Buying from Amazons?

[hotspur]

I hear people talking Amazons this,Amazons that from time to time.

I have never bought anything from them,I was looking at some items on ebay

and looked around a bit more,I suspect these ebay sellers getting the item I

was looking at from Amazons.

Just wondering what the go is with Amazons,I see an item there I might like to buy,and would save a lot,but what about freight from U.S,is it worth it?

I had some really good help and advice from members here on my first journey

into ebay,which was really great,Hoping to get some advice on the Amazons thing.

Thank you,Chris

[iceman]

Amazon is great. I've bought heaps of Agile Development and Product Management off Amazon recently.

Postage is usually quite cheap, well packed, arrives quickly etc.

[troypiggo]

I've bought some books from them. Very good price, delivery and service. No complaints.

I assume you're talking about amazon.com and not some tall, really strong women that sent Wonder Woman off to the land of men under cover as Diana Prince? :)

[Trixie]

I have bought a heap from Amazon over the years (uk, Canada, US) and have been really happy. I had a book lost in the mail and they sent me a new one straight away. I find shipping much cheaper from amazon UK as well as faster. US stuff tends to take the longest but it depends what you are buying as I have had dvds arrive in one week and then books may take 3-4 weeks - I suppose it is to do with the warehouse locations or somehting.

I recently bought some books from Book depositry (UK) recently because they ship free to anywhere in the world and they were also really good, and fast.

[stephenb]

Ive mainly purchased books from Amazon.com. Never had an issue, but you there are restrictions on buying camera equipment and other electrical goods as they will not ship some of these types of products overseas.

As for buying book from Amazons? Sometimes being in the jungle makes them too hard to contact. And I'm scared of the Amazon women anyway. :lol::lol:

Steve

[turbo_pascale]

I've bought many things over the years from Amazon, but mostly books.

Last one I got was a book on "Building a Roll-off Roof Observatory". I tried local bookstores, that were quoting me $140, and a 4-6 week wait.

I logged on, got it for $40USD, paid around $20 for express air shipping, and it was here in 4 days. (Total Cost about AUD$70)

The only thing to note, is they build a profile of your likes/dislikes and email you sometimes. I still get DVD suggestions (rarely) from a DVD I bought back in 1999. They are good with their privacy, but it is scary at another level. Don't let it put you off though. It's well worth it.

Turbo

[Octane]

Yep, bought plenty of books and DVD boxed sets from Amazon.

I found betterworldbooks.com to be the best online retailer I've ever dealt with. Even their automated systems are so witty and clever in their email responses/replies. Their prices are insanely good, too. I bought a book from betterworldbooks 4 times cheaper than what Amazon were asking for it. Brand new. Still in plastic seal.

I think it was Carl (renormalised -- where the hell is he, anyway?!) that mentioned a great site which scans a bunch of online bookstores and gives you the cheapest place to buy (kind of like staticice.com when it comes to computing bits and pieces). I'm trying to remember what it's called -- it's not in my favourites. I mentioned it a couple of times on this site since then, too. D'oh!

Edit: ah-hah! Found it: booko.com.au
Second edit: it was Shane592 (Shane) that mentioned booko.com.au, not Carl. Cheers, Shane!

H

[JethroB76]

Yep, Amazons are great; I love em

[hotspur]

Ok,thanks very much IIS members.

I have heard it is very good for books,and that they have lots of other lines as well.

Was possibly thinking of a metal detector for gold/coins etc.

I see one on ebay for $409 plus postage(20 AUS),But the same one on Amazon is around $250,plus whatever it costs to get here.

I did a bit of looking and reading,the ebay seller is in Aus,the goods come from either Aus or U.S,noted a few other things-like amount in stock from each one,(which is the same)and a few other things,it appears to me,the ebay seller is linked with the Amazon retailer.(I noticed the Amazon sellers' regular price-the same as the current Aus outlet).The item is brand new,just recently discontinued that design.

So figure I could save a reasonable amount,if I go ahead.So thanks for the help.

Cheers Chris

[Octane]

Some people who sell on eBay, also just sell on Amazon. As well as other online sites.

H

[hotspur]

Yes,Humayan- I sort off figured that-it's all new to me,no issue with that,simply just looking around and seeing what sort of prices one can buy items for.It pays to do a bit of homework.And the advice here from IIS members is very good and helpful.

Some have taken a fair bit of time to get knowledge,and they are helpful to teach what they have learnt.

'Chris9mu' had the best advice-do not go on ebay,unless one knows exactly what one is looking for-otherwise one ends up buying all sorts of things!

