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How to Order from Amazon.com in Thailand

Did you know that you can order products from Amazon.com and have them delivered to your address in Thailand?

Thanks to the International Shopping Experience, if you're an expat in Thailand wanting to order a hard-to-find book, or wanting to get in on those exclusive Black Friday deals, it's possible to order in just a few taps.

The International Shopping feature is for countries that do not have an official Amazon web portal and where imports are the only option. That means countries like Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Peru, Uruguay, and Thailand.

So with 45 million available items (potentially), it's probably best that you don't start browsing at 2 o'clock in the morning after a night out on the booze!

amazon-thailand-shipping

Why Order From Amazon.com in Thailand?

Why bother, right? There's other options. Is there, though?

Lazada is technically Southeast Asia's Amazon, a marketplace where you can buy just about everything and anything at reasonable price.

However, as you will see from my Lazada review, not everyone is  pleased with the service.

Some people like myself have used it without incident, but others, as you'll see from the comments section, have had a bit of a nightmare and find themselves wishing that they could order from Amazon – like they used to back home.

Of course, bad experiences can happen on Amazon too, particularly if a seller is using fake reviews to sell a substandard product, or if you receive a faulty product, or one that was bashed up in the delivery van.

It can happen.

But generally, Amazon is reliable. That's why so many people miss the service when they move to Thailand – particularly those who aren't fans of shopping in malls and haggling in markets.

amazon-shopping-thailand

 

It goes without saying that many electronic goods can be found in Thailand a lot cheaper than they would be on Amazon.com.

But there's the issue of quality.

Lately, there's been a lot in the press about substandard electronic items from China being sold on eBay, and even in high street stores.

Some electrical items such as phone chargers have been responsible for house fires and injuries due to electric shocks. Sometimes it pays to pay a little more.

While low quality cables and chargers are very cheap in Thailand, the higher end ones can actually be more expensive than they are found in the US or Europe.

And then there are the sales periods such as Black Friday and Cyber Monday, where you can get super deals on laptops,  Kindles, Amazon Echos, hard drives, kids toys, water filters, clothes, and anything else you can think of.

So maybe there are times when ordering from Amazon would be preferable.

There has certainly been times in my life in Thailand where being able to order from Amazon would have helped me out.

One situation in particular: I was trying to find a playpen for my daughter. I was struggling to find any of the popular brands in Thailand, but managed to locate one in Central Mall in Bangkok. Thing is, it was quite literally double the price.

If I'd had the Amazon international shopping feature back then, I would have ordered it from there.

For the record, the international shopping feature allows you to shop in 25 currencies, including Baht, which might be useful for those who have a Thai bank account with a Visa debit or credit card.

Expats can also choose a range of languages to shop in, including Spanish, English, simplified Chinese, Brazilian Portuguese and German.

How to Order From Amazon When in Thailand

To use the International Shopping feature, you have two options.

Option1 : Desktop Ordering

Open up Amazon and change your “deliver to” location in the top left-hand corner.

You'll then see products eligible for shipping to Thailand.

amazon-thailand-order

Go onto Amazon.com and click the ‘Deliver to' sign in the top-left-hand corner and select Thailand as your location.

=> Open Amazon.com to get started

Option 2: App Ordering

Alternatively, install the Amazon Shopping app from the Apple App Store or the Google Play Store.

Once installed, the app will automatically load the feature based on your location.

If you already have the app installed, go to Settings > Country and Language > International Shopping.

In that setting, you can select your language and currency of preference.

Once you have installed the app and international shopping is enabled, you will see all the products eligible for shipping to Thailand.

amazon-thailand

Amazon detects your location so you can choose to do international shopping.

Shipping Costs

Shipping was never going to be cheap, that's for sure. It's probably best to stick to smaller, lighter items. But then again, you might find that the cost of shipping is not far off the cost of the item.

So let's face it, this service is probably going to be reserved for special items like the one I described above, and when you can't get a product anywhere else.

Here's a rundown of the shipping costs:

Standard (7-10 days)

  • Music / DVD / Blu-ray – £1.49 per item + £2.09 per delivery.
  • PC & Video Games / VHS / Software – £2.99 per item + £5.49 per delivery.
  • Books (includes audio books) – £2.99 per item + £5.49 per delivery.

For any combination of items from the categories listed above add together the appropriate “per item” rates. The highest “Per Delivery” rate applies.

AmazonGlobal Standard (5-10 days)

  • Baby / Car & Motorbike / Clothing / DIY & Tools / Electronics & Photo / Hobbies, Sports & Leisure / Home & Garden / Jewellery & Watches / Kitchen / Musical Instruments / Office Products / PC & Video Games / Shoes and Bags / Software / Toys – £4.99 per kg + £10.99 per delivery.

AmazonGlobal Priority (2-4 days)

  • Music / DVD / Blu-ray / Video Games / Software / PC Games – £1.99 per item + £19.99 per delivery.
  • Books / Jewellery & Watches – £2.49 per item + £19.99 per delivery.
  • All other categories – £4.99 per kg + £19.99 per delivery.

* For any combination of items from the categories listed above add together the appropriate “per item” or “per kg” rates. The highest “Per Delivery” rate applies.

