If you run a business on Amazon.it then you must be aware of the new shipping and delivery changes that took place last week.
This is just a reminder for sellers having an account on Amazon Italy that the delivery rates and delivery estimations changed for Books, Music, Video and DVD products.
Keep reading to learn more.
Shipping Rates
The following changes to media shipping rates on Amazon.it came into effect on February 10, 2014.
Books
- €2.90 for Standard Delivery Italy
- €5.90 for Express Delivery Italy
- €9.50 for Delivery within the EU
- €10.00 for the Rest of Europe
- €15.00 for the Rest of the World
CD, Videos, DVD:
- €2.90 for Standard Delivery Italy
- €5.90 for Express Delivery Italy
- €7.00 for Delivery within the EU
- €10.00 for the Rest of Europe
- €14.00 for the Rest of the World
Changes to Delivery Expectations
Standard Delivery Italy
Buyers should receive the order within 3 to 7 working days of dispatch. For sellers dispatching goods to Italy from EU and EEA countries, the buyer should receive the order within 3 to 12 working days from the dispatch date. For sellers dispatching goods to Italy from other countries, the buyer should receive the order within 7 to 23 working days from the dispatch date.
Express Delivery – Italy and Vatican City
The buyer should receive their order within 1 working day from the dispatch date.
International Shipment
International shipments should arrive within 3 and 12 working days for deliveries in Europe and 7 to 21 working days for deliveries in North America and other countries.
VCF Updates
In conjunction with these changes, the Variable Closing Fee (excluding VAT) will be updated as follows:
- Standard Delivery Italy: Unchanged at € 0.36
- Express Delivery Italy: from €1.20 to € 0.90
- Delivery within the EU: from € 0.90 to € 1.20 for CDs, Videos and DVDs and from € 0.9 to € 2.1 for Books
- Rest of Europe: from € 0.90 to € 2.10 for Books, CDs, Videos and DVDs
- Delivery to the Rest of the World: Unchanged at € 2.10
Is This Normal?
We were actually expecting the shipping price change considering it previously happened on Amazon.com, remember? For example, the shipping price for CDs and DVDs changed from $2.98 to $3.99; from $5.19 expedited shipping to $6.19 and so on.
But new delivery estimations? We did not see that coming.
In our opinion this comes as a consequence of continuous delivery problems with the Italian postal service and following many complaints from sellers on Amazon.it who became desperate after seeing their poor performance. After reviewing the Seller Forums on Amazon.it, we can easily see how many delivery problems third-party sellers had this winter.
No doubt there was a need for action from Amazon and this decision was probably made in order to avoid closing too many seller accounts due to performance issues. There are some who might not consider this as a big change, but it really helps sellers shipping to Italy from EU and EEA countries especially using standard delivery. It remains to see whether these changes will influence seller performance.
Stefana
Email her and find out how she and the SellerEngine Services team can help you!