amazon.com now sending goods other than books&dvds to Ireland - A question

_Whimsical_

I hadn't realised that www.amazon.com sent goods other than books & dvds to Ireland but I've just added a camera accessory worth $100 to my basket and it has been accepted. Other items,I tried cameras and shoes, were added too without issue.

Back to the camera accessory though :Shipping & handling come to $35 and then there's a charge called "import fees deposit" of $29.99. Now even with $65 extra for delivery & "import fees" added it remains considerably cheaper than it would be to buy in Ireland!

So my question is about the "import fees deposit" . This is what it says on the site about it

"Import Fees Deposit" represents an estimate of the Import Fees that will be levied on the items in your order for shipment to countries outside of the US. By placing your order, you agree to allow Amazon Export and/or Merchant (as applicable) to collect the Import Fees Deposit for the applicable items in your order. This deposit will be used, on your behalf, to reimburse the Designated Carriers for the import fees that they have paid on your behalf to the appropriate authorities of the destination country.

You further agree that the Designated Carriers may disclose to Amazon Export or Merchant (as applicable) the amount of actual Import Fees levied on the item you have purchased from Amazon Export and/or Merchant ("Actual Import Fees"). In the event that the Import Fees Deposit exceeds the Actual Import Fees, Amazon Export or Merchant (as applicable) will refund the difference to you.

Has anyone bought something from amazon.com that has required them to pay an Import fee up front? Are there extra charge likely to be levied on top of this charge once the item arrives in Ireland? Does $30 sound like an accurate estimate of all extra charges that would be placed on something worth $135 inc shipping arriving in Ireland? Is there someway I can calculate the true charge?
Any help would be greatly appreciated.

jor el

VAT will be 21.5% of the total cost, duty may be applied, but is usually very small, and insignificant. The only other charge applied is an administration fee, charged by the shipping agent, but since Amazon are taking care of this now, I don't know if that will still apply.

$30 sounds bang on.

_Whimsical_

jor el wrote: »

VAT will be 21.5% of the total cost, duty may be applied, but is usually very small, and insignificant. The only other charge applied is an administration fee, charged by the shipping agent, but since Amazon are taking care of this now, I don't know if that will still apply.

$30 sounds bang on.

Thats fantastic - thank you Jor el!:)

Bob Z

Are you sure they allow cameras to be sold? i thought you couldnt buy electrical goods from amazon.com? only amazon.co.uk?

_Whimsical_

Bob Z wrote: »

Are you sure they allow cameras to be sold? i thought you couldnt buy electrical goods from amazon.com? only amazon.co.uk?

I'm not sure to be honest. I thought you couldn't do so until today. I just added the camera accessory to my basket and went through the checkout process out of curiousity but it gave me no warning that the product couldn't be sent to Ireland. Instead shipping was calculated as international shipping and there was an "import fee" added. I tried cameras and a few other electrical products and only one ,a large BBQ cooker, flashed up a "can't be sent to this address" message.
Weirdly though I've just tried adding some of the same items to my basket now and they're all showing as "can't be shipped to this address".

Yet I checked my account and the camera accessory I bought has not been cancelled and seems to be going ahead. Hopefully this won't turnout to be another nail biting "will it come or will it not come?" littlewoods experience as it's intended as a present.

Here's what it says on the website about delivery restrictions to Ireland :

Restrictions
The following items can be shipped to almost all destinations outside the U.S.:

books*
DVDs
music
VHS videos
Additionally, some consumer electronics, health and personal care, home and garden, jewelry, pet supplies, shoes, software, sporting goods, tools, video games, and watches can be shipped to the following countries:

Australia, Austria, Belgium, Canada, Chile, Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Hong Kong, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Luxembourg, Malaysia, Mexico, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Philippines, Portugal, Poland, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, South Africa, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Taiwan, Thailand, United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom
Visit our Amazon Global Program store to browse products that are available for shipping to these destinations.

EDIT : They have a selection of products available for international delivery here : http://www.amazon.com/International-Shipping-Direct/b?ie=UTF8&node=230659011 . There are a few things that fit into the above categories such as electronics and homewares etc. Nothing exciting though .