ordering stuff via the Internet

There are many things unavailable in the Philippines which one needs or wants, so in the past years, I have taken to ordering stuff via the Net. e2door (http://www.e-2-door.com/) really helped me a lot in this except that it charges quite a sum for the service. So I've resorted to asking friends living in the States if I could order and have the stuff sent to their place so they could bring the same when they next come home. I pay for what I order using my credit card but I give my friend's address.

Amazon.com (www.amazon.com)has accommodated this arrangement several times for me, but thinkgeek (http://www.thinkgeek.com/index.shtml) refuses to do so because of some bad experiences with Philippine credit cards. How unfair that we should suffer the consequences of their previous bad experiences, but I guess, the company does not have much of a choice. It's a pity too, really because I'd have wanted to order some of the cute/novel products they sell. Oh well, it's as much their loss as it is mine.