The best USA buys for Brits to bring home - from 'less than half-price' designer gear to teeth-whitening strips 100 times stronger than UK

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Brits going over to the USA for a holiday often reminisce about the ‘good old days’, when you could get two dollars for every pound.

But, although that excellent exchange rate hasn’t been seen since 2007, there’s still so much you can buy in the States at a fraction of the UK price.

In fact, there are many products readily available in the likes of Walmart and Target that you’ll never be able to find on the shelves of Tesco or Sainsbury’s.

So when Reddit user ‘Substantial_Yogurt41’ asked the forum, ‘What are good buys from the USA compared to UK?’ there was no shortage of answers.

From designer gear at 'less than half the price' to a variety of flavours of M&Ms unavailable in the UK, there’s plenty for Brits to fly back home.

You might just need to make sure you leave enough room in your suitcase - and be aware of the UK's rules on personal allowance…

GADGETS

Reddit users have been sharing what they think are the best products to buy from the USA to bring back to the UK, with many recommending expensive gadgets, especially when travelling in Alaska, Delaware, Montana, New Hampshire and Oregon - where there is no sales tax

Although conversation starter ‘Substantial_Yogurt41’ specifies they aren’t looking to buy electronics, ‘Turbulent-Owl875’ insists their family ‘always buy new iPhones, Apple Watches and save a few hundred pounds on each’ when they travel to the States.

While they don’t say which state they bought their new gadgets from, they’d certainly have saved a few bucks if it was in Alaska, Delaware, Montana, New Hampshire and Oregon - where there is no sales tax.

One user, ‘InvadingEngland’, says: ‘I always attempt to wait and make big electronics purchases while I'm in Oregon.’

However, with most Apple products costing well over the UK personal allowance of £390 (or up to £270 if you arrive by private plane or boat), it's likely you will have to declare your goods to customs and pay tax and duty on the total value.

You also may have to pay import VAT and customs duty if you exceed your allowance.

DRINKS

Since 2018, when the UK government introduced the Soft Drinks Industry Levy (SDIL), manufacturers have drastically lowered the amount of sugar in fizzy drinks.

Since 2018, when the UK government introduced the Soft Drinks Industry Levy (SDIL), manufacturers have drastically lowered the amount of sugar in fizzy drinks - so many Reddit users recommend picking up the sugary stuff in the States

But the US has a huge variety of sweet sodas, including Mountain Dew and Fanta, which many users in the Reddit thread were raving about.

‘Greylord123’ says: ‘I tried Fanta Grape in the US and it was delicious and sugary… I tried the "zero" version we get here and it's horrid.’

There’s also a limit on caffeine in the UK - 100mg per litre - which the States don’t have, so ‘mattiushawkeye’ recommends picking up some energy drinks at the grocery store.

They say: ‘There's so many great brands that we don't get over here, especially Ghost, Ryse, Bucked Up, a load of other C4 flavours we don't have, you're spoilt for choice!’

MEDICINE

While it’s probably not the kind of souvenir ‘Substantial_Yogurt41’ was thinking about when they asked the question on Reddit, a lot of users recommend buying medicine that’s not available over-the-counter in the UK, including anti-inflammatory drug Naxopren.

In the UK, a prescription is needed to buy Melatonin - a natural hormone that improves sleep - but it’s readily available in supermarkets around the States, even in ‘gummy’ form, says ‘Big_Miss_Steak_’, who grabbed ‘a small jar from Target’ while they were there

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'Magnificentfoxes’ adds: ‘It's a VERY strong painkiller, even in the weaker OTC dosage in the USA. One of those cures any tooth pain I had for a couple of days, before I finally got an NHS dentist.’

In the UK, a prescription is also needed to buy Melatonin - a natural hormone that improves sleep - but it’s readily available in supermarkets around the States, even in ‘gummy’ form, says ‘Big_Miss_Steak_’, who grabbed ‘a small jar from Target’ while they were there.

‘Jimbonjambo’ adds: ‘Pick yourself up as many Nature Valley 5mg packs and you will be the lord of sleep for life.’

According to ‘goodvibezone’, the cheapest place to buy Melatonin in the US is Costco, where you can shop if you’re a UK Costco member.

Even paracetamol and ibuprofen are great buys in the US apparently, as they come in ‘huge packs’.

One user, ‘Chrisevans1001’, says he bought one 1,000-pack of each, costing him $7 (£5.62) a tub.

None of these are controlled drugs, meaning you don't need permission to export them to the UK.

DESIGNER CLOTHES 

‘Furiousrichie’ ‘picked up two pairs of Levi’s [jeans] from a mall outlet for $80 [£64] ($40 [£32] a pair), pretty much half price’, while ‘zR_Peru’ bought two pairs ‘for less than what one costs here in UK [around £100]’

The USA is famous for its huge shopping malls and retail parks, and ‘American designer brands like DKNY, Ralph Lauren and Calvin Klein are super cheap,’ says ‘DiDiPLF’, while ‘MKTurk1984’ claims ‘Tommy Hilfiger is seen as a budget brand in the US’.

‘YorkieLon’ suggests stocking up on clothes while you’re there for this reason.

They add: ‘Last time I went I bought a suitcase and paid extra to bring it back. I bought so much. Jeans and trainers are really cheap out there.’

‘Furiousrichie’ and ‘zR_Peru’ prove this is the case, as the former ‘picked up two pairs of Levi’s [jeans] from a mall outlet for $80 [£64] ($40 [£32] a pair), pretty much half price’, while the latter bought two pairs ‘for less than what one costs here in UK [around £100]’.

As with anything bought overseas, if you spend over £390 (or £270 if you arrive by private plane or boat), you must declare it to customs - and you must be buying the clothes for personal use or as a gift, and not to sell.

SWEET TREATS

The US is often ridiculed by Cadbury-loving Brits for its chocolate, but many rave about the variety of flavour combinations available for M&Ms, unavailable in the UK

The US is often ridiculed by Cadbury-loving Brits for its chocolate, but many believe its snack selection is actually superior to the UK’s, raving about the variety of flavour combinations available, especially when it comes to M&Ms.

‘Search_ben’ claims ‘the best kind of M&Ms’ are the peanut butter flavour ones, which ‘aren’t available in the UK’, and ‘Ballbag94’ notes the ‘Pretzel M&Ms too’, while ‘Jimoiseau’ mentions ‘Peanut Butter and Jelly M&Ms’ have recently been released in the States.

TEETH WHITENING KITS

Many users recommend buying teeth whitening strips while Stateside, as both contain more hydrogen peroxide than is allowed in the UK, sometimes 100 times more, according to ‘Tatwstato’

Many users recommend buying some teeth whitening strips or toothpaste while Stateside, as both contain more hydrogen peroxide than is permitted in the UK.

‘Tatwstato’ says: ‘UK allows up to 0.1% peroxides in over the counter strips, or up to 6% by use in dentists. However the US strips have 10% in and freely available!’

SUN CREAM

When it comes to sun cream, aptly-named ‘The_Salty_Red_Head’ says ‘even factor 50 here in the UK isn't always enough’ for them.

However, USA sells sun screen up to factor 100 in many shops across the country. 

‘The_Salty_Red_Head’ adds: ‘I have a friend who regularly travels to Hawaii to see family and always brings me back some of the highest factor sun lotions she can and they work so much better than anything I've found in the UK.’