Buy online from amazon in the UK: books, cds, dvds

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Buy products from Amazon


Sections:	Amazon
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	Buying from outside the UK
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Related pages:	AmazonWorldwide

AMAZON

Amazon provides an online service for ordering books, CDs, DVDs and other products.

If you want to buy a product shown on this website from the UK, click on the link and you will be taken directly to that product.
Alternatively, click below and search for the product you need:

<= click on this button, or here

or use this search tool:

If you need more help, follow the step-by-step guide below.

Why buy online?

It is usually cheaper to buy things through the internet, even after postage costs have been included. It is often easier to find what you need. You will also save time (and travelling costs) which you would otherwise have to spend looking for the product, and if you are buying heavy goods you will avoid having to carry these around with you.

Delivery time

When you make an order, you will be given an indication of how long it normally takes for your product to be found and sent. After this you must add the postage time, which depends on your choice of postal method (in the UK, the postage time is usually 1 working day, but it will take longer if you are living outside the UK). If you need the product immediately and cannot wait for a few days, you may prefer to buy it from a shop if you can find one which has the product in stock.

VAT

The price you are shown at first excludes VAT (value added tax). There is no VAT charge on books.
If you are buying items which are not books (for example: cassette tapes, CDs, DVDs), a VAT charge will be added to the price if the items are being sent to an address inside the UK or EU.

Shipping costs

The price you are shown at first excludes shipping costs (postage).
The cost of sending your products can be reduced if you order several things at the same time and ask for these to be sent to you together (this means you may have to wait a little longer if there is a delay obtaining one of the items).
If you live outside the UK you have a choice of delivery method. Airmail is cheaper, but slightly slower. Priority Express is faster, but more expensive.

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HOW TO BUY

- A step-by-step guide to buying a product using Amazon.co.uk:

GUIDE TO USING AMAZON.CO.UK
Speaking English Author: Dorothy Massey Publisher: Studymates Date: May 2003	Click on the link (underlined) in one of the shaded yellow boxes on the website. A new window opens which shows the recommended product and its price. Read the description of the product, and the reviews written about it.

	If you have decided to buy the product, you will need a credit card to buy it online. Click on Add to Shopping Basket. Once added to your basket, Amazon will remember it (you can remove it later if you want). To add another product from the website, close the Amazon window and return to this website. Click on another product and add to your basket again if you want to buy it. Repeat as many times as you want. Your total postage cost will be lower if you buy several things together instead of buying them individually.
	Once you have added all the products you want to your shopping basket, click on Proceed to Checkout.
	Enter your e-mail address, so that the confirmation of your order can be sent to you by e-mail. Select I am a new customer if this is the first time you have used Amazon.co.uk. If you are a returning customer, you will need to enter the password you were given. You will then be asked to confirm your address (Amazon will remember the details you gave previously).
(enter address details)	If you are a new customer you will be asked to enter the dispatch address (this is the address to which you want your products to be sent): Full name; Address line 1; Address line 2; Town/City; County; Postcode; Country; Phone Number County means the name of the region (this may be called a prefecture or something else in your country) Postcode is known as a zip code in some countries You will be asked: Is this address also your invoice address? The invoice address is the address to which the bill or receipt will be sent. Click on Continue.
	You will be asked to choose your delivery options. (1) Delivery method. For the UK, products may be sent first class, or orders worth more than a certain amount () can be sent for free by choosing "Super Saver Delivery" (this method of delivery is slower) (the minimum order amount for Super Saver Delivery changes from time to time, but in September 2004 it was £19). If you live in another country, you can choose either Airmail (this is cheaper, but slower) or Priority Express (this is faster, but more expensive). (2) Delivery preference. It is cheaper to wait until the entire order is ready before it is sent (this reduces the total shipping costs). Otherwise you will have to pay the costs of sending each item separately.
or Cheque	Select a Payment method. You can either pay by credit or debit card, or by Sterling cheque (American English: check). If using a card, you will need to enter its details: Card Number, Expiry Date, Issue Number (if using a Switch card) or Start Date (if using a Solo card), and the Name on the Credit or Debit Card. These details are kept securely by Amazon: you should see the lock sign at the bottom of the screen: Once you have chosen your payment method, select Continue.
	Check the dispatch address to which the products will be sent, your delivery options, the items which you have ordered, the order summary (showing the total cost, including postage and taxes), the payment method, and the invoice address (to which the bill or receipt will be sent).
	Finally, if you wish to buy the products you have chosen, click on Place your order.

BUYING FROM AMAZON OUTSIDE THE UK

Buying from Amazon.co.uk

Most items can be sent by amazon.co.uk to most countries, but there may be some countries to which some products (such as mobile phones or software) cannot be sent. Be careful when buying mobile phones, DVDs or videos:

DVD

If you buy a DVD, make sure that it can be played in your country.
British DVDs are in Zone 2 PAL format.
Zone 2 covers the UK, Europe, Japan, South Africa and the Middle East.
This covers the following countries:
Albania, Andorra, Austria, Bahrain, Belarus, Belgium, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Canary Islands, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Egypt, Estonia, European Union, Faroe Islands, Finland, France, France, Georgia, Germany, Gibraltar, Greece, Greenland, Hungary, Iceland, Iran (Islamic Republic of) Iraq, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Japan, Jordan, Kuwait, Latvia, Lebanon, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Macedonia (the Former Yugoslav Republic), Malta, Moldova, Principality of Monaco, Netherlands, Norway, Oman, Poland, Portugal, Qatar, Romania, Russian Federation, San Marino, Saudi Arabia, Slovakia, Slovenia,South Africa, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Syrian Arab Republic, Turkey, Ukraine, United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom, United Kingdom (Channel Islands), Vatican City State, Yemen, Yugoslavia
Most DVDs include the option to show English subtitles if you want, and many contain subtitles for other languages too.
A few British DVDs do not have a zone code, in which case they can be played on DVD players in any country.

Video

If you buy a video, make sure that it can be played in your country.
British videos are usually in VHS PAL format. This can be seen in many countries, but not in France (SECAM format) or in North America, South America, Japan, Taiwan or Korea (NTSC format). It is possible to convert VHS PAL videos into NTSC format if necessary (you should be able to find a company which will do this for you for a small fee). There is a table which shows the video formats used in different countries at: http://www.tenlab.com/tvsystems.html.

Buying from Amazon's branch in another country

Some of the products listed may be available from branches of Amazon in other countries. If you are currently living outside the UK in one of these countries, it may be cheaper and faster to order from one of these (delivery costs may be lower and you may be able to avoid currency conversion costs). To do this:

(i) Copy the product's ISBN or ASIN from the details shown on Amazon's UK site
(ii) Click on the Amazon link for your country:


United States	Canada	Japan


Germany	France	Other (UK link)

(iii) Enter the ISBN or ASIN in the Search box to find it (if it is not available from your country, use amazon.co.uk)
(iv) But the product in the usual way: the process is similar to that for the UK (see above).

Please make sure that you click on the above link before buying. Amazon will then pay a small commission to this site which will help it to continue (there is no extra cost to you).

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