How I Went To Brazil For Free

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As you guys know, I am never selfish with information and love to share money savings tips, and in this case money EARNING tips that encourages everyone to travel.

I went to Brazil for the first time in July of 2019 and earned $1,000 while visiting, yes you’ve read correctly. Your eyes aren’t playing tricks. ONE THOUSAND DOLLARS! I did so with an app called Grabr. This wasn’t my first time using the app, but it was the first time I’ve ever made so much!

What is grabr?

Grabr is an easy way to make money, that’s what it is! Okay, I’ll be a little bit more informative. Grabr is a global peer-to-peer shopping and delivery platform. It acts as a middle man for connecting shoppers to travelers all over the world who offer to bring items in person for a negotiable fee. Shoppers and travelers can both benefit because 1. The shopper is getting an item they either are unable to get in their country or the item is just too expensive due to high shipping and import costs and 2. the traveler is earning money. In a nut shell the shopper is paying the traveler to bring the item to them.

have i used it?

I have used Grabr a total of 3 times. My first time was when I went to Lisbon, Portugal in March. I made about $150 testing out this app. There also wasn’t many orders for NY to Lisbon at that time. My second time was when I went to Buenos Aires, Argentina. This is one of the top 5 earning destinations. I made just about $230. I could’ve made more wayyyyy but I had forgot about this app and started utilizing it last minute before my trip sadly. Most recently I went to Rio De Janiero, another top earning destination and made $1,000. I’ll share my experience and how in 10 detailed steps below.

How do i get paid?

Slow down now, let’s first discuss how this app works and then we will revisit this question, fair?

How does it work?

It is super simple, even I understood the app immediately and I’m not even the brightest apple in the bunch sometimes.

sign up

You sign up as a shopper or traveler HERE. Since this post is about making money, we are signing up as travelers. There will be two tabs at the top, one that says “Order” and one that says “Travel”. You will select the “Travel” tab.

Create your trip

2. Select where you’re traveling from and where you’re going. You will see if there are any delivery requests available. Sometimes there are, sometimes there aren’t. You can also add the dates of your trip and receive notifications. You can also add more than one trip!

Make your offer

3. When a shopper creates their list for the item that they want, Grabr auto calculates the traveler fee. This is not the final amount, you can counteroffer with an amount lower or higher on an item you are interested in delivering. I have done this plenty of times, based on the amount, size and weight of an item. I have seen people request surf boards, an item like this would definitely carry an additional fee at the airport so you can include this amount when negotiating. Keep in mind that there are other travelers so keep your offer competitive and reasonable. The shopper will either accept your offer or not. The more orders you get the more money you make, keep in mind that you have to actually have the capital first. (see #8)

Communicate with the buyer

4. Once you’ve made your offer, it allows you and the shopper to communicate and negotiate. This is where you can discuss a best place to meet as some cities are big, like Rio. I keep all messaging within the app and also use Whatsapp when I arrive in the country for easier communication. To be honest, some shoppers are more difficult than others when it comes to their requests. You can definitely cancel a requests in a timely manner if you no longer want to work with a shopper.

Buying the item

5. What I love about this app is that the shopper provides the exact link of the item that they want. The link usually has all specifications that they need, whether it is size, color, etc. This makes getting the item even more easy. I would always confirm that everything is good before purchasing the item.A lot of items are from Amazon which I love because I have Amazon Prime membership. This allows me to get the item fast along with free shipping. Orders from Amazon are also great for last minute trips. The website you are ordering the item from can vary depending on the item.I’ve ordered from eBay, Quiksilver, Adorama, B & H Photo, Apple. Some of these websites actually have stores in NYC so I went in store as well and avoided shipped fees. I have even found items that a shopper requested cheaper on another sites. The options are endless.

What Items Are You Delivering

6. We aren’t delivering anything from the dark web or illegal. It is your duty to be aware of the items you are ordering and delivering. I have seen requests for JUUL sticks and drones. I personally wouldn’t make an offer on those items because some countries and airports have strict rules when it comes to items like those. There are tons of items that people request to be delivered, from snacks to car parts. For example, Arizona beverages aren’t sold in Russia, but you know that’s like a NY staple drink haha. So someone would request to have that brought to Russia. Keep in mind the size and whether or not if you will have to check your luggage. I’ve never checked a bag because I choose small items with high rewards and my trips are usually short. Most items on app are:

Electronics (Mobile Phones, Cameras, laptops, equipments)
Food (cookies, candy, vitamins, supplements, etc.)
Clothing & beauty (shoes, hats, coats, skin care etc.)

