I went to order a game last night and noticed there was a FREE standard shipping option to Australia! I then tried it with a few other games of various formats and even collectors editions and shipping was still free!
Even better is that Amazon remove the VAT so the games are cheaper again.
Not sure when the free shipping option started or how long it's going for. Does not work for blurays though.
Check who is selling it. If it is sold by another distributor through Amazon UK then you will still be charged for shipping.
Nearly twice as much when choosing Amazon.
PS3 game = 8.48 GBP
Are you sure you selected the free shipping option? Every game I've tried, on every platform, sold by Amazon has had Free Super Saver Delivery as an option, but it is not selected by default.
It looks like there is a minimum spend limit for Free shipping.
I tested on Batman: Arkham City - Game of the Year (PS3).
1xBatman = 10 GBP + 8.48 GBP shipping = 18.48 GBP total
2xBatman = 20 GBP + 11.47 GBP shipping = 31.47 GBP total
3xBatman = 30 GBP + free shipping = 30 GBP total
8.48 GBP for a Wii U game
Same price for the ps vita game I tried, no "free" shipping option. Seems too random to be worth the effort. Amazon need to stop being A holes regarding postage cost. Zavii posts from pretty much the same location for one pound.
Awesome. Just pre-ordered Mario Kart 8, Bayonetta 2 and Watch Dogs for Wii U all at ~$58 each. Thanks OP! :)
Wii u games aren't region locked?
Don't know about Wii U but Australia has always been the same region as the UK. I doubt this has changed.
Thanks for clarifying!
If you are referring to regions as in DVDs, UK is Region 1 and Australia is Region 4.
Console games are not essentially region locked, but format specific.
UK and Aus use PAL, whereas the America's use NTSC, which is why there games don't work.
If it was 1984. These days consoles, like DVD, have regions. Xbox has them but rarely enforces the regions. PS content you can import a game but DLC is region blocked.
Ninty still has their regions down PAL NTSC lines, but it isn't because the consoles/tvs aren't capable of playing the content but because of an artificial contruct Ninty have put in the systems.
If it was purely just PAL vs NTSC then you wouldn't have 2 NTSC regions (US and Japan).
PAL (both AU and UK are here)
NTSC-USA
NTSC-Japan
Great find. Hopefully deliver is quick for the guys that have ordered!
Had a shop around, decent number of games do have free shipping although the occasional one will not. YMMV.
On some of the Amazon fulfilled orders where they do not offer the free shipping, I've found adding a game which does offer the free shipping will allow both games to be shipped free.
Watch Dogs pre-order for PS4 doesn't come cheap though. >85AUD.
PS4 Watch Dogs pre-oder from Dick Smith is only $64.58 with the current 15% off offer (ends tonight), plus the additional 5% off code (FBLOVESPS4). Add $4.95 for postage, and it's still a fair bit cheaper. Definitely shop around! That said… I haven't looked anywhere else; it could definitely be cheaper elsewhere.
40 pounds for me, around 71AUD delivered, did you remove the VAT?
I tried it: attempted buying Arkham City from Amazon UK and got charged for postage.
£8.48 postage for me on this game alone (PS3, Game of the year edition)
But when I added Mario Kart into the basket (another £33+) free postage option became available.
Not even going to read the responses to your criticisms and try the suggestions to fix it? Then you deserve it.
How do the prices compare to something like ozgameshop (always free shipping)?
Mario Kart 8 for Wii U is about $5 AUD more at Ozgameshop.
Bayonetta 2 for Wii U is about $7 AUD more at Ozgameshop.
Each game alone is shipped free from Amazon UK.
Anyone found one with free ship yet?
Checked a couple. The last of us and Arkham city for ps3 worked
yes lots have free shipping. I am pre ordering mario gold and kirby for 3ds and added sonic racing on wii u. 58 pounds free shipping for all
Edit - Just so you know they have to deliver everything in one order. This means for me tht even though sonic is out now they all will not be shipped until may 16th when kirby is released. keep that in mind
Just ordered 2 x PS3 titles. Lego the movie video game , and Lego Hobbit pre-order (11th April) with free shipping. $96, better than around $160 from the likes of JB.
