Good news for Ebay Sellers? Amazon to block its US website for Aussies

[the_2nd_zoo]

https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2018/may/31/amazon-to-block-australians-from-using-us-sto...

[kopenhagen5]

I think Amazon buyers will just shop on the Australian Amazon.

Granted, if not available on the Au site, eBay may be the next stop.

[davidc4430]

was amazon US a good place to buy?

ive not bought anything from them for a very long time and postage was rediculous.

[countessalmirena]

Yes.

I am going to have to plan a contingency measure.

[pennyforum14]

While I agree that is unfair for the big platforms to be required to collect GST on all AU purchases on their sites, especially when the majority of individual shops would not be required to register and collect if they were in AU, I am disappointed, given that they capitulated when the same rules were brought in for Washington and Pennsylvania state sales taxes earlier this year, but won't wear it for AU GST.  I guess blocking US buyers was a much bigger loss and one they were not prepared to risk.

As a buyer, though, I am totally disgusted.  I have been with Amazon US since 2006, I get a lot of gift vouchers and have a fair-sized balance there that I use when purchasing books and gifts from time to time.  When the Amazon AU site opened, I noted that although you log in with the same account details on both sites, the account balance and history does not carry over to the AU site.  I made enquiries at the time and was told I cannot use my US giftcard balance on the AU site, and they cannot transfer it.  Now they are saying I will not be allowed to shop on the US site after June 30.  Amazon gift cards are meant to have NO EXPIRY DATE.  Now they are saying I have 30 days to use it or lose it.  Not happy, Jan!

[lyndal1838]

Investigate a forwarding service.....you can buy in the USA and have the goods shipped to a USA address and then forwarded to you.

Or be like me and cultivate any long lost rellies in the USA.

[pennyforum14]

Lyndal, Amazon CS told me that AU buyers will be automatically transferred to the AU site from July 1.  It sounds like forwarding will not be an option.

[porcelain_dolls_by_me]

Use a proxy IP to get around geo blocking

[porcelain_dolls_by_me]

I think the reality is that Amazon has just cracked the proverbial and calling the Australian Goverments bluff on requiring them to collect the GST

Amazon already have the systems in place to collect the differing USA state sales tax.  Note that not all states require them to do this so it is obviously a flexible process.

Amazon is a commercial venture and motivated by the bottom line.  Once they see the drop-off in overseas Amazon sales, and their commissions on sales to Australia then commercial reality will take over and they will soon buckle.

[go-tazz]

More then likely the Aussie site isn't performing as they would like/want so by being numskulls they think they can

force Aussies to buy from their Aus site,(hence why all the negativity in regards to using the US site).

Just don't buy on the Ausie site or boycott it completely and once they start losing $$$ they'll do the same

as eBay and realize that it's not that much of a problem to collect it,