Near Together
A service for people who want to surprise their loved ones but run into payment issues in Europe or Russia. We help you pay for and arrange orders with local shops, private cake makers, florists and other services inside the recipient’s country – without shipping across borders.
About us
We’re a couple, Elya and Karsten. We launched Near Together because we’ve personally experienced how hard it can be to stay close when you live in different countries. We care about attention to detail, clear timelines, and calm, transparent communication.
- ElyaFounderI like it when everything is well-organized: agreements, deadlines, confirmations, no confusion.
- KarstenCo-founderFocused on structure, double-checking details, and making sure everything works smoothly — without surprises.
Who is this service for?
Our service is for people who don’t live in the same country as their loved ones. We help organise gifts and purchases between Russia and Europe when it’s difficult to pay directly.
You live in Russia, the recipient is in Europe
We place an order for them – gifts, flowers, sweets or delivery from local shops and services in their city.
You live in Europe, your family/partner is in Russia
We help you place an order on Russian marketplaces, with cake makers, florists and other services, with delivery to an address in Russia.
You’re stuck with payment restrictions
If a website, shop or private service doesn’t accept your card, we place the order for you and make sure it gets delivered.
How it works?
From here it’s simple: you tell us who the gift is for and what you’d like to send, and we take care of payment, ordering and delivery tracking. Here’s what we do:
- Paying for your orderWe handle the payment in the required country: in online shops, with cake makers, florists and other local services.
- Organising deliveryWe arrange delivery of the gift to an address within the same country – in the recipient’s city.
- Gift ideas and selectionOn request, we suggest gift ideas that match your budget and occasion.
- Support until «delivered»We track the order status, contact the shop or delivery service if needed and keep you updated.
- No cross-border shippingWe only work Europe→Europe and Russia→Russia, with no international parcel forwarding.
Service steps
It’s simple: you fill out a short form, we calculate the total, you pay – and we handle the order and delivery from there.
Request form
You fill out the form: who the gift is for, where it should go, what you’d like to order and whether you want help choosing a gift.
Calculation
We calculate: items + delivery + our service fee and send you the final amount and conditions.
Payment
You pay 100% of the amount using the payment details we send.
Placing the order
We place the order in the required country, enter the recipient’s details and arrange delivery within that country.
Tracking and support
We send you the order confirmation and tracking number, monitor the status and, if needed, communicate with the shop/delivery service until the order is actually delivered.
Gift Ideas
Not sure what to get? We’ve put together a list of gift ideas — from safe «always works» options to more unique picks. Perfect for long-distance relationships, birthdays, anniversaries, or just because you want to make someone happy.
Open gift ideas
Tariffs
Three simple tariffs. Prices are per order and do not include the cost of the items or the shop’s delivery fee.
Payment only
10€
You’ve already agreed everything with a cake maker, florist or another service, but you can’t pay. We pay for the order in the required country using their payment details.
Basic order
15€
You send us links or a description of what you want to order. We place and pay for the order in the required country, enter the recipient’s details and make sure the order is dispatched.
Order with gift selection
25€
You tell us about the recipient and your budget. We suggest gift options, agree them with you, then place and pay for the order and support it all the way until it’s marked as delivered.
If I want to order 2 or more gifts?
If you order 2 or more gifts, the service fee is calculated individually, because such orders are often placed and delivered as separate shipments. Before payment, we always send you an exact quote and confirm the final amount with you.
Example situations
A few typical cases where we help organise and pay for gifts between Russia and Europe.
A girl in Russia sends a gift to her boyfriend in Berlin
A client from Russia couldn’t pay on a German website. She chose a gift, we paid for it in Europe and arranged delivery to her boyfriend’s address in Berlin.
A man in Europe sends a gift to his mother in Russia
A client in Europe wanted to order a gift for his mother in Russia, but payments on Russian platforms were not going through. We placed the order on a marketplace and arranged delivery to her home.
A couple in Europe orders gifts for friends in Russia
The couple lives in Europe, their friends are in different Russian cities. We helped choose gifts, placed several orders to different cities and sent tracking updates for each parcel.
Reviews
FAQ
If you are in Russia/CIS:
You pay in rubles to our Russian payment details. The amount includes the cost of the order, delivery and our service fee (according to the chosen tariff).
If you are in Europe/another country:
Payment can be made to a European bank card or via PayPal (by agreement). We agree on the payment method and currency in advance and confirm it in writing before we start.
You pay in rubles to our Russian payment details. The amount includes the cost of the order, delivery and our service fee (according to the chosen tariff).
If you are in Europe/another country:
Payment can be made to a European bank card or via PayPal (by agreement). We agree on the payment method and currency in advance and confirm it in writing before we start.
We calculate in the shop’s/service’s currency (usually euros or rubles).
If you pay in another currency, we tell you the final amount to pay in advance, taking into account the exchange rate and possible fees. After you’ve paid, this amount is not recalculated.
If you pay in another currency, we tell you the final amount to pay in advance, taking into account the exchange rate and possible fees. After you’ve paid, this amount is not recalculated.
We calculate:
- The price of the item(s) in the shop/service
- The delivery cost from the shop to the recipient
- Our service fee according to the chosen tariff
We have clear written service rules and don’t work «in the dark».
You receive:
You receive:
- a detailed cost breakdown,
- screenshots of the order,
- confirmation and tracking (if available).
You pay:
- our fixed service fee according to the chosen tariff,
- the price of the items and the shop’s delivery cost,
- possible bank/payment system fees on your transfer (if any).
No. We do not offer international parcel forwarding.
We only place orders within one country:
We only place orders within one country:
- Europe → delivery to an address in Europe
- Russia → delivery to an address in Russia
Returns and exchanges follow the rules of the specific shop/service.
If the shop accepts returns, we can help you:
If the shop accepts returns, we can help you:
- contact customer support,
- submit a return request,
- track the status.
- A money refund is possible after the shop has actually refunded the amount, minus our service fee and any additional costs (return shipping, payment system fees, etc.).
This can happen due to busy delivery services, holidays, weather and so on. In this case we:
- request the current status from the shop/delivery service,
- pass all updates on to you,
- help you act according to their rules (complaint, extending storage time, return, etc.).
Yes, we do not work with:
- prescription medicines and prohibited substances,
- weapons and dangerous items,
- alcohol/tobacco/nicotine,
- counterfeit or “replica” branded goods,
- requests like «just send money to someone» without a real order.
Rules and data
You can read the full service rules and our short data policy via the link below. Here’s the key information in brief.
- Transparent conditionsThe service rules describe all stages of the process, how the order cost and service fee are calculated, and what happens in case of cancellation, returns or delivery issues.
- Who we share data withWe share data only with those who are needed to fulfil the order: shops, cake makers, florists, delivery services and platform support. We do not publish addresses and phone numbers publicly.
- Minimum dataWe only ask for what is needed to place your order: your name, contact details, recipient details, delivery address and order information. No ID documents, no unnecessary personal data.
- Storage and deletionWe store data only while the order is being processed and for a reasonable time afterwards (for records and possible disputes). On request, we can delete everything we’re not legally required to keep.
Contacts
Telegram @neartogether_com
