Amazon.com vs. Amazon.co.uk

just4kix said:
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.

Online Credit / Debit Card Payment | HDFC Bank - Virtual Credit Card, Secured Visa Credit Card,
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I have reviewed all things, we make payment in international currencies and it varies... so before deciding the limit of Netsafe card we have to calculate the amount (which we are going to shop) in our currency and then add few more bucks to avoid transaction failure.

Question is : when we fix the limit of card suppose 1000/- and we shop for 950/-.... how much amount will debit from my account?

1. Immediate debit 1000/- from account when we create Netsafe card (after shopping balance 50/- balance in Netsafe card itself) or
2. Netsafe debits 950/- LATER only after making the online payment for shopping from account (it is just for online shopping with limited limit)?
 
sanro said:
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 .
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This is really unfortunate and surprising!
Here in NCR, I have received my previous 3 orders from Amazon UK within 5 days.

Last order I made on Friday night and received it on Wednesday morning at my office address.

All I can assume is... if this has happened thrice, something is fishy at Mumbai post office! Royal Mail is not that bad as far as delivery to NCR is concerned.
 
technobhatt said:
This is really unfortunate and surprising!
Here in NCR, I have received my previous 3 orders from Amazon UK within 5 days.

Last order I made on Friday night and received it on Wednesday morning at my office address.

All I can assume is... if this has happened thrice, something is fishy at Mumbai post office! Royal Mail is not that bad as far as delivery to NCR is concerned.
Click to expand...

If you have not received your all orders, Did they refund the amount you paid for?
 
technobhatt said:
All I can assume is... if this has happened thrice, something is fishy at Mumbai post office! Royal Mail is not that bad as far as delivery to NCR is concerned.
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My thoughts exactly. As a matter of fact, I got one BD order about 1.5 months later, badly battered with the shrinkwrap of two BD's removed. IIRC, this was the first BD order via Amazon UK that my post office was delivering. Amazon UK promptly sent out another package since the original was delayed and that got to me well ahead of the original which I then shipped back once it showed up all damaged.

It was almost as if someone somewhere in the postal chain in India ripped open the original package to see whether anything in there was worth their time and effort and then sat around a while before deciding to deliver it all opened up. The discs probably did not play on their BDP since several were region coded. :lol:

I guess on seeing foreign movie BD's they just stopped bothering and now deliver those Amazon UK BD orders really close to the estimated date like clockwork.

Maybe the OP has someone at their post office that likes to disappear foreign movies :sad:
 
prepress said:
I have reviewed all things, we make payment in international currencies and it varies... so before deciding the limit of Netsafe card we have to calculate the amount (which we are going to shop) in our currency and then add few more bucks to avoid transaction failure.

Question is : when we fix the limit of card suppose 1000/- and we shop for 950/-.... how much amount will debit from my account?

1. Immediate debit 1000/- from account when we create Netsafe card (after shopping balance 50/- balance in Netsafe card itself) or
2. Netsafe debits 950/- LATER only after making the online payment for shopping from account (it is just for online shopping with limited limit)?
Click to expand...

Any comment for above queries?
 
^ I saw this info on the FAQ page

When does the source account get debited - at the time of creation of NetSafe Card or at the time of purchase payment ?
The amount gets debited at the time of creation of the NetSafe Card.

What happens if I do not use the NetSafe Card at all or if I use only part of the NetSafe Card amount?
For a completely unused NetSafe card created from your Credit Card, the amount is credited back at end of validity period. For Netsafe cards created from your Debit Card, the amount will be credited back in 3 working days to the source account.
In case the NetSafe Card was partially utilized, the balance amount gets credited to the source account within 7 days (for Netsafe Card created from Credit card) or at the end of 35 days (for Netsafe card created from Debit Card) from the date of transaction.

https://netsafe.hdfcbank.com/ACSWeb/enrolljsp/CardholderFAQ.jsp#9
 
Last edited:
sanro said:
^ I saw this info on the FAQ page

When does the source account get debited - at the time of creation of NetSafe Card or at the time of purchase payment ?
The amount gets debited at the time of creation of the NetSafe Card.

What happens if I do not use the NetSafe Card at all or if I use only part of the NetSafe Card amount?
For a completely unused NetSafe card created from your Credit Card, the amount is credited back at end of validity period. For Netsafe cards created from your Debit Card, the amount will be credited back in 3 working days to the source account.
In case the NetSafe Card was partially utilized, the balance amount gets credited to the source account within 7 days (for Netsafe Card created from Credit card) or at the end of 35 days (for Netsafe card created from Debit Card) from the date of transaction.

https://netsafe.hdfcbank.com/ACSWeb/enrolljsp/CardholderFAQ.jsp#9
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Thanks Sanro, that's what I want to ask.
 