What About Customs Duties?

Yep, many of us have experienced the annoyance of receiving a customs payment request upon receiving a gift from abroad.

The good news is that the international shopping feature displays pricing, shipping costs and import duty estimates, with Amazon managing courier service and customs clearance so you don't have to worry about any  potential surprises once your goods arrive in Thailand.

I quote:

The International Shopping experience displays clear pricing, shipping costs, and import duty estimates, with Amazon coordinating with courier services for customs clearance on behalf of the customer.

Thailand doesn't have a dedicated Amazon store, so this is the next best thing.

Will you use it over Lazada?

Let me know of your experiences in the comments section.

=> Click here to visit Amazon.com now

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Comments Sort by : newest | oldest

  1. Kriengsak says

    Actually it's sad that Thailand don't have Amazon warehouse and because of that we don't have Amazon. co.th yet. I live in UAE and do my shopping at Amazon.ae. When they have warehouse they can bring items to country to keep in stock and offer one-day free delivery to Prime members who also can order US and UK the items which are available in Amazon global market free delivery, free return as well.
    Amazon price are much cheaper than in showroom, lot of brand names are available with Amazon who is a seller in their own market place. I think Amazon buy cheap from manufacture without warrantee then send to all countries that have Amazon warehouse and sell to us cheap by giving Amazon warrantee in stead (return within 30 day if don't like or find defect). What a good idea to become a growing rich company LOL
    Thanks for your article, it is useful for me to find the way to order items and send to my relative in Thailand.
    Reply

  2. Hans Peter Oswald says

    Guten Tag, Ich habe eine neue Visa Card. Die Ablaufnummer der alten Visa Card weis ich nicht mehr. Immer wenn ich in Amazon bestelle will, werden diese Daten abgefragt. Ich habe das schon vielfach versucht, komme aber in keinen Dialog.
    Wie muss ich vorgehen, um meine neue Visa Card einzutragen?
    MfG, Peter Oswald
    Reply

  4. Martin1 says

    Hey all,

    Why would having an option of paying in Thai Baht be of any advantage?
    Using Mastercard, Visa etc. we can pay in any currency regardless of what currency the underlying account is (and be it gold, Bitcoin and the like in case of Uphold, Revolut and other FinTechs ;-) ).
    Of course there will be a markup for conversion.

    Did anyone compare whether the markup of Amazon.com is higher or lower of that of the credit/debit card companies?
    Reply

    • TheThailandLife says

      The selection of items will vary if you choose international shipping. You'll have to change your default shipping address to see the items that are available. Bear in mind that due to the current Coronavirus situation there is likely to be fewer products available, as Amazon is shipping only essential items to some destinations.
      Reply

  7. Carol Corby says

    Happy to be able to read all of this information here! Thanks! My husband and I are moving to Bangkok in March, 2020. Wondering how to order different types of things, food, most important maybe, dehumidifiers, cleaners for our house. Cheaper to buy in US and ship ourselves or buy here? Thanks for invaluable information!
    Reply

    • TheThailandLife says

      You have Lazada, which is a bit like Amazon but hit and miss, as you'll see from the comments in this post: https://www.thethailandlife.com/lazada-review . Many people now order from Amazon for delivery in Thailand - as per this post. Don't worry on dehumidifiers and appliances and other household items. Big C and Tesco have all that stuff and can be competitively priced. You can find a lot of popular foods from back home but you will pay a premium for the import price.
      Reply

    • claire says

      Many of the items you listed you can buy here and they are cheaper. Amazon does ship to Thailand and its cheaper than going through the post office.

      Buy your house items here. You can find the same brands at Power Buy or Home Pro here. These are great stores and you will avoid shipping costs. There are also grocery stores here geared to foreigners and you can find most things you need.
      Reply

    • Mike White says

      Remember Thailand uses 240 volt 50 hertz power so unless you have a power adapter you won't be able to use electrical items. And as Clair said you can buy that stuff over here cheap. American type food is harder to find depending on where you live and then it's going to be expensive
      Reply

  8. Vic says

    I am thinking of ordering DJ gear off Amazon and they have listed all the prices including shipping & import duty. Since its costing close to $2300, will the customs duty charge more than what amazon has posted?
    Reply

  9. Jeff L says

    My non-Thai wife and I made at least eight orders online with a company called JD Direct during 3 months in Krabi, mostly for cases of bottled water, packaged foods, and small household items. Better prices than many local shops, low minimum for free shipping, and quick COD delivery.
    Reply

  10. ANGIOLO says

    I live in Thailand . I have used Lazada many times without a problem.. It is great that one can have cash on delivery. I made a mistake a month ago and ordered a wrong product. When it was delivered i told the carrier to return it.. No problem and no money lostAngiolo
    Reply

  11. jack fernandez says

    I am fully aware this is the wrong forum but perhaps you could steer me in the right direction.
    I am a U.S expat, in Thailand 20 years. I require life insurance. Preferably from a non -Thai company as I read too many horror stories .
    Can you connect me with someone in this field.
    This is 100% required. I'm ready , willing & able to pay and sign up.
    Reply

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