Amazon to Singapore Buying & Shipping Guide

Submitted by Teoh Yi Chie on

(May 2014 update: Shipping charges are checked to be up to date.)

This guide is written for Singaporeans or those living in Singapore.

It should help you decide whether to buy from Amazon. I have bought items from all Amazon branches except from China, Italy and Spain branches.

For buying digital content like mp3, ebooks, etc, read Guide on buying Amazon Digital Content Outside of US.

1. Introduction

Why buy from Amazon?

1. Even after including shipping cost, some items are still cheaper than local prices. This is particularly true for books and video discs from Amazon US.

2. Their variety is huge.

3. Their customer service is excellent. They have great return and refund policies. You'll have to pay for return shipping charges though.

4. There is no GST if your package (including shipping cost) is under SGD$400. If you want to get SGD$600 worth of stuff, you should split them up into two orders, each under $400.

When is it not suitable to buy from Amazon?

1. If you need the item urgently. Shipping time varies. Shipment may get delayed at customs, post offices, etc.

2. They usually don't ship electronics to Singapore. Visit Amazon Global page to see products that ship globally.

To buy electronics, you can use services like vPost, Comgateway or Borderlinx (Citibank card users only) who act as third party forwarder to ship your items to Singapore. Amazon.com surface shipping is free for certain dollar amount so you just have to pay for the forwarder's shipping charges. I once paid $25 to vPost to ship a software package, the size of 3 CD cases, which is very expensive. For Comgateway, it's US$23 to ship a Kindle and case.

3. Generally, the more expensive the item is in Singapore, the more you'll save from Amazon. When price differences are small, it's not worth the effort and you should support local retailers instead.

2. The different Amazon branches

Let's talk specifically about each Amazon branch. The shipping charges listed below are all meant for shipments to Singapore.

(box) is a per shipment charge, (item) is per item. There can be many items in one box shipment.

Sometimes Amazon might ship items in separate shipments (at their cost). It happens when your items come from different fulfillment centres.

Also listed are the sales tax, which is only applicable to their local residence. You can deduct the sales tax from the listed price. For example, for a $100 Euro book from Amazon Germany (sales tax of 7%), you'll only need to pay $93 Euro. Shipping charges still remain the same.

Amazon.com (source)

Shipping charges and delivery times:

  • AmazonGlobal Saver 17-31 days (only to Singapore and India)
    Free for purchases above US$125 in value, typically for items such as books, discs, and selected items
  • Standard Shipping 17-31 days
    Books - US4.99 (box) - US4.99 (item)
    Disc - US4.99 (box) - US3.99 (item)
  • Expedited Shipping 12-19 days
    Books - US13.99 (box) - US5.99 (item)
    Disc - US13.99 (box) - US3.99 (item)
  • Priority Shipping 3-7 days
    Books - US29.99 (box) - US5.99 (item)
    Disc - US29.99 (box) - US3.99 (item)

I've had rare occasions where boxes take two months to arrive.

Generally, the more expensive a book is in Singapore, the cheaper it is in USA. It depends on currency rates of course.

Bulky or heavy items have additional surcharges. Anything more than 5 pounds (2.26kg) is considered heavy. The weight surcharges are as follows:

  • Standard Shipping - US1.99/lb
  • Expedited Shipping - US1.99/lb
  • Priority Shipping - US2.49/lb

So if you are shipping a 5lb (2.2kg) item, that would translate to an extra US$9.95.

Amazon.co.uk (source) - (Sales tax: 16% for electronics)

Shipping charges and delivery times:

  • Standard airmail 7 - 10 days
    Books - UK5.49 (box) - UK2.99 (item)
    Disc - UK2.09 (box) - UK1.49 (item)
  • Expedited Shipping 5 - 10 days
    UK10.99 (box) + UK4.99 per kg
  • Priority Express 2-4 days
    UK19.99 (box) plus
    Disc - UK1.99
    Books - UK2.49
    Others - UK4.99 per kg

Sometimes books here are cheaper than on Amazon US. This price difference is due to exchange rates and often the book distribution agreement. Their per item shipping charge is lower.

