If you’re considering a move to the UK, be sure to stock up on your favorite American products and brands. After discovering an empty Ziploc box in the kitchen drawer of our British home, it’s not hard to be reminded of all the American things you can’t buy in the UK. From Austin-based fashion to unique American toys not available in UK, here are 11 American brands to bring to the UK from the USA.
American Products I Miss Most Living In The UK
It sounds ridiculous but I actually had a hard time throwing the empty Ziploc box in the recycling bin. It was like the end of an era…on so many levels. If you’re an American living in England, then you understand.
Thankfully it doesn’t take a tremendous amount of time for certain American things to make their way to the UK or to find their British store equivalent, but there are some USA brands that simply make it impossible.
Not that it’s a bad thing. On the contrary, that inaccessibility makes you appreciate them that much more or to break a bad habit, like how I saved $3000 in one year without Target in the UK.
And breaking a bad habit isn’t that hard with the European regulation called GDPR. American companies that don’t want to comply with the regulation simply prohibit browsing their brand online if you are outside American territory. 👎🏻
With that said though there are still American brands worth the struggle. 💪🏻
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American Brands You Can’t Get In The UK
For moving abroad, shopping in the USA, or trying to find the perfect gift for your American friend in England, here are 13 American things you simply can’t get in the UK that I miss the most…even after 2 years of living in the UK.
1 – American Girl
Even though American Girl is expensive, the doll and the travel carrier are the perfect gifts for a young girl moving abroad. Even at 7-years-old, my daughter’s American Girl Doll and Bitty Baby travel with us everywhere. It’s one of the only American toys not available in UK.
Our return trips to the USA generally involve an American Girl store visit but while in the UK, the Our Generation brand fulfills the gap (Our Generation is available in the UK at Amazon, Smyth’s, Debenhams, and Hamley’s).
2 – Video Games for An American Bought Xbox or PS
There are compatibility differences in the technology between American and British purchased Xbox or PlayStation systems. Even though they look the same, they do not work the same. Only games purchased from the States can be used with systems brought from the States.
An American Xbox or PS from the US makes it difficult for tween or teenage boys moving to the UK. Stock up on games in the US or buy a new one in the UK.
3 – Rodan + Fields
No lash boost compares!
This American product has made its way to Australia but not quite to the UK. It can occasionally be found on Amazon.
4 – Pottery Barn Brands
With the exception of West Elm, the other Pottery Barn brands, Williams Sonoma, Mark & Graham, Pottery Barn, Pottery Barn Teen, and Pottery Barn Kids, aren’t even viewable online from the UK. They are one of many American retailers that have decided to not comply with GDPR.
GDPR certainly makes using Pottery Barn Rewards tricky, but it’s still possible if you love the brand as much as I do. Read here to learn how to access blocked American websites.
There is a very scaled-down version of Pottery Barn Kids available in the UK but it’s a very small subset of the brand offering.
And speaking of Pottery Barn, Crate & Barrel isn’t available either.
5 – American Sized Sheets (All Brands) Not Available In England
Yes, sheets!
If you are moving to the UK and plan to bring your furniture, then make sure to bring sheets for your American-sized bed and mattress. Unless the bed and mattress were bought from IKEA, you can’t find sheets that fit your USA sized bed in the UK.
6 – HP Ink For Your American HP Printer
If you plan to bring your printer from the USA, then stock up on ink.
There are ink compatibility differences between British and American purchased ink cartridges, even if the printer model is the same. Highly confusing, right? In order to avoid buying a new printer, stock up on ink before you go. And trust me, bringing a printer for that first week abroad is totally worth it.
7 – Zipper Storage Bags
Ziploc, Glad, and all household brands offering zipper bags aren’t available for purchase in the UK.
Basic storage bags with zippers seem unconventional in the UK. It’s the old fold-over sandwich style or seal (the seal that never seems to connect) that the country seems to live by. 😂
8 – Crest With Scope Toothpaste
Ironically Tom’s of Maine is available for sale in the UK, but mega-mogul Crest toothpaste is not. You can buy some Crest products but Crest toothpaste is England grocery stores is the hardest to find.
9 – Sephora (available online starting October 2022)
You can fly to France, or even browse in the mini Sephora in the Zurich train station, but finding this black and white beauty won’t happen in the UK.
Stock up on their unique offerings like my favorites: Sephora face masks and Sephora ultra shine lip gloss.
Update 2022: Sephora launched an online store in October 2022, followed by a physical retail store.
10 – Target Private Label Brands
Not having Target in the UK is hard enough. Then throw in Target’s private label brands and suddenly you second guess your decision to move abroad. 🤦🏼♀️
Loved brands like Cat & Jack and Hearth & Hand With Magnolia can be shipped to the UK but shipping and VAT make it incredibly expensive.
