Amazon.com vs. Amazon.co.uk

[gsurya]

I had the similar issue once. After contacting the chat helpline, they told me that one of the BD I selected was from a Seller, hence I was not getting
Amazon GlobalFreeSaver option.

In this case, Seller items are not considered for Free Shipping by Amazon. Only, items sold by Amazon directly are eligible for Free Shipping.

Make sure, you have selected all the items in your cart sold by Amazon LLC exclusively to avail Free Shipping for more than $125 order.

Absolutely right, I did this & did indeed get the free shipping option. Of course they charge customs upfront, but the free shipping compensates 60% of that.. so the end result is still much lower than the local price. Hopefully its delivered with no additional charge!

 

[gsurya]

Are all the items selected by you, eligible for free global shipping option ??

Yes but that was not the issue, as technopark said.. they must all be items that are stocked & shipped by Amazon, not third-party. Then you get the free shipping order, I just placed an order for 130 USD of region free BDs.

 

[just4kix]

My last order of 13 movies came to a landed cost of all inclusive Rs. 9482. This works to a mere Rs. 730 power movie. It is less than my whole family going to a multiplex cinema house on a weekend evening.

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[manzb]

My last order of 13 movies came to a landed cost of all inclusive Rs. 9482. This works to a mere Rs. 730 power movie. It is less than my whole family going to a multiplex cinema house on a weekend evening.

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Kix .. agreed that the landed cost is on the lower side.. most Indian BDs are in 799-999 range for the old ones and the newer movies at 1299 & 1499 range. So in that case it is quite enough savings. If people like us who values good prints and original ones, finds it difficult to digest the high Indian prices, and hence seeks for alternative by ordering from Amazons of the world.. then it is natural for the common Indian to look for a real cheap alternative in pirated contents. Unless prices are revised or goes down to between 300-500 or even lower, the acceptance will be at the lower level, and the online download and pirated versions will thrive. Actually sometime it pains to pay 1000 bucks for a movie Disc to be watched on TV, as the chances of you enjoying the same movie over and over again is not much.. max one will view it for 2-3 times, unless it is a kiddies movies (which you may have to keep playing to keep them occupied). Rental is a better option in such cases (considering that it costs around 100 bucks), but there are other issues with it, like the quality of discs, and non availability of international versions etc apart from the return logistics.

 

[just4kix]

Kix .. agreed that the landed cost is on the lower side.. most Indian BDs are in 799-999 range for the old ones and the newer movies at 1299 & 1499 range. So in that case it is quite enough savings. If people like us who values good prints and original ones, finds it difficult to digest the high Indian prices, and hence seeks for alternative by ordering from Amazons of the world.. then it is natural for the common Indian to look for a real cheap alternative in pirated contents. Unless prices are revised or goes down to between 300-500 or even lower, the acceptance will be at the lower level, and the online download and pirated versions will thrive. Actually sometime it pains to pay 1000 bucks for a movie Disc to be watched on TV, as the chances of you enjoying the same movie over and over again is not much.. max one will view it for 2-3 times, unless it is a kiddies movies (which you may have to keep playing to keep them occupied). Rental is a better option in such cases (considering that it costs around 100 bucks), but there are other issues with it, like the quality of discs, and non availability of international versions etc apart from the return logistics.

You are touching on a sensitive topic.

Even if the prices reduced, I doubt whether downloading and piracy will end. The most common excuse I hear is that discs are expensive and I cannot afford them and hence ...

This reasoning does not cut ice with me.

I completely agree that movies are overpriced. The studios can easily sell at half the cost and still make money. It is worthwhile to note that Amazon prices are almost half the standard retail price and yet still costly. But even if the prices reduced to say Rs. 400 a disc, I doubt whether people will buy.

People buy hardware worth lakhs and don't blink much. But when it comes to software, cost factor jumps in. The only reason is because hardware cannot be duplicated and pirated whereas digital content can be. Content copying is easy. Why spend money to buy when you can get it for free. But it amazes me that people so concerned about hardware quality and PQ, etc., will run 700mb AVIs or 4 GB BD rips.

Rental is a good option but still yet to become popular in India in the "proper" sense.

Anyway, my lament is my own.

