I've done it before, but I'm about to order about $80 worth of CDs from Amazon.co.uk and I feel like I should be doing some extra step to make sure I don't get ding from customs or VATs or whatnot.
So, if you're a US customer who regularly orders from Amazon UK, please let me know your thoughts on the following questions:
1. I have a card that doesn't charge foreign transaction fees, should I place the order in $$ or Pounds?
2. Will the UK mail be able to be delivered to a PO Box?
3. Is $80 near the limit for me to pay a fee (customs or otherwise) when I receive the package?
Sorry for these novice questions, but I just want to be informed before hitting the "buy" button
I've never had a problem with any of this stuff. In fact, Amazon UK actually converts the pounds into dollars at the end now.
Yeah, my credit card charges a small fee for foreign transactions but that's it. You shouldn't get dinged for any customs charges shipping this direction.
From my experience ordering internationally, I would place the order in pounds. When using a card with no foreign transaction fees, I've found it's usually a bit cheaper to order in the local currency rather than letting Amazon convert it for you.
And unless I've just been incredibly lucky I'm not sure if you need to worry much about customs fees. I regularly place orders well over $80.00 and so far have never had to pay any kind of customs fee.
I regularly place orders over $80 on Amazon UK because the prices are frequently cheaper than Amazon US, and many European imports are released months earlier. Never had a problem or delays in shipping-items usually arrive within 2 weeks.
I regularly place orders over $80 on Amazon UK because the prices are frequently cheaper than Amazon US, and many European imports are released months earlier. Never had a problem or delays in shipping-items usually arrive within 2 weeks.
