Mustop is one of those ideas you wonder why you didn't think of yourself. This startup idea is a solution for so many people who live in Israel and want to purchase online from the US. With Mustop, you can finally order that latest gadget you want but ships only in the US.

The process couldn't be simpler. You register on Mustop (mustop.com), filling your name, address and credit card number, after which you receive your personal 'fake' address in the US. This address will look something like:

Your Name
Top 54321, 141 Lanza Ave., 29N
Garfield, New Jersey 07026

Every registrant receives the same address with a different Top number which acts as a unique identifier. After you have the address you can give it out to any online store which ships certain products exclusively to the US. When the package arrives to your 'fake' address in the US, it is automatically shipped to your address in Israel and is promised to arrive within five business days.

Registering on Mustop is free of charge and there is no monthly fee, instead, Mustop will charge your credit card each month for the products you ordered within that past month, if any were purchased. Mustop automatically insures your packages if their value is up to $5000. The first $100 are insured for free, then, the next $100 will cost you $1.5 and for every $100 above that you'll be charged $2. But while Mustop cannot earn much on insurance, they also charge you for the weight of your package. For every 100 grams (3.5 oz.) you will be charged $2.2. Mustop will calculate the weight of the package by two different methods and charge you for the most expensive, the first method is simply the package weight, while the second is the volume weight (volume weight in kg equals package width times package height times package depth divide by 6,000).

Let's take an example: say you're buying a t-shirt from Gap Online (gap.com) for $26.
Shipping the t-shirt to your 'fake' address in the US will cost $7.5
The t-shirt weights approximately 200 grams (7 oz.) so Mustop will charge you $4.4 for shipping
The insurance will be free of charge because the t-shirt's value is less than $100
The final price in this case will be $37.9

This service is a perfect solution for anyone who lives in Israel and whishes to purchase things online from the US. I've used it myself recently to order the Palm m505 which I couldn't of get otherwise as no one ships it outside of the US.

Mustop (mustop.com/mustop.co.il) has been offline since late in 2001, and returned on January 2003 under new ownership. It is now owned by NetVision, one of Israel's largest ISPs, and the service is identical, providing Israeli buyers a US shipping address, allowing them to order from online stores that don't ship internationally. Instead of a personal/fake address in Garfield, New Jersey you now get an address in Livingston, New Jersey, like so:
Your Name
TOP54321
44 East Northfield Rd,
Livingston, New-Jersey 07039
Tel : 973-740-0095

The prices are also different: $12 per shipment, plus $5 per each 500 grams, excluding taxes and VAT. This means shipping a light as a feather paperback book from the US to Israel set me back around $20. The packages are not delivered directly to the buyer's house, they are left for him, improbably enough, at the Paz gas station of his choice. A receipt is sent by snail mail to the buyer's home address, and must be presented when he comes to collect the package.


Meanwhile another company, EZBuyUS (ezbuyus.co.il) has jumped on the bandwagon. They charge $7.77 per each pound (450 grams) excluding taxes and VAT. The catch is that the minimum for each shipment is $23.31 and covers the first three pounds. I haven't tried this service first hand, but I did however sign up, and received a fake US address similar to this:

Your Name
15 Steven Dr.
IL987654321
Hewlett, NY 11557
PHONE:516-791-7810

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