Online Shopping while in Stockholm, Sweden

As an exchange student at the university, I have an extensive reading list. However, the book stores here are limited and pricy. Also, the books are frequently only in Swedish. While the various amazon websites sell books, the ones needed for university classes are often very heavy (so lots of extra charges for weight), or not sold. Also, shipping takes ages, which isn't useful for last-minute needs. An alternative is adibris.com Again, while you may need to copy/paste the website URL into google translate to understand it, this Swedish website offers cheap books (at least 50% cheaper than the university's bookstore). This site came highly recommended by locals, and I was not disappointed.

While Sweden is a great country, everything is very expensive, and the products are also limited due to the size and northern location of the country. Therefore, products such as English books, favourite pen brands, and electronic equipment are often either too expensive, or cannot be found. Amazon is one answer to your problems. However, there are many different branches of Amazon, including USA, UK, China, and beyond. However, Sweden doesn't have it's own personal brand of Amazon (yet). Therefore, although Amazon has a wide array of products, international shipping rates are an unfortunate reality. HOWEVER, that shipping fee is different depending on the version of Amazon. The USA website charges much more to ship to Sweden than other brands.

Amazon.co.uk offers free super saver delivery to Sweden when you spend £25 (25 pounds) or more if the item is fulfilled by Amazon, and isn't too heavy or bulky.

Meanwhile, Amazon.co.de (Germany) offers standard shipping (7-21 business days) for €4.25 (4.25 Euros), plus €1.50 per kg. This is cheaper than other European versions.

There's also a site called Tradera which is an E-bay connected online auction, where you can buy/sell.

Gulans is another website that allows people to buy and sell used items online. They have bikes, printers, and other useful objects for sale that are much cheaper second-hand

You will likely have to start a new account for all of these websites, but that shouldn't be an issue - just use your Swedish address. If your browser doesn't automatically offer to translate these websites for you, then copy/paste the URL into Google Translate, and press 'translate'. That should allow you to understand what you are ordering/bidding on :)

After being in Stockholm for a couple of weeks, I've discovered a lack of international goods in Swedish grocery stores, such as Cadbury Heroes, Hershey's products, Appletiser, Dark Chocolate Digestives, and beyond. HOWEVER - THERE IS A SOLUTION! The English Shop sells Goodies from the UK, USA, and other countries! And since the company is based in Sweden, the shipping isn't outrageous! So for those of you who are missing food products from home, enjoy :)

For Europeans and those who have read about travel options, this is not news to you. However, for those of you who aren't familiar with the awesomeness that are budget airlines, your life is about to be changed. While people in central Europe have the luxury of cheap buses and trains, Sweden is more removed from the rest of the continent, making weekend trips by bus or train more challenging due to price, connections, and hours upon hours of travel time. Luckily, here in Europe, flying is super cheap. There are numerous companies that allow passengers to fly roundtrip for as little as 50 US Dollars, and many of these companies have flights from Sweden.

Ryanair is so cheap, it's actually unbelievable. While prices vary depending on the week, you can fly Stockholm to Dublin, Milan, London, Berlin, Barcelona, and beyond. This is perfect for a weekend getaway. As long as you follow the instructions on the website to avoid hidden costs (such as over-weight bags and failing to check-in online), this is a great way to save money while exploring Europe.

German Wings also flies to numerous locations from Stockholm.

Wizz air flies from Stockholm to various destinations in Poland, along with Hungary and Serbia. I've never taken it myself, but I've heard good things.

Easyjet only flies to Geneva from Stockholm, but it's a great airline. It flies to hundreds of destinations across Europe and the Middle East.

Jet2 doesn't fly to Sweden, but they do fly around Europe and the Middle East, so they're worth looking into.

As for accommodation in these locations, check out hostelworld for cheap hostels, or couchsurfing if you want to stay with a local.

IKEA is a great place to buy basic bedroom, bathroom, and kitchen equipment. Meanwhile, Stockholm Quality Outlet has some great deals. You can take a bus from the central station to get there (details on the website). Lidl is a very cheap grocery store, with branches throughout Stockholm. I've also just discovered Willy's which is also quite cheap.