The delivery is about 10-14 days, from my experience with Standard airmail.

Amazon.ca (source)

Shipping charges and delivery times:

  • Standard 8-12 weeks
    Books - CA9.99 (box) - CA5.49 (item)
    Disc - CA4.99 (box) - CA2.49 (item)
  • Expedited 2-4 weeks
    Books - CA15.99 (box) - CA8.99 (item)
    Disc - CA9.99 (box) - CA3.99 (item)
  • Priority 3-7 days
    Books - CA19.99 (box) - CA9.99 (item)
    Disc - CA19.99 (box) - CA4.99 (item)

If you're not going for Priority shipping, the shipping time is very long. The per-item shipping charge is quite high.

Amazon.de (source) - (Sales tax: 7% for normal products, 16% for electronics)

Shipping charges and delivery times:

  • Standard 7-9 days
    Euro9 (box) and Euro4 per KG
  • Express 2-12 days
    Euro28 (box) and Euro8 per KG

Items sold in Europe are relatively pricey. You might be able to find some electronics that can ship direct from Amazon Germany.

The delivery is about 2 weeks, from my experience with Standard shipping.

Amazon.fr (source) - (Sales tax: 5.5% for normal products, 16% for electronics)

Shipping charges and delivery times:

  • Standard 12-15 days
    Euro12 (box) - Euro1.50 (item)
  • Priority 7-14 days
    Euro14 (box) - Euro6 per KG
  • Lightning 2-4 days
    Euro28 (box) - Euro9 per KG

Again, items in Europe are pricey. In addition to box charges, standard shipping has per-item charges, and express shipping has per-KG charges.

Amazon.it (source)

Shipping charges and delivery times:

  • Standard 12-15 days
    Euro14 (box) + Euro5 per KG
  • Express 2-6 days
    Euro25 (box) + Euro5 per KG

Items from Amazon Italy are also quite pricey. I've not bought here so I can't comment on the shipping time.

Amazon.es (source)

Shipping charges and delivery times:

  • Standard 12-15 days
    Euro14 (box) + Euro4 per KG
  • Express 2-6 days
    Euro20 (box) + Euro9 per KG

Items from Amazon Spain are quite pricey. I've not bought here so I can't comment on the shipping time. The standard and express shipping times are the same but at different charges.

Amazon.co.jp (source) - (Sales tax: 5%)

Shipping charges and delivery times:

  • International Express 2-5 business days
    Per shipment - 600 yen (box)
    Books - 400 yen (item)
    Discs - 300 yen (item)

The only shipping option is International Express. The per shipment charge is expensive, but per item charge is relatively cheap.

Shipping is very fast. I've the shipping date confirmation on a Friday and it was here next Monday.

In general, the Japanese books in Kino are 20-30% more expensive than Amazon Japan (with per item charge but no per box added). Buying from Kino means you don't have to pay the hefty per shipment charge. Again, if you're buying a few books, Kino's price doesn't look very good already.

Amazon third party merchants

If Amazon doesn't ship the item you want overseas, try the Amazon third party merchants. Merchants who can ship overseas will indicate on their page with "international shipping available". Each merchant has their own shipping rates and time. Generally, their shipping is more expensive than Amazon.

There's no consolidation orders for different items even if bought from the same merchant. E.g. If you buy a book and a DVD from a merchant, it will be shipped out in two boxes, and hence there will be two per-box charges.

3. Examples on calculating shipping charges

I shall use Amazon US shipping rates, the Standard Shipping, for these examples. Price of the items are not included.

For an order of 1 book:
US4.99 (box) + US4.99 (item)

2 books:
US4.99 (box) + (2 x US4.99) (item)

2 discs:
US4.99 (box) + (2 x US3.99) (item)

1 book, 1 disc:
US4.99 (box) + US4.99 (book) + US3.99 (disc)

The box charge, or per shipment charge, is always there.