Thanks OP
Why buy when we have such a terrible conversion rate against the Pound?
Because as we're importing from uk they subtract VAT.. giving in effect a 17-18% discount on already cheap (uk) games.
Poor people in europe getting screwed by their government everyday (VAT goes up to 20% to 25% in places like France).
Too bad I bet we will be following them soon after.
A friend from UK said even so most of the stuff there are still cheaper than Aus.
Where you gonna get it in OZ for those prices?
Terrible you reckon? It's actually a lot higher now than it's average. It's around 55p for AUS$1. It did hit 70p last year when the Aus$ was also around $1.10 against the US$. I've see the AUS$ only buying 33p at one point in the early 2000's.
Why buy when we have such a terrible conversion rate against the Pound?
Welcome to shopping in Australia. You must be new here.
I know, when we say the local prices for stuff are nonsensically high, you're thinking "what, like ten or twenty bucks more!?" But if you have a look at what the prices actually are, you'll see what we mean, and why it can be cheaper to fly something in on an aeroplane from the UK than to buy it here…
Working for Bluray?
Nah, tried to add a music title to my order and it charged shipping.
Tried one blu-ray but only had standard shipping and priority shipping, no free option.
No.
As soon as I added The Hobbit to my games order Free shipping option is gone.
I removed the movie from my basket and free shipping option is back.
Had a couple work. A couple didn't. Strangely many/most - even as 'sold by Amazon' - wouldn't ship here. Not sure why.
Loks like minimum spend limit to me. See my post above.
Wouldn't ship here for free? Or just won't ship to Australia? Some of the collectors editions they won't freight here unfortunately.
I wish Amazon would reinstate free delivery anyway, they've missed out on craploads of my cash because of it
Tried PS3 FFXHD, still charged me shipping.
Ground Zeros doesn't ship here. Meh!
Thanks, Op. Just placed an order for Pikmin 3 Wii U.
62.76 for Titanfall. Do I want it?
$40 for Tomb Riader, Dead Space 3 and Darksiders II. Not bad :)
That's almost 2013 steam sale prices.
Free shipping must be only for select titles. Perhaps Amazon did a promotional deal with a publisher?.
We are under an impression theirs a price point before you can apply it.
COD Ghosts PS4 won't ship to Aus
Amazon is trying to protect you
I liked Ghosts Single Player.
Hmm $58 per game for pre releases (MK8, Super Smash) isn't bad, do you reckon Blockbuster, Video Ezy or any other online shops will have it cheaper? Pokemon XY and Zelda ALBW went for ~$40 at some point I believe for preview, although not sure how this will vary for Wii U. Not sure if local retailers will have better offers either (like with Pokemon).
I tried to preorder a couple of times. And every time price gone down on few days before release. So I had to cancel my order and reorder.
But it wasn't Amazon.
Amazon will not charge you until they ship. And when they ship they will charge you less if price would go down by that time.
Still… I don't feel I want preorder games - they will not arrive on the day one anyway. And every time I was able find a better price a day after the game was released.
Not sure worth mentioning here. Choose those listings with the "Prime" ticks and fulfilled by Amazon ones are the ones they ship to Australia. When comes to select delivery after clicking proceed to payment page, choose free delivery saver option to get free shipping. It works for me in WA.
Not getting the free delivery saver option unfortunately. Have selected Prime games. Maybe it's been fixed?
Haven't seen free shipping on any of the games I've tried, including already mentioned titles like Mario Kart. Must have been a bug that was fixed.
Yes. You are right. Looks like they fixed it. The Mario 3D Land 3DS I tried this morning had free shipping now not anymore. OP please mark expired.
I tried adding many different things either individual or in groups and didnt get a free shipping option so maybe it has been fixed.
So not working anymore?
Yeah guys, looks like it must have been a bug. Probably the sudden surge in orders from Australia sparked it, lol.
Charging me 4.90 GBP for a PS4 game