Hi guys,

Just a couple of questions more :)

1) What is usually the optimum number of BDPs per order both for USA and UK? (I tried working out but was not successful). This is in terms of cost per item and shipping costs.

2) Are the prices shown on Amazon.com/uk are usually inclusive of tax/VAT? (Are they then removed from the calculation when shipped directly to India?)

3) Assuming the package does not arrive in time, what is the action we have to take with the USA and UK amazon?

My player is on its way and once it does, I plan to start picking up movies:eek:hyeah:

Will open a separate thread once it arrives as I don't think many people have this old school player (Pioneer BDP-51FD).

Vinod
 
Vinod.R said:
Hi guys,

Just a couple of questions more :)

1) What is usually the optimum number of BDPs per order both for USA and UK? (I tried working out but was not successful). This is in terms of cost per item and shipping costs.

2) Are the prices shown on Amazon.com/uk are usually inclusive of tax/VAT? (Are they then removed from the calculation when shipped directly to India?)

3) Assuming the package does not arrive in time, what is the action we have to take with the USA and UK amazon?

My player is on its way and once it does, I plan to start picking up movies:eek:hyeah:

Will open a separate thread once it arrives as I don't think many people have this old school player (Pioneer BDP-51FD).

Vinod
Click to expand...

1. There is no optimum number when ordering over the US site. For UK site, it is better to keep the total package value to less than INR 7000 (gift limit = 10k) and mark the package as gift so that there is a chance(?) that you may be exempt from customs duty payment. In any case, it is better to club a few titles together so that per delivery shipping charges are apportioned.

2. Read post # 1. Amazon, USA price is basic price.

3. Usually this does not happen, especially with US site as delivery with them is via Aramex (usually). But be it UK or USA, Amazon refunds in case of non delivery.

Sent from my GT-I9100G using Tapatalk 2
 
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Addendum:
Please note that while Amazon.com (US) charges 26% of Base Cost + Shipping towards "Import fees deposit", it is quite likely that there is no duty charged at Indian airport and you will get a refund. I have managed to get the "Import fees deposit" refunded to my credit card for all older orders (only one is pending).
  • The refund takes place automatically after 60 days or you remind Amazon.
  • First check with Aramex or whoever the carrier company is whether import fees were paid or not.
  • Keep tracking number handy. Tracking number in Amazon site are lost after some days. Hence keep a manual record of each delivery as follows:

    Amazon Order Number ... Order value ... Import Fees Deposit ... Carrier ... Shipment tracking number

    I do as above
  • Call the carrier company quoting the shipment number.
  • If customs duty is not paid, remind Amazon to refund you the amount.

But there is still some exchange rate loss as I will explain below:
  • Let us assume that "import fees deposit" charged to your cedit card is $35
  • Assume that the (selling) exchange rate is Rs. 55 = $1
  • Banks further charge 3.5% on forex txns.
  • So your credit card will be charged Rs. 1992.38 (35 x 55 x 1.035)
  • Now two months later the amount is refunded, the exchange rate has not changed but this time the buying exchange rate, i.e., Rs. 53, will be used and there is no 3.5% surcharge.
  • So you will be refunded Rs. 1855 (35 x 53).
  • So in effect, you still lost Rs. 137.38, but at least something is better than nothing, and Rs. 1855 out of Rs. 1992.38 is still quite something.
 
Agreed.. I think if the shipping is through Aramex, the chances are almost 100% that you'll not be charged customs. The best thing is that most of the shipping is via Aramex and only a very few through DHL. Though the services of DHL are excellent, still it is almost certain that they gets charged for customs.

So it seems that Aramex guys manages the customs better ;) ... So whenever you order something from Amz-US, just prey that Aramex delivers it... ;)
 
manzb said:
Agreed.. I think if the shipping is through Aramex, the chances are almost 100% that you'll not be charged customs. The best thing is that most of the shipping is via Aramex and only a very few through DHL. Though the services of DHL are excellent, still it is almost certain that they gets charged for customs.

So it seems that Aramex guys manages the customs better ;) ... So whenever you order something from Amz-US, just prey that Aramex delivers it... ;)
Click to expand...

I was delivered one package via DHL/UPS combo and got duty refund as well, and that too within 15 days, automatically.

