Amazon International Shipping to India: AmazonGlobal Free Shipping Then and Now
Can you get Amazon international shipping to India for free? In 2012 the AmazonGlobal Free Super Saver Shipping program offered free shipping to India on eligible orders of $125 or more, and I used it to buy books. This article explains how that worked and how to order from Amazon.com to India today.
Quick answer: From late 2012, AmazonGlobal Free Super Saver Shipping gave free standard shipping to India on eligible Amazon.com orders of $125 or more, mostly books and media. Today, products on Amazon.com that ship to India show the shipping cost and an estimate of import fees at checkout, and any free shipping offers are shown there too. Many products are also sold directly on Amazon.in, which is usually simpler and avoids import duties.
Table of Contents
Why Amazon international shipping to India was expensive
I had lots of books in my Amazon Wish List, but the international shipping cost was very high: Amazon charged $4.99 per item plus $4.99 per shipment, and only a limited list of items such as books, CDs, DVDs and Kindle could be shipped internationally. So even if you combined items into a single shipment, 5 books of any price came to nearly $30 in shipping. Your books might cost less than the shipping!
I had bought hard-to-find books from Amazon many times, but the high shipping costs were discouraging. When I bought a Kindle in India from Amazon.com, import duties were added as well.
AmazonGlobal free Super Saver shipping to India
In late 2012, AmazonGlobal Free Super Saver Shipping changed that. Here is a set of 5 books I wanted to buy from Amazon, and they got free shipping to India. I simply chose the free AmazonGlobal Saver option, which shipped the books in 9 to 14 days.
As you proceeded to checkout, the AmazonGlobal Saver discount refunded the shipping and handling charges.
The conditions
- Eligible items only, with an order total of $125 or more.
- Ship to a single address in India, and group items into as few shipments as possible.
- Items over 20 pounds and oversized items were not eligible. Ineligible items in the same order were charged shipping.
- Import duties and handling fees could still apply.
- Cancelling items so that the order fell below $125 could cancel the free shipping.
Amazon ships much faster than it promises, so the delivery estimate was not a big issue. With the largest collection of hard-to-find books, free shipping made Amazon.com very attractive, even though I preferred Flipkart for local buying.
How to get Amazon international shipping to India today
A lot has changed since 2012. Amazon opened its India store at Amazon.in in 2013, so most popular products are now sold locally. If you still want something only Amazon.com sells:
- Set India as your delivery country on Amazon.com so search results show items that ship to India.
- Check the product page. It shows whether the item ships to India, and the shipping cost.
- Review the checkout total. Amazon shows the shipping cost and an estimated import fees deposit before you pay. Any free shipping offer for your order also appears here.
- Combine items into one shipment where possible to save on shipping.
- Check Amazon.in first. The same book or product may be available on Amazon.in, often faster and without import duties.
FAQ
Does Amazon.com still offer free shipping to India?
Free shipping offers and thresholds have changed since 2012. Amazon.com shows any free shipping offer, the shipping cost and import fees for your order at checkout, so check there before you buy.
Do I pay customs duty on Amazon.com orders to India?
Import duties and fees can apply. Amazon.com shows an estimated import fees deposit at checkout for eligible items.
How long does Amazon international shipping to India take?
It depends on the shipping speed you choose. Amazon shows the estimated delivery date at checkout; in 2012 the free saver option took 9 to 14 days.
Is it better to buy from Amazon.in or Amazon.com?
If the product is on Amazon.in, buying locally is usually simpler and faster. Use Amazon.com for items not sold in India.
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How I wished amazon offers that many choices for my country. We are only allowed to order books, nothing but books. Computer related items are tax free in my country but amazon doesn’t deliver, not sure why, I wont be surprised if it is due to the high number of theft during delivery due to corruption.
There are still many limitations to delivery in India. They deliver by standard international courier companies, and I guess theft should not be much of an issue here. It seems to be more about import / export of products and custom permissions for same.