Buying Books from Amazon.com from Singapore

I've been seeing a lot on questions on buying stuff from amazon.com. Here's my guide to help new buyers.

Why would anyone want to buy stuff from amazon.com? Firstly, it they can be found in Singapore, they are very likely to be cheaper on amazon.com. Secondly, the selection of items is unparalleled.

What you'll need is a credit card.

I've got the shipping rates here.



There's a per shipment charge of USD4.99. Shipping cost depends on how fast you want it shipped. My option for shipping is always at default, which is the cheapest, and typically ships less than 14 days.

In my case, I ordered 4 books, and the total shipping charge is $4.99 + ($4.99 multiplied by 4 books) for a total of USD24.95.

Are they are really cheaper?

Here are the prices for the books in the photo if I were to buy them from Kinokuniya
The art of war - SGD33.68
Alternative Zits - SGD36.33
The art of Wall.e - SGD63.67
To Infinity and Beyond - SGD150.00.
That's a total for SGD283.68.

Here are what I got them for from amazon.com
The art of war - USD13.57
Alternative Zits - USD11.53
The art of Wall.e - USD26.00
To Infinity and Beyond - USD47.25
Shipping and handling for the books - USD24.95
That's a total for USD123.30, or SGD172.62 at an exchange rate of 1.4.

Local Kinokuniya or Borders will need to give out a 40% discount if they are to match amazon's price.

You'll typically need to buy at least two books to make it worthwhile.

Certain items are restricted from purchase by international buyers. Electronics, for example, can't be shipped. If you want to buy export-restricted items, you'll have to ship it to vPost. vPost has their own shipping rates and delivery time. For items which you can ship direct from amazon.com, always ship direct from them as it's cheaper.