Thanks again everyone for advice and pointers:thanx:Chris

[Octane]

Yeah, I've been in that position before where you just browse and buy crap you don't need.

I'm looking for a replacement laptop at the moment so have been getting on daily and searching for the exact model I'm after. Bazillions of accessories, just not the laptop(s) I'm after!

H

[erick]

I've bought books from Amazon and some have come from NZ, as I recall. Happy with them.

For books, also check www.fishpond.com.au (http://www.fishpond.com.au) I've made some good buys from them - and Australian-based.

[JethroB76]

I think Fishpond are actually a NZ company that have expanded to include an Aussie website. The last thing I ordered shipped from NZ

[chrisp9au]

I've successfully bought books and CDs from Amazon.
Haven't had any luck at all with anything electrical.
There appear to be many categories of products that they will not ship to Australia. :(

Cheers :thumbsup:
Chris

[SkyViking]

I too have bought heaps of stuff from Amazon - both the US and UK versions. They are terrific and prices are usually the lowest around.
I bought lots of books, DVD's, a weather station, Meade binoculars and a few other bits and pieces. Never ever had a problem with them, and items always arrive fast and well packaged.

[Sylvain]

Yeah, I have encountered the same experience. Many products don't ship to Australia, and some have a really really expensive shipping cost! The best is for you to put the item you want in your basket, proceed to check out and select your address in Australia when checking out. They will tell you 1. if they'll ship the product in Oz and 2. the shipping cost. A few month back, I wanted to buy some audio equipment - much much cheaper over there - and I was quoted a $200 shipping price for an item also worth $200! Wasn't good at all!
However, it's great for books! Never had a problem with these!

Good luck! :thumbsup:
Sylvain

[hotspur]

Yes,that was what I was thinking of doing,see what pops up when I get to those pages of the transaction,All these costs and so on seem very clearly put on page,so a purchaser can see all details.

These ebay.amazon sites,seem very good with the information they provide.

Thanks for pointers and advice.

[Jules76]

I haven't brought stuff from Amazon.com for many years, but my experience in the past was great.

They are a HUGE company so you can be assured that they have the capital to provide a great service. For example, back when I was buying DVD's, I had a special edition DVD which arrived damaged. The special edition aluminum casing the DVD package had was dented, the plastic DVD case was cracked but the DVD disc itself was fine.

Straight away I sent an email off to Amazon.com explaining the situation. Without hesitation or any request for further information/proof, they sent me a new one which thankfully arrived in perfect condition.

I know this was a few years back, but it always left me with positive impression of the company. And I've heard that wasn't the first time Amazon.com has done something like this for customers.

[hotspur]

Yep,experienced IIS were correct again!,thanks for the advice.

I went through the check out,and waited to see if they would ship the

electronic item-it was a negative,but I could buy the accessories-which is

still a good saving.So thanks for everyone with the helpful pointers.

I see the advice again about how good the amazon site is for books.

I have heard how everyone in special interest groups gets there hard to find books there.

Cheers Chris

[NeilW]

I've bought from Amazon USA and Amazon UK for several years and have never had a problem. But recently I discovered The Book Depository in the UK (mentioned above). I bought two of Stephen O'Meara's books. The Messier Objects, and Hidden Treasures from them, both for $AUD 44.00, and delivered free in about a week. Their prices are generally better than Amazon, and they quote in Australian dollars.

[Steffen]

To take advantage of currency parity I recently ordered the Suiter and the Rutten/Venrooij from Amazon, total cost $US89. They quoted an ETA of 30-Nov to 31-Dec but both books arrived a week ago :thumbsup:

This is both fast and cheap, considering that I have been unsuccessful getting those books 2nd hand for a reasonable price, after my original copies went "missing" (never returned by borrowers)…

Cheers
Steffen.

[AstralTraveller]

I just tried to buy a dry ice maker for work. Through the local supplier it is ca. $1150 but Amazon had it for $780. They even had the model with the Australian fitting. However they won't ship it outside the USA. Crud.

[hotspur]

Yes,David-rather a let down they do not send these electrical items to Australia.I just ordered my metal detector from the NSW ebay seller,strange thing is the detector is in the U.S and being shipped from there!,so go figure:shrug:

[AstralTraveller]

Actually, I had that wrong. Amazon is about $US770, the factory is about $US980 another US distributor is $US1150 and the local is $AUD1670. The US prices need postage added but it is only 4kg. It isn't electrical - purely mechanical (even has the Aust std connection). My guess is that the price is just because of local 'exclusive supplier' agreements and gouging. That is your tax payer dollars going to a 'good cause' folks.