For all Indians!!! Is it safe to order from amazon.com ?

[Kanishq]

I am talking about amazon.com not amazon.in. I want to order a laptop but i am scared to order it from an international site. So please help me.

[Abhishek]

Amazon is not the problem. It is one of the biggest online retailers in the world and is very safe. Indians regularly order from it, especially books.

But you want to order a laptop, that can be a problem. I mean is the price difference so great between amazon.com and India?

The problem is that once the laptop is sent, it will pass through the customs in India, which can be a real problem. If they send through a courier like FedEx/DHL etc, they'll help clear the customs and you'll have to pay the customs and excise duty to the courier who'll give you the receipt.

BUT, if they send through USPS (US Postal Service), then you have two problems to face. First is the customs and the second is the Indian postal department. Depending on your luck, you may or may not get the laptop. I mean once it reaches the customs, it can be stuck there for months. It is a govt deptt and they may or may not inform you that they have it.

So you have to be constantly inquiring about the status. Again, depending on your luck, sometimes the postal department will bring you the laptop and collect the customs and excise duty. But sometimes you'll receive a letter from customs that your laptop is lying in Mumbai/Delhi (regardless of where you are in India) and asking you to come there and collect it. This scenario is rare but does happen.

When you consider the price, also include the shipping and the customs and excise duty you'll pay in India, for laptops it is 16.85% of the ASSESSED value (not the invoice value). It means that suppose you bought the laptop for $500 from amazon and that's what your bill says. But if the customs officer assesses its value to be $600 (it is totally up to them, they may assess its value to be the Indian price of the same model), so you'll pay 16.85% of $600, ie, $101 to the customs. So it may come out to be more expensive that buying from India. So do calculate your costs properly.

Then you have the warranty issues. Chances are that it won't be covered under the warranty in India if bought from outside India, if some problem arises.

So, considering the above problems, if you think that the price difference is worth it, then make sure they use Fedex/DHL/UPS etc. You'll not face any customs problems and pay straight to the courier.