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383 Comments

Hey, cause i am buying quite

Submitted by Anonymous on

Hey, cause i am buying quite alot of different things from different supplier on amazon, so after filling up all the information(third party billing address) and then reach this page where they show how you want your items to be ship, this is the part where i am confused. They give me one shipping way(standard or business) for one item and another for others depending on if it is eligible for free super saver shipping, are they going to be shipped to me in the same box after i put them all on standard shipment and selecting them to be in the same box, or will i get it in a different box because they are from a different supplier.

@Anonymous Items that are

Submitted by Teoh Yi Chie on

@Anonymous
Items that are sold by third party merchants but fulfilled (shipped) by Amazon will typically arrive in a single box. They might still arrive in separate boxes if they come from different fulfillment centres. These items fulfilled by Amazon will qualify for free super saver shipping.

Items that aren't fulfilled by Amazon by from the same merchant will be consolidated and shipped (although you still have to pay as many per-item shipping charge as required.)

Yeh understood! Just want to

Submitted by Anonymous on

Yeh understood! Just want to ask you one more thing, I type in the third party address into the shipping address and after I select that the billing address would be a different one and click continue, but they just went onto the type of shipment. Did I miss out something? Cause I thought have to provide them my billing address

Hey parka, I am using vpost

Submitted by Anonymous on

Hey parka, I am using vpost USA as the third party fowarder, Amazon has shipped out a few of my item and vpost USA has received it, the invoice sent to me by Amazon have been foward to vpost,but when they ask me to match the invoice to the item i can only match 1 cause I only sent them one invoice but that invoice sent to them contains a few other item too. Do I have to sent multiple invoice to match all the other item?

@Anonymous You don't have to

Submitted by Teoh Yi Chie on

@Anonymous
You don't have to let vPost know of your cancelled order. They only care about having an invoice to match the items they received at their facility.

Your cancelled order will not generate an invoice because no items are shipped. An invoice is generated only when items are shipped, on a per shipment basis. E.g. Two shipments generates two invoices.

Hi, I have a question to ask

Submitted by Weekian on

Hi,

I have a question to ask you.

I ordered two books from amazon UK on 25 sep and they state that the dispatch date would be on 26 sep.

However, I realized that they changed the dispatch date to 26 Nov suddenly when I checked it a few hours later. This new dispatch date is a few months away from my order date?

If possible, please advise on it.

Thank you very much.

i have some questions and i

Submitted by lenovothinkpad on

i have some questions and i am new to online shopping

i want to buy this thinkpad from amazon

amazon.com/ThinkPad-X120e-05962RU-Notebook-1-6GHz/dp/B004PILTA8

1. does they ship to singapore via vpost?
2. do i need to pay shipping charge for shipping the notebook to vpostusa address in usa?
3. will they pack my notebook in one box?
4. can they( amazone, vpost, etc involved) accept my DBS debit card(mastercard)?

thanks you, very helpful post! looking forward to your reply

@lenovothinkpad 1. Yes, but I

Submitted by Teoh Yi Chie on

@lenovothinkpad
1. Yes, but I recommend using ComGateWay instead.
2. The notebook will probably ship for free within US.
3. There will be a delivery box containing your notebook packaging box.
4. They accept all major credit cards.

Note that items above SGD$400 including shipping will be taxed 7%, to be collected by the delivery service.

You should check out how shipping charges are calculated by these delivery services beforehand, just so you don't get a nasty surprise.

(You can help out the blog by ordering through this link - I get a little commission at no additional cost on your side).

Hi So its technically

Submitted by BlueTuna on

Hi
So its technically possible to order the new Kindle Fire and get it shipped to Singapore although Amazon only presently sells it in US ? What about the warranty of electronics items..void if used overseas ? Who would be a good service provider ..Vpost or someone else for electronic and computer items from Amazon ?