 

[manzb]

I agree.. but I think some group like Mosarbaer are doing good by selling DVDs of Indian movies for a song. Atleast now you can buy crappy Indian movies for 40-50 bucks watch it and throw it or give it away. The only issue here is that the time lag is a bit too much normally few months.. and we Indian are impatient lot and can't wait that long. I will be happy if they can release within maybe 2-3 weeks of theatrical release.

I agree that people buy hi-end hardware but don't want to spend money on softwares. But frankly speaking, if you look at the trouble of finding a good online copy, downloading it for use, you still end up paying a good amount by way of data bill, electricity, your own personal time etc. Those put together is no less than 200 bucks for good print download in actual bill plus personal efforts. So anything around 300-400 should be sweet spot for atleast a sizeable number of people to jump in to make the business viable. Current pricing I am sure is not viable, considering that not many people are buying at this price point.
Regarding Rental, I am still mulling the option..
Way forward I expect the VoD over internet to be a major way of ordering and viewing movies (it will be cheaper, as well as don't need to take care of any inventory). Already you can see a good amount of movies available even in Youtube.

 

[Vinod.R]

Amazon.com is offering free global shipping for orders worth USD 125 or over. This is a significant saving.

Assuming that average price of a BD is US$ 16, an eight BD order will cross the US$ 125 limit. The price works as follows (US$ 1 = Rs. 54.43):

INR Cost (before customs)......... Rs. 7,210.89
Customs Duty ..................... Rs. 1,874.83
Total Cost ....................... Rs. 9,085.72
Total Items ...................... 8
Per Item Cost .................... Rs. 1,135.71

1) It is a useful breakup, however, the INR cost of Rs 7,210.89 does not seem to work out?

2) One more question, what if I order a lot of say $5 or $10 dollar blu ray movies amounting to a $125 check out, one would still be eligible for this offer?

3) What about if common city FMs get together for a common order and split the costs?

Thanks Just4kix, an absolutely fantastic thread.

 

[just4kix]

1) It is a useful breakup, however, the INR cost of Rs 7,210.89 does not seem to work out?

2) One more question, what if I order a lot of say $5 or $10 dollar blu ray movies amounting to a $125 check out, one would still be eligible for this offer?

3) What about if common city FMs get together for a common order and split the costs?

Thanks Just4kix, an absolutely fantastic thread.

The free shipping on order over $125 is now over.

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[just4kix]

1) It is a useful breakup, however, the INR cost of Rs 7,210.89 does not seem to work out?

2) One more question, what if I order a lot of say $5 or $10 dollar blu ray movies amounting to a $125 check out, one would still be eligible for this offer?

3) What about if common city FMs get together for a common order and split the costs?

Thanks Just4kix, an absolutely fantastic thread.

1. I must have made some mistake on exchange rate. Note that banks in India levy a 3.5% FOREX surcharge on the total value.

The next two questions are merely academic now considering that the free shipping scheme on orders worth $125 or more is now over (expired on Jan 15, 2013). But assuming that the offer is reintroduced in the same form or with different order limit, the answers would be:

2) It does not matter whether the order consists of 25 BDs of $5 each or 5 BDs or $25 each. The order total must equal or exceed $125. However, there is cavaet on the weight of the entire delivery. I do not remember the exact clause but the weight limit was something like 20 lbs. If the weight limit exceeds, while you will still get the exemption base shipping costs (as per the scheme) but the there are shipping charges for heavy delivery.

3) As long as the delivery is in the name of the same person and to a single address, not split into multiple shipments and paid by a single credit card, it does not matter whether the order is from a single person or multiple persons. All other arrangements are between individuals and not a concern of Amazon. Amazon is not responsible for other 3rd persons but to the order placer only.

 

[reubensm]

for those who have access to travel to the United States and the United Kingdom, buying from Amazon.com is a very pleasant experience because of Free shipping. The package usually arrives in 2-3 days. Amazon.co.uk appeared to be a bit more expensive for local purchasing. Also I thought the American site had a bigger range of CD and DVD titles and to add to that, there's always the insurance policy - "if amazon does not have it, somebody on ebay may be selling it"

 

[just4kix]

Really? My experience has been the exact opposite ...

1. 75% of the times the Amazon.co.uk price has been cheaper than Amazon.com (read previous post giving comparison)
2. We get a VAT refund on Amazon.co.uk - but only if ordered and exported to India
3. On the otherhand, if ordering on Amazon.com and shipping to US address, local sales tax is applied (not applicable for exports)
4. The shipping charges are less on UK site - of course, this does not apply if ordered in UK (for UK site) or USA (for USA site)

But the big deal with Amazon.co.uk is shipping (points mentioned earlier).

