just4kix
Well-Known Member
Amazon.co.uk was working out very nicely for Indian customers ordering BDs. But now that the free super savings shipping of Amazon.co.uk (for orders over 25) is over, it is time to evaluate whether Amazon.com is a better option or stick to the UK merchant.
I am evaluating the two strictly on BD and DVD merchandise.
Available titles: The US market always leads the way. There are far more titles released in USA rather than other places of the world. The difference is now narrowing down but for some offbeat/older movies, it is quite likely that you will find that something is likely to be available in USA merchant but not in the UK e-store. But sometimes the converse is also true. For example, Cleopatra (1963) is available in Amazon, UK but will be released shortly in Amazon, USA.
Advantage: Amazon, USA (slightly).
Package Content: I have often found that for the same title, the USA equivalent offers far more extra content, material and discs. The package often contains movie on DVD, a digital copy, extra bonus material, etc. On the other hand, the UK/Europe version of the package is one disc only. Once again this is true for older movies. For newer releases, the package contents are more or less similar in both stores.
Advantage: Amazon, USA (for older movies).
Package size: I don't know whether anyone cares about this. But US BD package is usually thinner. So in your shelf, you may be able to cram a couple of extra BDs, if ordered from the US market. For DVD, the package size is same.
Advantage: Amazon, USA (slightly).
Region Coding: Unless the BD player is region free, one should be careful about where you are sourcing from. If your player is Region A, ordering from USA is a no brainer and vice versa. Best to verify whether the movie is region free or not. Many region-free movies listed on Amazon.co.uk are already marked as such but sometimes even if the movie is region-free, the website does not indicate as such. It is prudent to verify from Blu-ray, Blu-ray Movies, Blu-ray Players, Blu-ray Reviews. Navigate to this site, click of the British flag to change the website region and check the movie title.
Advantage: Amazon, USA (slightly; because most of us have Region A player).
And now I will delve on the more important factors of pricing:
Price: There is no specific trend here. Prices keep fluctuating and there are sometimes sudden price drops and discounts. Sometimes, the US version work out cheaper or vice versa. A year ago, I used to find USA titles cheaper but of late, the price difference is either minimal or sometimes cheaper in UK. At the same time, one should also factor in the package content. So, if the US package is costly but contains extra discs, a DVD and digital copy, maybe it is worth the extra cost. It is really a personal call.
Another aspect is that when ordering from UK, you will get a 20% VAT deduction over the sticker price making the item even cheaper.
Advantage: Amazon, UK.
Shipping Charges: The shipping charges on Amazon.co.uk are much cheaper than that on Amazon.com. The shipping charges are as under:
USA: $3.99 per item plus $4.99 per delivery
UK: 1.49 per item plus 2.09 per delivery.
At current exchange rates (US$ 1 = INR 49, 1 = INR 78), the per item charge is Rs. 78 cheaper in UK and the per delivery charge is Rs. 81 cheaper with UK.
So in case one is ordering 4 titles, the extra cost for USA delivery works out to Rs. 393.
Advantage: Amazon, UK.
Conclusion:
So while USA package scores in terms of availability, package content and other factors, the UK package will work out cheaper. The 20% VAT refund in case of Amazon, UK, will most likely compensate for the delivery charges.
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Please add your own comments/factors. Thanks.
I am evaluating the two strictly on BD and DVD merchandise.
Available titles: The US market always leads the way. There are far more titles released in USA rather than other places of the world. The difference is now narrowing down but for some offbeat/older movies, it is quite likely that you will find that something is likely to be available in USA merchant but not in the UK e-store. But sometimes the converse is also true. For example, Cleopatra (1963) is available in Amazon, UK but will be released shortly in Amazon, USA.
Advantage: Amazon, USA (slightly).
Package Content: I have often found that for the same title, the USA equivalent offers far more extra content, material and discs. The package often contains movie on DVD, a digital copy, extra bonus material, etc. On the other hand, the UK/Europe version of the package is one disc only. Once again this is true for older movies. For newer releases, the package contents are more or less similar in both stores.
Advantage: Amazon, USA (for older movies).
Package size: I don't know whether anyone cares about this. But US BD package is usually thinner. So in your shelf, you may be able to cram a couple of extra BDs, if ordered from the US market. For DVD, the package size is same.
Advantage: Amazon, USA (slightly).
Region Coding: Unless the BD player is region free, one should be careful about where you are sourcing from. If your player is Region A, ordering from USA is a no brainer and vice versa. Best to verify whether the movie is region free or not. Many region-free movies listed on Amazon.co.uk are already marked as such but sometimes even if the movie is region-free, the website does not indicate as such. It is prudent to verify from Blu-ray, Blu-ray Movies, Blu-ray Players, Blu-ray Reviews. Navigate to this site, click of the British flag to change the website region and check the movie title.
Advantage: Amazon, USA (slightly; because most of us have Region A player).
And now I will delve on the more important factors of pricing:
Price: There is no specific trend here. Prices keep fluctuating and there are sometimes sudden price drops and discounts. Sometimes, the US version work out cheaper or vice versa. A year ago, I used to find USA titles cheaper but of late, the price difference is either minimal or sometimes cheaper in UK. At the same time, one should also factor in the package content. So, if the US package is costly but contains extra discs, a DVD and digital copy, maybe it is worth the extra cost. It is really a personal call.
Another aspect is that when ordering from UK, you will get a 20% VAT deduction over the sticker price making the item even cheaper.
Advantage: Amazon, UK.
Shipping Charges: The shipping charges on Amazon.co.uk are much cheaper than that on Amazon.com. The shipping charges are as under:
USA: $3.99 per item plus $4.99 per delivery
UK: 1.49 per item plus 2.09 per delivery.
At current exchange rates (US$ 1 = INR 49, 1 = INR 78), the per item charge is Rs. 78 cheaper in UK and the per delivery charge is Rs. 81 cheaper with UK.
So in case one is ordering 4 titles, the extra cost for USA delivery works out to Rs. 393.
Advantage: Amazon, UK.
Conclusion:
So while USA package scores in terms of availability, package content and other factors, the UK package will work out cheaper. The 20% VAT refund in case of Amazon, UK, will most likely compensate for the delivery charges.
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Please add your own comments/factors. Thanks.