Thanks Parka for the prompt

Submitted by BlueTuna on

Thanks Parka for the prompt reply.
A couple of other questions:

1.Can I use the wifi on the Kindle Fire to access the Internet in Singapore( ie through my M1 Fibre broadband )? I assume its just like any other device...just connect to wifi ..then service provider ..?

2. Can I download apps and content from the Kindle Fire while I am in Singapore or will Amazon stop me if they check my IP address ?

3.If there is something wrong with the Kindle Fire or needs repair, I just mail it back to Amazon and they will repair and send back to ComGateway US address ?

4.You mentioned the limit for GST is $ 300 ..is it US$ 300 or SIN $ 300 ..and does that mean the total price including shipping or just the purchase price ?

5.Could I have access to the forum ?

Thanks in advance

i have ordered my thinkpad

Submitted by lenovothinkpad on

i have ordered my thinkpad using comgateway and amazon

i have done the purchase at amazon and recived their auto-email from amazon with invoice number and total amount. how can i key in my invoice number and total amount in comgateway site? what happen if i fail to tell comgateway of my invoice number and total amount? hope to get your reply again. thanks

@BlueTuna 1. You can use wifi

Submitted by Teoh Yi Chie on

@BlueTuna
1. You can use wifi on the Kindle in Singapore, just like you can any other wifi device.

2. Digital content is currently restricted to USA only. You can try this to get around.

3. You can send back directly to Amazon for repair.

4. GST limit is SGD $400, including shipping. So shipping Kindle Fire via ComGateWay will not be charged for GST.

5. You can access the forum, but if you want an account, please let me know your username via the Google Comment box on the sidebar.

@lenovothinkpad
Just Print Screen the receipt and upload to ComGateWay will do (if actually required).

Hi, I m intending to buy an

Submitted by Ling on

Hi, I m intending to buy an Avent electric twin breast pump n some accessories like milk bottles but not sure if:

1) it ships to Singapore
2) how much the shipping costs will be
3) which shipping company to choose
4) anything I shld b aware of

Can u kindly help in the above? Thanks so much! :)

@Nizrul Amazon US is showing

Submitted by Teoh Yi Chie on

@Nizrul
Amazon US is showing US currency.

@Ling
Electronics probably don't ship to Singapore.
If you're shipping via ComGateWay, it goes by weight. I've shipped a 4.5kg package for around US$34.

If it's over SGD$400 (including shipping), it's subject to 7% GST.

Electronics typically only have warranty local to the country where they are bought.

We want to buy a baby

Submitted by Dylan on

We want to buy a baby stroller from Amazon as strollers here are way too much. We had an order from a local shop online but the stroller was broken already! So needless to say, we would rather do it ourselves. The price of the stroller is $532 US ($673 SGD). Are there any duties or customs taxes we need to pay when we have the stroller delivered to us in Singapore other than GST on purchases over $400? If not, we would save ourselves $150. Thanks!

Hello, Parka! Thank goodness

Submitted by Grey on

Hello, Parka! Thank goodness this guide exists!

I was wondering... I don't live in Singapore but I'm planning to order one Bluray disc and two books as gifts for a friend who lives there. All items + shipping charges are less than SGD400. We don't have to pay for GST or anything else, right? She just has to receive the parcel then it's done? And is this regardless of where it came from, even if it's not from Amazon? Thank you very much in advance!

@Ling Just sign up for an

Submitted by Teoh Yi Chie on

@Ling
Just sign up for an account at ComGateway and they will provide you with a US mailing address. Then you can send your packages to that address.

@Dylan
If your items are over SGD $400 including shipping, there will be GST. Amazon will collect the GST on your behalf.

@Grey
If the total amount including shipping is under SGD $400, there's no GST.

bookdepository.co.uk gives

Submitted by Alistair Fook on

bookdepository.co.uk gives free shipping to anywhere in the world and is usually faster than Amazon. Certainly a lot cheaper total cost. BUT, they only sell books.