Albeit super hard at first, breaking up with Target really did save me $3000 in just one year. So that’s something to consider…or start working on a shopping list for the next stateside visit. 🎯
11 – Born Shoes & Boots
I can’t say enough about how amazing Born is. Going from a concrete city as big as Houston, Texas to narrow cobble-stone streets in the UK was a huge transition for both lifestyle and the sheer amount of walking. Luckily enough for me, a former Nordstrom purchase of Born shoes saved my feet when typical trainers weren’t the look I was going for.
Sometimes available for sale in the UK and sometimes not, Born is perfect for someone who seeks comfortable walking.
12 – BEAUTYCOUNTER
Known for its safe ingredients, BEAUTYCOUNTER is on the rise to competing against other popular American cosmetic companies. The product that sold me? The Jellies.
Jellies are perfect for all-day Zoom calls without the stickiness or getting in your hair. Your best bet for getting your hands on BEAUTYCOUNTER is becoming friends with an American rep willing to ship some to you!
These last three are American brands you CAN now get in the UK, but cheaper in the USA.
But since you can only buy from either Selfridges or REVOLVE, plan on paying a lot more if it’s worth it to you.
12 – Kendra Scott
It’s the company purpose, the jewelry, the headquarters (Texas!), and the 50% off birthday discount that keeps its customers returning for more. This brand is worth the wait on a return trip to the USA.
13 – Designer Jeans, like Mother
REVOLVE sells Mother jeans in the UK. These jeans were impossible to get in the UK after Meghan Markle made her debut with Prince Harry at the Invictus Games in 2017. Nearly a year plus later, REVOLVE offers all sorts of Mother styles.
Tip 👉🏻If you want designer jeans and you’re considering a move to the UK, buy them in the States. American brand designer jeans are less expensive than in the UK: Paige, 7 For All Mankind, J Brand, and even J Crew (even the outlet is fab).
14- YETI
Tumblers and coolers made by this Austin-based company are available for sale in the UK as of late 2019. And for living in England, a YETI is essential – from social distance happy hours to afternoon tea!
The one exception to this is monogramming.
Monogramming isn’t as popular in the UK as it is in the US, so monogramming is tricky to find in the UK. When British girlfriends see my monogrammed tumbler they want one, too!
Final thoughts on American products not available in England.
Still wondering what American brands you can’t get in the UK? Check out the original American things post if you missed it. It primarily spotlights American food that you can’t buy in the UK which is one of many adjustments living abroad.
And if that still doesn’t cut it, get my American shopping list by becoming a member of aBroad purpose.
Are you an American expat living in the UK, too? Share what other American brands I missed that you know how to buy without spending a fortune or have figured out how to live without. 😉🇺🇸🇬🇧
Looking for more ideas? Try these.
- 6 Fab Essentials Every Expat Woman Needs
- 5 Must-Have Kitchen Gadgets For Expats
- Moving abroad? Use my moving checklist to the UK!
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8 comments
I’m in the process of moving to Scotland, and I don’t want to see any US brands over there. There is a reason why some brands are banned, whether its the toxic ingredients or just too wasteful. The US is killing their own citizens and the environment.
Hi Kerry! With everything going on with tariffs etc I think you’ll find fewer and fewer products available in the UK. I hope you’re move to Scotland is going well! Best of luck!
Try Ship It To for UK delivery. I’m using them now for my sons birthday and Christmas haul.
Hi Joanne! Thank you for the recommendation. Would love to know how it works out! x
The issue with the playstation and xbox games is that because the pound fluctuates in value against the dollar often, it is actually cheaper for people in the UK to buy games from the US if the pound is stronger then the dollar. Therefore gaming companies have region locked the discs, this has been going on for about 30 odd years, its a similar issue with Asia and Oceania as well. It doesnt matter if the games are downloaded though, but this is usually more expensive. I remember when the Playstation 3 came out, with the exchange rate at the time I figured out it would save me nearly a third of the price if I bought a Playstation from the US and shipped it to the UK, but yeah the games would not have worked.
Hi Sunny. Wow, I had no idea that was the reason behind it. Its interesting that other tech companies like Apple don’t make it as complicated for global citizens. But then again I suppose it’s all about the cash which is why we end up with all this stuff that only works in one country or another. Thanks for sharing your insights! X
Please note – the UK and England are not one and the same !! They’re not interchangeable terms. England is only a part of the UK !
Hi Ian! Yes indeed. Do you know if any of these are available elsewhere in the UK? Thank you!