidation model targeting international shoppers.
- Reship: U.S. package forwarding and shopping service with global delivery. Overlaps with Big Apple Buddy on cross-border shopping assistance and international parcel delivery.
- Buyandship: Hong Kong-based international forwarding service strong across Asia. Operates parallel model of U.S./U.K./Japan warehouse addresses and consolidation for cross-border shoppers.
- AmericaBox: U.S. package forwarder specializing in shipments to Latin America. Comparable assisted purchasing and consolidation service focused on a regional subset of Big Apple Buddy's destinations.
- HopShopGo: International shopping and shipping platform enabling customers to buy from U.S. stores. Closely aligned cross-border e-commerce concierge model with similar target customer.
Broad incumbents
- Shopify Markets: Shopify's international commerce infrastructure for merchants, including duty calculation, currency conversion, and shipping. While not a concierge, it directly addresses the cross-border shopping problem Big Apple Buddy solves and is a key disintermediation vector.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Big Apple Buddy social profiles
Digital presenceBig Apple Buddy financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Big Apple Buddy leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles2 records
Big Apple Buddy funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Big Apple Buddy M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Big Apple Buddy
What does Big Apple Buddy do?
Big Apple Buddy is a New York-based international shopping concierge service that purchases products on behalf of customers from official U.S. retailers and arranges international shipping to over 100 countries. The company charges a minimum $50 service fee per order on top of pass-through product and shipping costs, handling product sourcing, consolidation, repacking, customs paperwork filing, and delivery via FedEx and UPS partnerships.
Is Big Apple Buddy a public or private company?
Big Apple Buddy is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was Big Apple Buddy founded?
Big Apple Buddy was founded in 2014. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is Big Apple Buddy based?
Big Apple Buddy is headquartered in New York, United States, in the North America region.
How does Big Apple Buddy make money?
Three revenue lines are on record. Service Fee is the primary driver. The others are product Cost Pass-through and international Shipping.
Who are Big Apple Buddy's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are MyUS, Shipito, comGateway, Stackry, Forward2Me, Reship, Buyandship, AmericaBox and HopShopGo. Shopify Markets is listed as a broad incumbent.
Does Big Apple Buddy have an API?
No public API is recorded for Big Apple Buddy.
What industry is Big Apple Buddy in?
Big Apple Buddy's product category is International Shopping Concierge. Its primary akta.pro industry code is HSACANAK, Long-Distance/International Gift Shipping Coordination, with a secondary code of TLAAAFAH, Large-Item E-commerce Delivery (Bulky/Two-Person/White-Glove). Its NAICS code is 488510 and its SIC code is 4731.