Question about an online store

Caporegime
Joined
4 Jul 2004
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I've seen people post the name before so I assume it's fine.

I want to buy a CD off Amazon UK. However, I looked on the US Amazon and the same CD is much cheaper, and from the same company as well (shipping from the UK). Can I save myself money and order from the US site or will it not let me?

Thanks.
 
Not sure, but here's an anecdote. I used to use CDUniverse.com when I was still buying CDs. I bought and had shipped from America (to Ulster), the entire Me First And The Gimme Gimmes discography for about $70. It would have cost me about £90 at the time to go down the high street and get it from HMV. I'm sure if C&E had sniffed it out I'd have been hit with taxes, but luckily it got through.
 
just buy it off their site.

Except, you will need to pay postage, where in the UK one you don't. So is it cheaper? and you will have to wait about 2 to 3 weeks if you don't want to pay for courier.
 
If it's the same company based in the UK I doubt they will accept the order via .com - if they do they will need to add VAT.
 
Not sure, but here's an anecdote. I used to use CDUniverse.com when I was still buying CDs. I bought and had shipped from America (to Ulster), the entire Me First And The Gimme Gimmes discography for about $70. It would have cost me about £90 at the time to go down the high street and get it from HMV. I'm sure if C&E had sniffed it out I'd have been hit with taxes, but luckily it got through.

Everything seems so much cheaper over there. :(

just buy it off their site.

Except, you will need to pay postage, where in the UK one you don't. So is it cheaper? and you will have to wait about 2 to 3 weeks if you don't want to pay for courier.

Postage is exactly the same for both countries bizarrely, and from the same place. The only difference is the cost of the CD itself.

If it's the same company based in the UK I doubt they will accept the order via .com - if they do they will need to add VAT.

Ah okay. :)

Thanks all.
 
I don't understand how the exact same company can be selling the exact same CD with the same postage costs cheaper in America.

Did you say the company was UK based?
 
Well the seller has the same name, however on Amazon US the seller has added 'USA' on the end of the name. Everything is the same though, both say shipped from the UK, etc. Only difference is pricing.

Only thing I can think of is that the CD must be less popular over there.
 
Why not just try ordering it? Worse case they reject the order and say you need to order from the UK site, (the seller that is, Amazon US should happily allow you to order most things for delivery to the UK)
 
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Just watch Customs don't get a hold of it and hammer you with taxes. I ordered a £180 judo suit from america years ago and had to shell out £70 for it to be released from customs.

When buying things abroad from people I always ask them to tick the box claiming it's a gift, this way you can bypass customs and tax can't be added. I've been using this loophole for years ever since my first incident with the judo suit.

To be honest for a couple of quid, to go to the hassle of it I'd just purchase it from the UK section.
 
When buying things abroad from people I always ask them to tick the box claiming it's a gift, this way you can bypass customs and tax can't be added. I've been using this loophole for years ever since my first incident with the judo suit.

Wrong, all ticking the gift box does is mean they can't tax on the first £18 or so.
 
Just watch Customs don't get a hold of it and hammer you with taxes. I ordered a £180 judo suit from america years ago and had to shell out £70 for it to be released from customs.

When buying things abroad from people I always ask them to tick the box claiming it's a gift, this way you can bypass customs and tax can't be added. I've been using this loophole for years ever since my first incident with the judo suit.

To be honest for a couple of quid, to go to the hassle of it I'd just purchase it from the UK section.

1). From the figures he has given it is likely that even with normal shipping it'll come under the £18 normal threshold
2). Marking the item as a gift only raises the above threshold to £36
3). Fraudulently claiming an item is a gift when is not can get the vendor in a lot of trouble.

Add to this the fact that if he is purchasing it through Amazon US but it is shipping from a marketplace seller in the UK then it will ship from the UK ... to the UK ... so no Customs involved anyway ...
 
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