For years, Canary Islanders have faced a nightmare that is repeated in many stores when making purchases online, and that is the dreaded message of "we do not ship to the Canary Islands". Companies such as Guanxe, Canarias Prime, E-Log and Online Canarias have emerged from this problem, with shipments between 24 and 72 hours to any corner of the archipelago.
Transport costs and customs procedures are the main reason why companies refuse to ship to the archipelago. On occasions the cost of transport exceeds that of the item itself. This situation is even more aggravated in the non-capital islands, such as Lanzarote, due to the double insularity, so many islanders are forced to turn to family or even friends to bring them the products from the Peninsula.
To this problem are added the enormous delays that shipments managed by Correos are experiencing in recent months. Delays that are prolonged for months, with orders held in the logistics centers of the public operator.
E-commerce giants such as Amazon only ship a very small number of products, while others such as AliExpress have delivery periods that are too long, so the shipment of products urgently is practically non-existent. Other stores such as Natura have increased their shipping costs to the Canary Islands from 26 euros in 2021, to 55 euros, regardless of the price of the product.
Inconveniences that customers of stores such as Guanxe, Canarias Prime, E-Log and Online Canarias do not experience, since in many of them the products are in stock in the islands.
Guanxe.com
Guanxe.com is the Canary Islands platform most similar to Amazon, since on its website and in the app they sell their own products from different categories and sectors, that is, they do not act as intermediaries. This marketplace puts aside the problem of customs and taxes, since its stores and warehouses are already in the archipelago, which speeds up deliveries compared to other peninsular platforms.
With exclusive sales in the Canary Islands, the company offers very competitive delivery times, between 24 and 72 hours for the capital islands, 48 and 96 hours in Lanzarote and Fuerteventura, and between 72 and 120 hours for orders destined for La Palma, La Gomera and El Hierro.
In addition, Guanxe.com offers free shipping costs as long as the order is at least 10 euros. As for returns, limited to 14 calendar days from receipt, these are free of charge as long as they are clothing or shoes. Otherwise, it will cost 5.9 euros if the company collects it, although there is also the option for the consumer to manage it on their own.
This “online shopping center” allows orders to be placed on request when products are out of stock and also offers a space for Canary Islands sellers to offer their products through this platform, as long as they meet GUANXE's quality requirements.
Online Canarias
If you are looking for exclusively technological products, such as computers, cables or televisions, at Online Canarias you can find a wide range of items with shipments every day.
Products usually take between 24 and 48 hours with free shipping rates to any point in the Canary Islands when the amount is greater than 200 euros. For those orders that do not reach that range, they will have a cost of 5.99 euros. In addition, since they are items that are already in the archipelago, the problems that may arise in terms of transport are considerably reduced.
As for the return periods, they are limited to 14 days from when you receive the product, although it must be taken into account that if it is returned because the customer does not want it, the cost of the procedure must be paid by him, while if it is due to deterioration it is free. Of course, if the item is within the warranty, which lasts three years.
Prime Canarias
The case of Prime Canarias is somewhat different, since they do act as intermediaries between stores that do not ship to the Canary Islands and the consumer.
Through its app or computer with a Chrome extension, this marketplace allows you to buy products from more than 76 online stores at the same price as in the peninsula, with a standard delivery of between 7 and 21 days.
Of course, the shipping costs that vary depending on the weight of the item and the island must be added to the price. For those products weighing less than 3 kg, transport prices are 4.95 euros for the capital islands and 5.95 euros for the rest. If it weighs between 3 and 5 kg, it costs 6.95 euros for Gran Canaria and Tenerife and 9.95 for other islands. Finally, for products between 5 and 15 kg, costs of 11.95 and 17.95 euros are handled respectively. The additional kilo is paid at 0.95 cents.
It should be noted that Prime Canarias also allows the consumer to make suggestions about potential stores that could be added to the platform. In addition, they inform the consumer once they are inside the marketplace.
e-log
In that same line of mediator acts e-log. Under the slogan “We bring the world to the islands and take the islands to the world”, this platform aims to make e-commerce stores in the Peninsula and outside of Spain more accessible to Canary Islanders.
From the company, they also help to review the logistics and customs model of digital businesses that intend to sell in the islands, but that have high costs due to the customs process.
For e-log to manage the transport, you must first register on its website. Then, when you are going to make a purchase in an online store you must indicate the address of the e-log facilities in Madrid as the delivery point. Once it arrives at its logistics center, the company will take care of it arriving in the archipelago within 24 to 72 hours.
This business stands out for its technological commitment to improve productivity and efficiency. Specifically, they use artificial intelligence to define more optimal delivery routes depending on the type of package and the recipient. In addition, they also offer information about deliveries in real time thanks to a self-developed app and allow you to calculate shipping costs before making the purchase.
In addition, e-log has created an e-log Canary Logistics Coworking Center in Madrid and Barcelona (CCWLC) so that Canary Islands entrepreneurs who want to sell in the peninsula can store their stock there for 70 euros per month.