Delivery

7. Once you’ve received the items, pack and ensure they are safe and wont be damaged. When communicating with the shopper initially you guys will usually discuss where you can meet .Keep in mind that you are NOT a courier so are not responsible for delivering the item to the persons house unless that is agreed. I always stay central when I am traveling so I inform them of the area name. Always agree to meet at a public place to ensure safety. It can be your hotel lobby or a nearby coffee shop. Since I travel solo, I strategically ask shoppers if they would like to meet at places I know I would like to take pictures. They also become my photographer 🙃. You two usually greet each other, they inspect the item and confirm delivery. ALWAYSSSS make sure you watch them confirm delivery while you both are together. Not when they get home. You will also get a notification when they confirm. If they do not confirm, you do not get paid!

Getting Paid

8. A buyer can not cancel an order once they have paid, this protects you since you are purchasing the item. Once your offer has been accepted doesn’t mean you get paid just yet.The cost of the item, (including taxes and other fees) and your commission is placed in an escrow account. Once the buyer confirms delivery on the app, the amount is released. They say within 3-5 business days, but from my experiences it usually takes 8 days to hit my account. You simply choose your payout method and fill in the details. This protects both parties for a secure experience. It ensures they are getting the item they paid for in the proper condition as well. Since you are ultimately responsible for the items you are delivering, it is up to you to ensure they arrive in good working condition and as ordered. If the shopper paid for the item upfront a dishonest person can easily keep that item and never deliver it without any consequences.

One of my deliveries for Brazil, Amazon sent the incorrect color for a laptop. I notified the shopper who was disappointed but was okay with it. All shoppers may not be okay in a situation like this so it’s good to inspect in the essence you’ll have to do an exchange.

Rating/ Reputation

9. As we all know, reputation and credibility matters. Shoppers that you deliver to will rate you from 1 to 5 stars and can also leave comments. You want to always make a great impression. This feedback helps other shoppers feel confident in working with you in the future. Showing that you’re trusted and reliable, equaling more accepted offers, deliveries and money in your pockets! Would you trust someone with zero reviews or someone with 25 5 star reviews? * cough * I have a 5⭐️ rating

Meet locals

10. What better way to learn about a new city than hearing from the locals themselves. Since the shoppers you are delivring to are from there, they have the best advice. In Lisbon my shopper Diana (seen in the video) gave me a list of Portuguese dishes I should try. In Argentina a photographer who I delivered a camera body to offered me a free photoshoot. In Rio, shoppers mostly told me to be safe 😫.

Tips

Not everywhere in the world uses this app. You can also plan your next trip based on one of the highest paying destinations.
The top 4 cities are Buenos Aires, Sao Paulo, Rio De Janeiro, and Moscow
It is up to you to learn about restrictions, customs, and taxes on potential deliveries and include those considerations when making your offer.
Most countries let you bring in a limit of $10,000USD worth of things into the country, which is pretty high.
Make sure you have enough space for the items. Know if you will need to bring an extra bag to check. Don’t bid on more than you actually want to carry.
It is an easy way to rack up on rewards points with your credit card. It is also good if you just opened a credit card and have to meet the minimum spending amount. You are letting the shoppers do the spending while you collect cash and bonus points.
Don’t wait for an offer to be accepted. Make many offers for more money possibilities.
You must have the capital to purchase the items you’re delivering (and pay fees for bringing them into the country if applicable) ahead of time. You will be reimbursed after making the deliveries. Don’t go in the debt biting off more than you can chew!
You can filter by highest delivery reward. Bid on small but expensive items such as phones, tablets, cameras and small laptops (avoid big or heavy items). This is how I made most of my money, I delivered 10 Apple products and bundled with shoppers. For example, I had about 3 Ipad, pencil and keyboard bundles.
Communicate with shoppers looking for multiple products. This is how I bundled with shoppers. This way you might only need to meet one person to deliver 2-5 items
Try to meet within your first few days to lighten up the weight of your luggage. You don’t have to worry about meeting up and just enjoy your trip.
Make delivery offers for your trips coming and going. Even if you aren’t going home but going to another country, see if there are orders from where you are to that destination.