[audioholic]

I second the thought of paying in local currency instead of INR. Most of the times the conversion charges levied by Amazon, PayPal are a ripoff while banks charge something like 2.5-3% with waivers for certain cards and offers. At one point of time, while the INR-EUR rate was running at 75, Paypal was quoting 79.xx for paying in INR whereas my card charges 2.5% which made the conversion rate 76.xx. Hence, pay in local currency both online and if paying/withdrawing physically abroad.

[binand]

Originally Posted by hserus

The general suggestion [...] Pay in local currency not in INR.

Originally Posted by itwasntme

I always pay in local currency and never in INR whether online or B&M.

Originally Posted by audioholic

I second the thought of paying in local currency instead of INR.

Alright, but here's a pair of screenshots:



The Amazon rate as seen in the screenshot is 73.25.

The USD-INR rate of HDFC Bank is 70.85.

That of ICICI Bank is 70.94.

Even the lower (70.85) with 3.5% service charge and 18% GST works out to 73.78. Isn't that higher than the Amazon rate of 73.25?

Yes, I agree with specific cards and banks it might work out to be cheaper. But in the general case as I have observed, it is more expensive.

[itwasntme]

Originally Posted by binand

Alright, but here's a pair of screenshots:

Attachment 1866369

The Amazon rate as seen in the screenshot is 73.25.

The USD-INR rate of HDFC Bank is 70.85.

That of ICICI Bank is 70.94.

Even the lower (70.85) with 3.5% service charge and 18% GST works out to 73.78. Isn't that higher than the Amazon rate of 73.25?

Yes, I agree with specific cards and banks it might work out to be cheaper. But in the general case as I have observed, it is more expensive.

You are broadly correct w.r.t. Amazon. They have steadily lowered their margin and are now very competitive. Not others usually.

My SBI Elite & HDFC Regalia etc. cards consistently offer less than 1.99% service charges so it's cheaper for me to let them handle the conversion even with GST.

[binand]

Originally Posted by itwasntme

You are broadly correct w.r.t. Amazon.

And the original question was also about Amazon.

Anyway, what I do is to load money onto a forex card and pay in local currency. The costs are generally much lower.

[rohan_iitr]

Hi,

I ordered something (SATA to SATA DVD Caddy for second hard drive in laptop) on Amazon.

After receiving it, I realized that I had ordered a wrong item (My laptop has IDE interface for DVD, not SATA), which does not meet my requirements. Please note that the seller has shipped the correct part (which was ordered by me).

Is it possible to return this item on Amazon ?

When I go into the returns menu, the options are:
- Performance or quality not adequate
- Product damaged but shipping box OK
- Missing parts or accessories
- Both product and shipping box damaged
- Wrong item was sent
- Item defective or doesn't work

As you can see, none of the above options matches to my case.

The cost of the product is not much (Rs 499 only). I am willing to take the financial hit, but don't want the seller to suffer because of my wrong feedback. I don't want to do something that is ethically wrong.

Does Amazon India have any customer care number where I can call and explain my case ?

I contacted the seller, through the contact seller option on Amazon. He has replied that I can return the item to his address. But if I return the item to him directly, how would the refund be handled ?

Rohan

[theexperthand]

Originally Posted by diyguy

Will be charged GST on the conversion fee and no other transaction fee to best of my knowledge.

Thank you.

Originally Posted by binand

If you choose to pay in USD, then you will be charged as per this calculation:

Say amount to pay is $1000 and exchange rate is Rs. 70 (which will be higher than market rates - right now, I see 69.23 on Google Finance, 69.19 on xe.com and 70.85 on HDFC Bank's website).

USD Amount: $1000
INR Amount: Rs. 70000
Forex transaction Service charge: 70000 x 3.5% = 2450
GST on service charge: 2450 x 18% = 441
Total you end up paying: 70000 + 2450 + 441 = Rs. 72,891.

Amazon.com offers billing in INR, so you just need to pay whatever they show on their portal. Which will be approximately equal to the bank rate with no futher markup.

Thank you - much appreciated. This is exactly what I was looking for. Your screenshots in another post really helped.

Originally Posted by hserus

The general suggestion (both online and from my corporate card provider, and given as a guidance to all my colleagues) is to do exactly the opposite. Pay in local currency not in INR.

https://qz.com/quartzy/1355702/shoul...edit-card-use/

Thank you.


--Anoop

[dailydriver]

Originally Posted by rohan_iitr

...none of the above options matches to my case.

Choose any one of the listed options and initiate a return. For some items, there is an additional window where you can type the reasons for return in detail. Use it if available; if not, quote your order number and explain the actual reason for returning the item in a mail (cs-reply@amazon.in) - just to assuage your (unjust ) guilt. That will be a win-win for you and the seller.

Never return the item directly to the seller. What came through amazon must go back through amazon!

[rohan_iitr]

Originally Posted by dailydriver

quote your order number and explain the actual reason for returning the item in a mail (cs-reply@amazon.in)

Thanks for the same.
I wrote an email to amazon and explained that I have ordered the wrong item. They accepted the return request immediately.

Rohan

[Thad E Ginathom]

Amazon does have a contact-us link, but they do not make it very easy to find. You could try this link.

[rohan_iitr]

I am returning one item which I had purchased from Amazon India.

Should I pack it in a card board box and seal it with tape ? Or will the Amazon person verify the contents of the box at the time of return ?

Rohan

[audioholic]

Originally Posted by rohan_iitr

I am returning one item which I had purchased from Amazon India.

Should I pack it in a card board box and seal it with tape ? Or will the Amazon person verify the contents of the box at the time of return ?

Rohan

Dont worry about packing. The item must be in its original packaging in a decent shape. THe rest will be taken care by the amazon agent. Yes, sometimes he will take a quick glance at what you are returning, especially if its some high value item. Hence, you dont have to seal it.

[antz.bin]

Originally Posted by rohan_iitr

I am returning one item which I had purchased from Amazon India.

Should I pack it in a card board box and seal it with tape ? Or will the Amazon person verify the contents of the box at the time of return ?

Rohan

Pack the item in its original packaging but don't seal it.

Hand over the open package to the delivery person so he can verify if everything is in order.

[diyguy]

Originally Posted by rohan_iitr

Should I pack it in a card board box and seal it with tape ? Or will the Amazon person verify the contents of the box at the time of return ?

I returned a pair of shoes in its box. Noticed the agent removed the shoes and put it into his backpack and carried the shoe box in front on his bike over the petrol tank. Maybe he did it for saving space but I found it strange that he was willing to cause some damage to the product. The agent definitely verifies that is being returned by the way.

[LonelyPlanet]

I have ordered some small stuff from AliExpress (< 10$).
Whats the latest on customs wrt to these kinds of items off later ? Can someone share latest experiences.

[Thad E Ginathom]

I always seal up the box for returns, but I don't know what the collecting courier does as it is the maid that hands it over