This App Helps You Buy That Foreign Candy You're Craving

When you’re traveling abroad, there are only so many foreign goodies you can stuff inside your suitcase—and once you run out of stock, it’s often hard or expensive to order more. That’s why husband-and-wife duo Artem Fedyaev and Daria Rebenok created Grabr, an app that helps people purchase items from around the world—including magazines, food, beauty products, clothing, and tech items—that they can’t buy in their own countries.

On Grabr—which originally launched in 2015 and recently received $3.5 million in funding—every sale is different. According to Condé Nast Traveler, first, a person will specify what they want (linking to an online listing for extra clarity) and name their desired delivery fee—a transaction called a “grab.” Then, an individual in the item’s country of manufacturing will offer to get the product for them. The two parties will discuss transportation and shipping logistics, and once the details are ironed out (including the item’s price, which is up for negotiation), the buyer will pay for the desired object and shell out fees to both Grabr and the person delivering the stuff.

Wary about interacting with strangers? To protect your privacy, all exchanges between buyers and "grabbers" occur over Grabr's secure server. Also, participants must provide the app with their valid credit card number and identities to participate in an international sale. For more info on how Grabr works, and to browse some recent "grabs," check out its website.

Know of something you think we should cover? Email us at tips@mentalfloss.com.