https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B077SF8KMG?psc=1

Crucial have one for the same base price too, though the SanDisk is only $5.60 import and shipping and the Crucial is $77???

Can someone explain... the actual price billed to my card has hovered between NZD365 & NZD382 total including shipping for these over the last few weeks but only 1 time has the item been offered for sale at that price, each other time it has had 'Import Fees Deposit' tacked on top.

Do they actually stick this 'Import Fees Deposit' on your card, even though the item total cost is under NZD400?

Thought GST aka 'Import Fees' didn't apply on computer items that cost (including shipping) under NZD400.

Mauricio cheers for fast reply!

Can someone explain why such charges get placed on our cards as purchasers, for 'imaginary fees' on such items whose total cost including shipping is <NZD400 & are not I would have thought eligible for any such 'fees'.

What if one has maximum NZD450 available to spend for instance... seems unfair to exclude them.

They just use our money for '60 Days', for free, but at our cost !?

I've stopped using Amazon for this reason. I know you will get a refund but it still puts me off.

I'm assuming you pay conversion fees on the purchase AND conversion fees on the refund. Banks must be loving it.

(Unless you select NZD at checkout which in my experience is always higher than the banks conversion ends up being.)

gbwelly:

 

I've stopped using Amazon for this reason. I know you will get a refund but it still puts me off.

 

 

 

That would be your loss. Amazon have easily the best reputation for customer service in the known world. I have spent well over 100K with them over the years, and never had a significant issue, and usually by comparison they are embarrassingly generous with their remediation.

I'd trust them to give me back my money above any other company I can think of. 

When they were NZD365 the 'imaginary fees deposit' was not applied, does anyone know the rules here, when they start applying the 'imaginary import fees deposit', how they determine it, the 'equation' etc?

It's seems to be somewhere between NZD365-372 because when the discs were NZD365 thats what they cost, but when they were NZD372 they also cost another NZD80 of 'imaginary import fees deposit' on top.

Exactly, it seems unjust, it's like 'taking'... theres no fees, categorically no fees, but they 'imagine them' & then apply them regardless, and use our money, for 60 days, which costs us... and of course they also make money on both conversions on top.

cshaun:

 

I'm assuming you pay conversion fees on the purchase AND conversion fees on the refund. Banks must be loving it.

 

Again this is interesting, as repeatedly on this forum we read this, however, in practise (we) have found quite the opposite, recently bought 8 x 5TB HDD's from 2 AMAZON accounts over 4 days buying on each day 1 at NZD and 1 at USD and all 4 times selecting NZD gave a lower end cost charged to the card.

cshaun:

 

(Unless you select NZD at checkout which in my experience is always higher than the banks conversion ends up being.)

 

gbwelly: Agreed, it's just 'off putting', getting billed & losing money for seemingly no good reason, why don't they just simply make the initial price higher if they want more money?

network: Agreed, they have supreme CS in our experience.

networkn:

 

gbwelly:

 

I've stopped using Amazon for this reason. I know you will get a refund but it still puts me off.

 

 

 

 

That would be your loss. Amazon have easily the best reputation for customer service in the known world. I have spent well over 100K with them over the years, and never had a significant issue, and usually by comparison they are embarrassingly generous with their remediation.

 

I'd trust them to give me back my money above any other company I can think of. 

 

 

Again this is interesting, as repeatedly on this forum we read this, however, in practise (we) have found quite the opposite, recently bought 8 x 5TB HDD's from 2 AMAZON accounts over 4 days buying on each day 1 at NZD and 1 at USD and all 4 times selecting NZD gave a lower end cost charged to the card.

 

That's interesting. What card/bank? I'd checked a number of times in the past. Seen the NZD amount it would have cost, did it in USD and the conversion at the end would always be cheaper if done in USD. This is using a ANZ Visa card. Perhaps the fees on other cards are different, or Amazon's rates fluctuate.

BNZ/VISA

Yeah, the difference on those SEAGATE's was only NZD1-3 but if you are watching the .xe rates and trying very hard to get under the NZD400 threshold then $1 makes all the difference!!

Literally some items, are simply beyond reach till (1.) they're discounted (2.) the .xe becomes favourable or (3.) a code can be applied... recently all 3 of those factors were required to come into play to purchase an item.

Sure, this 'imaginary import fees deposit' will eventually (mostly) come back, but the thing is it doesn't all come back due to the 2 x conversions plus also interest will be applied to the funds on the card over those 2 months so it costs the purchaser financially unfairly via both means.

And it should not cost at all, since the items billed at under NZD400 inc/all postage & handling costs etc

cshaun:

 

 

Again this is interesting, as repeatedly on this forum we read this, however, in practise (we) have found quite the opposite, recently bought 8 x 5TB HDD's from 2 AMAZON accounts over 4 days buying on each day 1 at NZD and 1 at USD and all 4 times selecting NZD gave a lower end cost charged to the card.

 

 

That's interesting. What card/bank? I'd checked a number of times in the past. Seen the NZD amount it would have cost, did it in USD and the conversion at the end would always be cheaper if done in USD. This is using a ANZ Visa card. Perhaps the fees on other cards are different, or Amazon's rates fluctuate.

 

The only reason I can see them holding funds is if the $400 threshold is calculated at the time of inspection, i.e. at the time of order it's under, but by the time it lands it's over.

A pre-auth / hold on the funds would be better, but from memory that hold is only for 30 days and they may need longer.

AFAIK import fees are applied against the purchase price paid inc/postage handling packaging etc || i.e. import fees are calculated against what you paid in total, what is charged to your card, it can't be calculated any other way or at any other time, just imagine the possibilities if that was the case or possible !!

Theres no reason (shown yet), why they're now applying & making money off this 'imaginary import fees deposit system'.

It's pretty clever though, they make money off the extra on each conversion and they have the money for '60 days'. 

The consumer, you & I lose money tri-ways.

Plus it's an off-putting scenario & feeling..

cshaun:

 

The only reason I can see them holding funds is if the $400 threshold is calculated at the time of inspection, i.e. at the time of order it's under, but by the time it lands it's over.

 

A pre-auth / hold on the funds would be better, but from memory that hold is only for 30 days and they may need longer.

 

Looks like the price has been revised to $279.99. Wonder if the earlier one was a typo?

No, currently it is still exactly the same at USD259.99 i.e.

  NZD373.74          (Amazon Retail Price of SSD)

  NZD8.25              (Shipping & Handling)

  NZD381.99         (Real price landed in New Zealand)

  NZD93.71            ('Imaginary Import Fees Deposit')

  NZD475.70          (Price including 'Imaginary Import Fees Deposit' landed in New Zealand)

Jonski:

 

Looks like the price has been revised to $279.99. Wonder if the earlier one was a typo?