Sent from my GT-I9100G using Tapatalk 2
 
Thanks for this thread. It has openedup a whole new world for me. I was looking for a couple of titles which I could not get in India.
One query please. My Dvd player as well as my Blue Ray player (ps3) are both bought in India and as such can only play India region specific discs. Although I found a region free disc set in amazon.co.uk, the product details indicated it was Region 2. On checking Amazon also reverted that it was suitable for Europe. On the other hand Bbcshop.com confirmed that all their blue rays could play in India - even though Region 2 was mentioned there as well! Can someone help me with what to expect.
As for costs, in this case Amazon was 25% cheaper in price. I have no idea whether BBC will deduct VAT the way Amazon does. Shipping costs are higher as well. For the first item it is 7 pounds. Subsequent items are 2 pounds.
Once again Thanks for this informative thread.:clapping:
 
Rajat said:
Thanks for this thread. It has openedup a whole new world for me. I was looking for a couple of titles which I could not get in India.
One query please. My Dvd player as well as my Blue Ray player (ps3) are both bought in India and as such can only play India region specific discs. Although I found a region free disc set in amazon.co.uk, the product details indicated it was Region 2. On checking Amazon also reverted that it was suitable for Europe. On the other hand Bbcshop.com confirmed that all their blue rays could play in India - even though Region 2 was mentioned there as well! Can someone help me with what to expect.
As for costs, in this case Amazon was 25% cheaper in price. I have no idea whether BBC will deduct VAT the way Amazon does. Shipping costs are higher as well. For the first item it is 7 pounds. Subsequent items are 2 pounds.
Once again Thanks for this informative thread.:clapping:
Click to expand...
Amazon is not the right place to confirm whether BDs and DVDs are region free or region locked, but here goes:
  • First let us sort out the DVDs. ALL DVDs sold on Amazon.co.uk or any of the European websites are Region 2 locked. Similarly all DVDs from Amazon.com (US) are Region 1 locked. NO EXCEPTION.
  • Next let us turn the attention to Blu-ray discs (BDs):
    • If Amazon website says [Region Free] then disc will be region free
    • If the website does not state anything, the BD details should be confirmed from Blu-ray, Blu-ray Movies, Blu-ray Players, Blu-ray Reviews but make sure that you select the correct country.
    • By default, blu-ray.com defaults to USA. You must click on the UK flag, if the BD is being sourced from UK, and then check the region coding.
    • Again, blu-ray.com may not be updated with the region coding/locking. The website is maintained from useful contribution from all board members. For instance, if the BD is a new release, members may not have tested the BD region locking.
    • Another source database is from Blu-Ray Region Code Database List
  • There are other methods to fairly determine and guess (if not ascertain) region locked BDs and that is to go by studios:
    • Some studios usually release all movies region free, some mixed and some always region locked.
    • Studios such as Warner Bros., Sony, Universal, Columbia/Tristar, Paramount, Dreamworks, etc. are usually region free
    • 20th Century Fox, Miramax, Disney, Anchor Bay, etc. are usually locked for older releases but with new releases, there is a good chance that the disc is region free.
    • Optimum Entertainment, Summit, Lionsgate, etc. are usually region locked.
 
That is a most comprehensive response:cool:
Will check out the sites you mentioned.
Am also ordering a few books. Hope the customs duty is more liberal for books
 
The Blu-ray, Blu-ray Movies, Blu-ray Players, Blu-ray Reviews site under UK shows that the Blue Ray is region free. I changed the flag to UK as you suggested. Unfortunately Blu-Ray Region Code Database List does not seem to have any information. I also could not change the flag to indicate the disc came from UK. It shows the default US flag.
Actually the Blue Ray I am looking for is Civilisation - A Personal View by Lord Clark. The jacket shows it s made by the BBC. So, based on this as well as BBCshop.com's response, I may assume that even the copies available at Amazon.co.uk is Region free. Another Blue Ray I was looking for is The Ascent of Man. Unfortunately that is only available in DVDs which means it is not Region free. So back to searching in the local markets.
 
@Rajat, it's Blu-Ray and not Blue-ray - loose the 'e' in the word 'blue'.

1. Documentaries in Blu-Ray format are almost always region free.
2. If documentaries are in DVD format they will usually be region coded abroad, but sometimes, even if rarely, may be region free also.
3. DVD region can be easily broken. You can even rip a DVD and burn it to a regular region free single layer 4.7 GB DVD via DVDShrink.

Sent from my GT-I9100G using Tapatalk 2
 
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