Sometimes there are things you want to buy that just aren’t available in your country. In the tech realm this is true and in the vintage-tech realm it’s absolutely true. (Example: If you’re in the US and want the really awesome games for Amiga, they’re usually only available from UK sellers.)

There are 3 basic things you need at-the-ready when buying internationally. You probably won’t need them all at once, but you’re guaranteed to use at least one each time you buy outside of your country borders.

1. Currency Converter

There are many currency converters online, but the one that’s far and above used the most is XE.com. When you go to that site you’re instantly dumped exactly where you want to be so you can do your currency conversions. And yes, the site is kept very up-to-date, so the conversion you do today will be the price today and not last week’s data.

2. Language Translator

The world may be getting smarter, but native tongues still have as much of a presence as ever. If for example you needed to give special shipping instructions and the seller you’re contacting doesn’t read or write English, well.. you can see the problem there.

The two translators I use more often than not are Google Translate and Bing Translator. I don’t suggest using one or the other, I suggest using both. You will bounce back and forth between these two because it’s sometimes luck of the draw which does a better translation than the other, depending on language and what’s being said.

3. Online Power Converter

If you’re buying an electronic item where its power requirements are different from those offered in your country, you need to know what you’re dealing with. For that, Online Power Converter does the job nicely. Megawatt (MW) to kilowatt (kW) to watt (W) to volt-ampere (VA) and everything in between, you’re covered.

You can even get "wow I never knew that" conversions like U.S. refrigeration ton to British Thermal Unit per second on the same page as well as a ton of other interesting conversions. It’s definitely worth checking out.

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