Amazon offering free international shipping to Jamaica

Jamaicans who shop on Amazon and spend a minimum of US$35 on eligible items will now qualify for free international shipping.

The information is outlined on Amazon’s website.

“You can identify eligible items by the ‘FREE Shipping’ message on the product detail or search results pages. Cancelling items, combining orders, or changing your shipping address, speed, or preference might affect your order's free shipping eligibility,” the American e-commerce giant stated.

In outlining additional qualification details, the company said that customers can only ship to delivery addresses located in eligible international destinations.

“You can ship to multiple delivery addresses, as long as you meet all FREE Shipping requirements for each address. FREE Shipping order minimums vary by country and are based on US dollars (USD). If you use the Amazon Currency Converter, the local currency amount reflects the value equivalent to USD at the time of purchase.”

In addition to Jamaica, a handful of other countries in the Caribbean can also benefit from free international shipping including the Cayman Islands and Barbados.

How to get free international delivery to Jamaica from Amazon:

Step 1: Set your delivery address to your location.

Step 2: Qualifying items shipped by Amazon will display “FREE delivery” by item price

Step 3: Review your Shopping Cart to see if your order qualifies for free delivery

Step 4: If your order qualifies, “FREE AmazonGlobal Shipping” will be pre-selected at checkout.

Note: If your order doesn't qualify for free international delivery, it may be because: Only items that qualify for free international delivery count towards the minimum dollar requirement. Delivery fees are charged for all other items. VAT and Import Fees Deposit don't contribute to the minimum dollar requirement.

Amazon already offers international shipping directly to Jamaica, but this new development allows shoppers to qualify for free shipping.

Jamaicans reportedly spend millions on Amazon annually.

To the delight of many, the Government last April raised the duty threshold for personal items from US$50 to US$100, giving Jamaicans more duty-free access for online shopping.

In December, The Gleaner spoke with retailers, vendors, and small business operators who said that the usually busy Christmas shopping season was bleak.

Some cited online shopping and the increased duty-free threshold as reasons for low sales.

“Many persons are using that. They can stay on their phones and make orders and have it deliver right at dem gate. So once people can get that, even if it is a little more expensive, they will do that rather than come out and buy,” a vendor told The Gleaner.

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