Question about an online store

G-MAN2004 · 5 Dec 2010 at 01:05

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.

Brian8bit · 5 Dec 2010 at 01:08

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.

Raymond Lin · 5 Dec 2010 at 01:08

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.

Jambo · 5 Dec 2010 at 01:12

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.

G-MAN2004 · 5 Dec 2010 at 01:16

Brian8bit said:
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.

Raymond Lin said:
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.

Jambo said:
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.

Raymond Lin · 5 Dec 2010 at 01:24

you mean its not from amazon itself but a market seller?

G-MAN2004 · 5 Dec 2010 at 01:36

Buchanan0204 · 5 Dec 2010 at 01:41

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?

G-MAN2004 · 5 Dec 2010 at 01:46

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.

Brian8bit · 5 Dec 2010 at 01:49

He might have priced it to reflect the UK price in the US. Like $10 is about £6.

G-MAN2004 · 5 Dec 2010 at 01:54

Brian8bit said:
He might have priced it to reflect the UK price in the US. Like $10 is about £6.

Nope, UK price is something like £9 whilst US price is around $2-3. Not a huge saving but might as well save if I can!

K1LLSW1TCH · 5 Dec 2010 at 02:07

G-MAN2004 said:
Nope, UK price is something like £9 whilst US price is around $2-3. Not a huge saving but might as well save if I can!

In unrelated news, where the hell have you been for the past two days?!

G-MAN2004 · 5 Dec 2010 at 02:19

Really ill and slightly bored of GT5.

K1LLSW1TCH · 5 Dec 2010 at 02:31

G-MAN2004 said:
Really ill and slightly bored of GT5.

Awh well get better and come back for some Black Ops.

memyselfandi · 5 Dec 2010 at 08:25

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)

Buchanan0204 · 5 Dec 2010 at 14:39

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.

Broken Hope · 5 Dec 2010 at 14:41

Buchanan0204 said:
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.

Nexus · 5 Dec 2010 at 14:52

Seems like a hassle for something that's only £9.

memyselfandi · 5 Dec 2010 at 14:58

Buchanan0204 said:
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 ...

meghatronic · 5 Dec 2010 at 15:38

Try it.