 

[prepress]

Friends, I have a question for you. Asking if someone had the same issue.

I have ordered few Blurays last week and made the payment by my Kotak Debit Card. But after few hours I have received an email about my debit card payment was not successful. After that I added my another HDFC Debit Card then again same thing happened. I am not sure why it is behaving like this, even they have clearly mentioned that they accept debit cards too.
Is there any card blockage from the banks, should I ask to bank people if there is something which needs to enable or something else? Please suggest.

Thanks,
Dan

 

[Staxxx]

Friends, I have a question for you. Asking if someone had the same issue.

I have ordered few Blurays last week and made the payment by my Kotak Debit Card. But after few hours I have received an email about my debit card payment was not successful. After that I added my another HDFC Debit Card then again same thing happened. I am not sure why it is behaving like this, even they have clearly mentioned that they accept debit cards too.
Is there any card blockage from the banks, should I ask to bank people if there is something which needs to enable or something else? Please suggest.

Thanks,
Dan

If these transactions are out of your normal pattern of expenditure then it is possible that the automatic fraud checks are kicking in and blocking the use of your cards. You should contact the bank and they will be able to let you know why the transactions have not gone through.

 

[prepress]

If these transactions are out of your normal pattern of expenditure then it is possible that the automatic fraud checks are kicking in and blocking the use of your cards. You should contact the bank and they will be able to let you know why the transactions have not gone through.

Thanks for your inputs, actually nothing was debited from my account but my cards were unable to process the payment. Seems there is some locking for international usage (I guess, not sure).

 

[jsmithe]

Friends, I have a question for you. Asking if someone had the same issue.

I have ordered few Blurays last week and made the payment by my Kotak Debit Card. But after few hours I have received an email about my debit card payment was not successful. After that I added my another HDFC Debit Card then again same thing happened. I am not sure why it is behaving like this, even they have clearly mentioned that they accept debit cards too.
Is there any card blockage from the banks, should I ask to bank people if there is something which needs to enable or something else? Please suggest.

Thanks,
Dan

Are you using a single use virtual card (i.e.) one that expires after a single transaction? If so try using a real credit card. It should be an international credit card but most credit cards issued in India nowadays are international, however check with your card issuer anyway. I suggest NOT using a real debit card for online transactions especially abroad. A virtual debit card with a limit or a single use virtual debit card is better than a real debit card, but a credit card is best.

I have noticed that many international sellers including Amazon do a test transaction of a small amount immediately after you complete the order and then reverse it immediately followed by the transaction for the actual amount. This is done only the very first time you pay at the site. Once your card is on file or they have processed your card successfully, this does not happen anymore. A single use card would fail on the second transaction and that could explain why your order was not processed.

 

[just4kix]

Even though it is not started clearly, I have reason to believe that debit cards do not work on international sites.

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[baijuxavior]

As far as know, only axis and icici debit cards work with amazon purchase. I have sbi international debit card, but it is not working and I get the same message as posted by prepress. HDFC users can create virtual credit card for transaction.

 

[prepress]

As far as know, only axis and icici debit cards work with amazon purchase. I have sbi international debit card, but it is not working and I get the same message as posted by prepress. HDFC users can create virtual credit card for transaction.

Yes, I have received a message "Your payment tranx was not processed on 3Dsecure noncompliant website. Kindly shop securely with Netsafe Virtual Card for this tranx. Visit hdfcbank.com to register now."

Please let me know about Netsafe Virtual card?

 

[just4kix]

Virtual credit card can be created on the netbanking site. It is a one-time credit card. Login to your netbanking website and check for virtual credit card.

http://www.hdfcbank.com/personal/making_payments/making-payments-details/netsafe/gts8mitl

 

[sanro]

It is the third time in a row my package hasn't arrived from Amazon UK . I went to nearby post offices to check if they have received it but they keep saying that they haven't received anything that is addressed to me.

I don't understand why Amazon UK use their Royal mail who in turn uses our India Post offices for delivery . I am fed up now with amazon uk.. I know its not the same with other buyers ,,but its just not the consistent. Like Amazon US .