Amazon stops super saver delivery on orders to Poland

Just got this email from Amazon co.uk:

As you've previously had orders delivered to Poland, we wanted to let you know that our delivery options to Poland are changing. From April 3, 2014, FREE Super Saver Delivery will no longer be available. You'll have the option of Standard or Priority Delivery for orders being delivered to Poland.

More information about international delivery rates and times can be found here.

We strive to provide our European customers the greatest possible selection at low prices and hope to see you again soon.

Regards,

Customer Service Department

Not that surprising. If you used a UK Amazon to get a delivery to Poland, I am surprised they even offered a super saver delivery for that in the first place.

Got to love the way that Amazon's distribution warehouses in Poland can ship to customers in the UK for free but not to customers in Poland.

Same here. The normal price one isn't expensive anyway.

Perhaps they're going to offer stuff to Poland directly? An Amazon warehouse is said to be opening near Wroc soon, I think.

£6.40 per delivery plus £1.10 per kilogram. That is pretty steep. Especially as a lot of the stuff will be coming from warehouses in Poland anyway.
Amusingly it's cheaper to get things sent to Belarus than to Poland, so perhaps Amazon are just pricing delivery on what they think people are able to pay rather than what it costs them.

The last time I bought something with (normal delivery) from Amazon (in Jan, a steam cleaner) it didn't seem expensive to get delivered (I used the normal - 3-10 day service) and the last time I bought something with express delivery (Valentine's) it wasn't that much more. I suppose I'm used to courier prices. Parcels within/from the UK are pretty expensive by Royal Mail nowadays too.

I think Amazon dispatch a lot of their stuff from a warehouse in Germany.

Didn't know there were Amazon warehouses in Poland.

I'm with Harry - and a lot of the stuff that offered free delivery (ie sold and fulfilled by Amazon) was at a higher price anyway. So, buy from Amazon = pay more. Bugger!

Being stuck in a wheelchair just got more expensive!

There are not. They're in construction, so maybe it can change in few years.

Ah therefore Harry's statement is incorrect and Amazon not wanting to send free deliveries to Poland, from outside of Poland, is understandable.

So as of August 2014 Amazon is going to start offering free delivery to Polish customers again? If it makes sense to you for Amazon to alienate all their Polish customers and then drop the charges again in four months, I do hope you aren't planning to take business studies A level when you finally finish your GCSEs.

BTW, given that I said "Especially as a lot of the stuff will be coming from warehouses in Poland anyway." you might want to pay a bit more attention during English lessons too.

I've used in the past Pricenoia, it compares all Amazon stores including shipping... so maybe it's better to shop at other Amazons?

it's not just Poland : "From 3 April, 2014, FREE Super Saver Delivery is no longer available for deliveries to Belgium, Denmark, Finland, Gibraltar, Iceland, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Poland, Portugal and Sweden."

Amazon Prime not an option?

Amazon Prime not an option?

Not available to PL

Phooey. This was a good deal with the free shipping. Just recently bought a bunch of books so I guess I snuck in before the cut-off. It will be missed though and I hope they bring it back in some form.

A real pity. I used to order English-language books from them...but with the old prohibitive sending costs returning...I might have to return to American Bookstore in Arcadia :(

I guess I will have to revert to reading the books I already have and go more often to the public library at Meissnera 5... I refuse to pay transport costs amounting to 25 % of the goods. But then, Amazon is treating its employees like ****. Customers follow.

Yep - great while it lasted. They just lost little old me too. Anyway, some of the stuff is cheaper shipped from Dutch wholesalers.

Why not get a 250zl e-ink ereader and download as many interesting books in English as you like from Kobo? Check Allegro for a Kobo ereader, then download from their website. Some books are not free, but many are. In fact thousands (in English) are. Be sure to only buy an ereader that uses LCD 'e-ink' and not anything else which drains batteries very fast.

I doubt that this petition will make any difference but signing it (and telling everybody you know about it) can't hurt:

change.org/en-GB/petitions/amazon-reinstate-free-shipping-for-eu-countries-and-international-orders

I wonder about their business model.. I thought their major selling point was the free shipping? Time will tell.
Their prices are not particulary cheap and it's not like you ever get to finger the goods before you buy.
Strange - and a gamble shirley?

They must be confident that they've done a McDonalds and outstayed the competition.

I suspect the volume of their sales in PL make shipping a minor issue for them.

I am afraid I am one of these oldfashioned people who want to read a real book :). Anyway, thanks for the tip. Is there an alternative here in Poland for American Bookstore btw?

Amazon spokesman says that their goal is to have one website amazon.com with different languages instead of many international stores. He added that when warehouses in Poland will be ready, then shipping for products available there will be cheaper to Poland.

Surprisingly cheaper to ship the same parcel from Poland to the UK compared to UK to Poland.


Which Dutch wholesalers do you recommend?

Why would that be surprising?

The point is that Amazon claim that they will need to charge customers in Poland to have things shipped from a warehouse in Poland but there will be no charge for customers in the UK who want things shipped to them from Poland.

There is probably a small percentage of people in the UK asking for things to be shipped from Amazon warehouses in Poland, Amazon UK can provide this, next day if required. Incidentally, recently they have also stopped the 'free standard delivery' for items under £9.99 for UK customers.

The primary aim of the Amazon warehouses in Poland will be to service customers in western Europe (i.e. to replace warehouses in Germany and the UK).

If this is going to be the case, then they're still going to need warehouses in the UK as distributing centres, like they have today, so nothing much will change here. I can't imagine them sending a plane from Poland for a £ 7. 99 book because an UK customer has paid a couple of extra quid for next day delivery.