The UK<->US theory

resultz

New member
Ok im thinking of purchasing some items off amazon.COM.
My problem is that The same item isnt listed in .CO.UK. so my theory is
'When i pay for the Video in question, will it automatically convert the currency to sterling?(im in the UK)'

Also is there a way round the 'You are not in the US' notice when buying an online video from Amazon? me being in the UK.

Thanks in Advance
 

AlexTheMartian

New member
Before I get into the currency issue, first if it is DVDs, there is a DVD Region issue you need to be sure of. US DVDs are of Region 1, Europe DVDs are of Region 2. You can only play DVDs of your own region, unless your DVD player is from a different region. I am not sure if you can buy Region 2 DVDs on US Amazon, but I have brought Region 1 DVDs on the UK Amazon before, so it might be possible.

As for currency, usually your bank will do the currency conversion for you, but there will be fees involved. However, If you use Visa or MasterCard on Amazon, the site will allow use to use something called "Amazon Currency Converter" http://www.amazon.com/Currency-Converter/b?ie=UTF8&node=388305011 and it will most likely end up cheaper then the other method.

Here is some more info, answering your question:

"When you buy in U.S. Dollars (USD) at Amazon.com with a credit or debit card denominated in a supported currency other than USD (for example, a Euro-denominated card), the payment is converted from USD to your local currency by your bank or credit card company. In addition to the exchange rate, you may be charged foreign conversion charges and fees, which may increase the overall cost of your purchase.

With the Amazon Currency Converter, your purchase total will be converted into the currency of your payment card while you're placing your order. In many cases, your purchase may be less expensive than using your bank or credit card to make the purchase in U.S. Dollars (USD), since we strive to offer a competitive exchange rate that includes all related fees and charges.

Of course, you will always have the choice to pay in USD if you prefer. Your bank or credit card will then do the conversion for you."

Taken from FAQ at http://www.amazon.com/gp/help/customer/display.html/?nodeId=200197730#expensive
 

Richiepiep

Administrator
I have very good experiences ordering items from Amazon US, Amazon.co.uk and Amazon.de (Germany), depending on where an item is available. As I have a credit card, as Alex has said, currencies are automatically converted and one registration holds for all branches across the wordl!

I always pay close attention to some details before ordering, again picking up Alex' ideas.

  • Regional information. I can normally only play Region 2, as I live in Holland (Europe region). However, on my PC, I have a region-free program that works very well (DVD Region Free) on a one-off, indefinite licence. Check consumer satisfaction ratings for software on various sites. Stand-alone DVD players (attached to your TV) come in some region-free varieties, can sometimes be made region-free easily with a hidden menu pop-up, or by tricky hacks into your hardware. Check Internet boards for some hidden menu capabilities, but in the case of hardware hacks, don't bother and ask your (dependable!) electronics store, who may be willing to make the adjustment for you.
  • Languages and subtitles. I always order versions which can show English subtitles. German, French etc. versions may be dubbed and not have the original English soundtrack.
  • Availability across the world. Second-hand items, downloads and some region-restricted items may be available only to customers in the country or region where the online store is located.

Rich
 

resultz

New member
ok so let me get this straight, I can buy anything from any AMAZON branch across the world with one Credit card based in the UK, even if the item isnt available in a certain store?

The item in question is The video on Demand version of Mo, which im assuming however is deiiferent, with it only being payable for by an american based billing address?
About currency converting, im pretty sure my credit card will automatically convert USD into sterling.
ABout regional issues, i have my Laptop setup with US(region 1) settings, meaning all region 1 dvds get played on here.

Thanks for your help you guys, but now i feel confused again :s
 

AlexTheMartian

New member
so somewhere on Amazon it is telling you it is only being payable for by an american based billing address? weird, never seen that. what exactly is the message?

Or is that something you are just assuming, and if so, why?
 

tjpeople

Site Administrator
Staff member
resultz is talking about Amazon on demand (streaming/downloading) video.

You are stopped from watching/downloading Mo because they block your IP. You may in theory be able to pay for it on amazon.com but they will stop you watching/downloading due to you not living in the US.
 

resultz

New member
yes as Tjpeople said, its against Amazon's legal rights to sell On demand videos to anyone OUTSIDE the US.
The message says something along the lines of 'You are not in The US, so cannot view this video or complete a purchase of it'
Ok, ive found another option to get this film. Itunes. im guessing this is pretty straight forward. I buy an american gift voucher and use that to create a US account, and buy Mo. If anyone else has used Itunes store before, is it Reliable?

Thanks for all the feedback!:D
 

Richiepiep

Administrator
I know the discussion has continued from here, and I think we all set the record straight. Just a few remarks.

ok so let me get this straight, I can buy anything from any AMAZON branch across the world with one Credit card based in the UK, even if the item isnt available in a certain store?

Normally, yes. If you have a credit card that is valid worldwide, such as MasterCard or Visa, you can order from other Amazon branches with the same card and same personal details. You don't have to re-register. I didn't know in advance, but I found out by trying, and it works fine..... with the rider ....

The item in question is The video on Demand version of Mo, which im assuming however is deiiferent, with it only being payable for by an american based billing address?

.... I didn't know Video on Demand was available, but as this is basically like downloading, which I touched on in my first mail, I assumed it would be unavailable outside the US. I found out when I tried to download MP3s from Amazon US, and I got a notice 'not available to customers outside the US'.

Quotes from the Amazon site:

http://www.amazon.com/gp/help/customer/display.html?nodeId=200026970

Video On Demand Logo
Video On Demand Terms of Use

5. LIMITED TO U.S.
Due to restrictions placed on us by our content providers, we are currently only able to make the Service available to customers located in the United States. We regret that you may not use the Service if you are outside of the United States. If you are inside the United States, you may not transfer Digital Content outside the United States. "United States" refers to the 48 contiguous United States, the District of Columbia, Alaska and Hawaii.



I guess it's an extension of the laws governing regional restrictions on DVDs, silly as they might seem. When I try to watch streaming videos on Fox.com or some BBC programmes or YouTube clips, I get the same notice: not outside
our territory. Apparently, they often want to sell programmes running successfully for some time in the US to other countries, and not get feedback that there are already loads of viewers outside the US who go, been there, seen it, done it. From their viewpoint, it's understandable I guess, but I myself think it's thwarting promotion, not helping it.

Rich
 

AlexTheMartian

New member
it is not only U.S. content that usually has restrictions if tried to accessed from outside the country. I wanted to see episodes of Skins, a UK TV show, and found out that E4's site won't let me watch episodes because I am not in the UK :(

it is ok though, i liked the first 2 seasons better :p
 
S

sullie1505

Guest
Sellers from the US amazon are mostly likely situated within the US; they have limitations on their posting, especially to someone in Europe or Asia. Some sellers may offer international posting, but it's going to cost you more especially if it's coming from the US.

If the billing information they require is limited to US states and territories, then it is likely the seller does not offer international posting, but generally any billing info you give to amazon is universal to all the amazon sites.

If it is online content, and limited to the US; this is because of legal issues regarding copyright and whatnot. There are of course ways around this, but that involves a program that masks your IP address and shows it as an American IP.

I've used such a program for websites like hulu.com, and pandora.com. I've lived in the US and I'm going to college there so when I got back to Europe and found that I couldn't use these sites... I just learned to use programs to bypass IP filters. Not sure it's a good idea to do that with anything you're paying for though.
 
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