For stuff that Amazon won't ship to Singapore - which seems to be most stuff other than books - there is Singapore Post's Vpost. Use only as a last resort. They are slow and expensive and helpfully help the government to collect GST from you. And they provide typically Singaporean service. When they lost my stuff (when they were moving from California to Oregan), they denied all reponsibility. Amazon, on the other hand, refunded the purchase price PLUS shipping cost without question.

Hi Parka, Previously when I

Submitted by DC on

Hi Parka,

Previously when I ordered stuff from Amazon, there was only one box rate charged per order, regardless of how many shipments the order was broken down into.

Just now when I tried to pre-order six different titles, I had an additional 6x US$4.99 added to my shipping cost.

Do you know if they recently changed their policy regarding this?

It is quite silly because some of the titles are released within a week or two of each other, and I don't mind waiting for the items to be released before they are shipped but there seems to be no way of that.

Thanks for the quick reply

Submitted by DC on

Thanks for the quick reply Parka!

That's what I thought too, that it would be US$35. But this is what my check out says:

Order Summary
Items (6): $147.13
Shipping & Handling: $59.88
Total Before Tax: $207.01

Which is why I'm quite shocked. I thought some of the items might have been bulky items, but I removed them and put them back in my cart one at a time, checking out each time with a shipping of US$9.98.

I did check out Book Depository, but the prices there aren't quite competitive, I guess because the books in question are artbook.

@DC Somewhere during

Submitted by Teoh Yi Chie on

@DC
Somewhere during checkout, you should choose to have items ship together regardless of when they become available. That way, Amazon will charge a single per-shipment charge instead of six.

If you still have problem, you can contact their customer service and they will place the order manually on your behalf.

Hi there, i tried to order

Submitted by Lin on

Hi there, i tried to order good from amazon.com but after entering my "delivery address", i was promt, " We're sorry. This item can't be shipped to your selected destination." Why is it so and how do i go about purchasing my goods. Thanks.

@Lin Some items cannot be

Submitted by Teoh Yi Chie on

@Lin
Some items cannot be shipped by Amazon to Singapore. E.g. Electronics. You can use a third party forwarder like ComGateWay and have them ship the parcel to Singapore. Their shipping charges goes by weight, calculation is available on the ComGateWay site, and weight information is available from Amazon.

This article just saved me

Submitted by Dy on

This article just saved me from sleepless nights from worrying too much! I discovered this while I was googling about SG's policies regarding imports from Amazon. Thank you for sharing your insights and experiences!

Recently I ordered two manga magazines from Amazon JP via a third party, and they've raised to me the issue that they're not sure if the item will be charged once the parcel arrives here. Good thing that the overall cost was waaaaaaaaay below $400, so I don't need to pay GST. xD My only concern now is if I'm going to pay any customs duties since magazines are a controlled item (from what I can understand from Customs' website). :/

Thanks so much for sharing this again! Definitely a lifesaver! :D

Hi Parka, Thank you for the

Submitted by Jim on

Hi Parka,

Thank you for the wonderful information! Sorry to pose yet another regarding GST.

I once used vPOST and did not incur any GST even though my total shipment value went over S$600. I consolidated about 7 packages in that shipment and paid only one base charge, and none of the 7 packages went over S$300.

Hence, i would like to ask if the same is applicable to HopShopGo. Will GST be incurred if TOTAL SHIPMENT is more than S$400 or if individual packages within the shipment go over S$400?

Thanks,
Jim

Hi, I'm interested in getting

Submitted by Rei on

Hi, I'm interested in getting some CDs from amazon.jp. How is the shipping speed from there and the quality of item protection? I always ordered from cdjapan and they came in a sturdy box with loads of bubble wrap.. Thanks!

I hope u get this msg.. i

Submitted by Ean on

I hope u get this msg.. i know its abit outdated..

Firstly interesting page...

Secondly im a noob.. and i need help..

Im not buying from amazon.. but i hope u can help me answer some questions

im buying some stuff worth almost hundred or thousands of Ka ching $$

How will the singapore customs charged? i mean will my stuff be held at the immigration?

Hopefully u can help me out with this.. again im a noob..

Regards,
Ean

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