Purchasing from Amazon UK

docj · December 28, 2015

I know that quite a few of the people here are avid Amazon shoppers as am I. While summering in Canada I made several purchases at Amazon Canada and that was quite straightforward (your account info is the same, but your Prime isn't valid). But I've never tried purchasing from a foreign Amazon while in the US. The purpose of this post is to let people know my very positive experience in buying something from Amazon UK.

The first thing one might ask is "why would anyone make a purchase from Amazon UK?" The answer is quite simply that there is some merchandise for sale on that site that is simply not available in the US from any source. In this particular case my wife wanted a better ironing board than the counter-top kind she has been using. I figured that someone in the world must make a full size ironing board that folds up to a more compact package. After a number of Google searches I found one, but it was on Amazon UK and I couldn't find it anywhere else. http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B003U2STF8?psc=1&redirect=true&ref_=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s00

At first I thought there was no practical way to make this purchase, but eventually I decided it was worth figuring out how much it would cost. The item was priced at £49.99 (~$75) (it's now 10 pounds higher). Two shipping options were offered and, surprisingly, the less expensive of the two was also listed as being faster. Shipping, via what turned out to be UPS, was ~£23 ($34). The item was delivered today (12/28), six days after placing the order. No duties or customs brokerage fees were imposed

Now some people might say that it is frivolous to pay 45% of the price of an item for shipping, but if the product is truly unique I'll argue that the shipping is just part of the true cost. If there is no alternative then the only option is not getting it at all. In this case, the board is exceptionally sturdy and it folds up quite easily. Storing it will be a lot easier than it would have been for a regular full-size board.

But I'm not posting this to get people to buy this ironing board, but, rather, to explain that purchasing from Amazon UK was far easier than I expected it to be. I'll now include it as a possible source when searching for something "unique."

Al F · December 28, 2015

No wonder people (including myself) buy from Amazon!

I agree, sometimes price is not the only consideration when buying something.

coachmac9 · December 28, 2015

I'm so glad you posted this Docj!!! We are avid Amazon users but more importantly my wife has been looking for an ironing board that will fold up for our RV. The small ones just didn't cut it and the big ones that don't fold up are a pain!!! Like you say, the price one pays for something is relevant to the need one has...in this case a happy wife is worth a lot more than a few dollars!!!! Thanks again!!!!

DuneElliot · December 28, 2015

While I don't generally ship stuff here from the UK I do use the European sites often as my family lives there and it's just easier to order from there and ship directly to them for Christmas gifts and birthdays.

Many Amazon sellers won't ship to the US so you have to be aware of that when ordering, or hope you know someone over there who can ship it to you here (thanks mom!)

docj · December 28, 2015

...in this case a happy wife is worth a lot more than a few dollars!!!! Thanks again!!!!

I can almost guarantee that she will like this if she orders it. It is much sturdier than most ironing boards that I've seen for sale in the US. My wife is ecstatic.

docj · December 28, 2015

Many Amazon sellers won't ship to the US so you have to be aware of that when ordering, or hope you know someone over there who can ship it to you here (thanks mom!)

It appeared to me that most items being sold by Amazon itself were available for shipping to the US but most being sold by 3rd party vendors (the so-called Amazon Marketplace) were not.

DuneElliot · December 29, 2015

It appeared to me that most items being sold by Amazon itself were available for shipping to the US but most being sold by 3rd party vendors (the so-called Amazon Marketplace) were not.

Yes, sorry, that is what I meant by Amazon Sellers...third party vendors on the Marketplace.