US versions of a book to the UK

May 2, 2007 8:54 AM

How can I order a US edition of a book from the UK?

Let's say I have 6 books in a particular series and they all have the US version covers on them. And let's say the 7th and final one is set to publish in July but I live in the UK. The UK version is of course readily available but I want to complete my set with the US version! Other than going through the ordeal of ordering the book from Amazon US and shipping it internationally what can I do?

(Ok, I admit it, it's for Harry Potter. And yes, the UK adult version looks very cool but I hope you understand why I need to complete the set and if I get the adult version of number 7 I'll have to buy the rest because I'm broken that way and I just can't afford that right now.)

posted by like_neon to shopping (19 comments total)

Is it really an ordeal for Amazon to ship internationally to the UK? I am in the US, and have ordered from the Amazon UK site several times with no difficulty at all.
posted by Lokheed at 9:01 AM on May 2, 2007

I've always heard that ordering things from Amazon US was easy, not an ordeal at all.
posted by grouse at 9:02 AM on May 2, 2007

Nth-ing Amazon US. My brother used to do the same thing - he ordered (a different set of) books from Amazon UK to get the UK covers!

My only other thought is: are there any general goods stores in the UK that cater to US ex-pats? Perhaps they might stock the US versions of the books.
posted by odi.et.amo at 9:05 AM on May 2, 2007

I halfway preordered the book and it says it'll cost $134.16

I'm really excited about that last book but DUDE.
posted by like_neon at 9:07 AM on May 2, 2007

If you have an Amazon UK account, the data is shared with Amazon US so you just log in to Amazon.com with the same email/password and all your details are in there already. The only thing that's not shared I think are the wishlists since they have different inventories for the two sites.
posted by EndsOfInvention at 9:07 AM on May 2, 2007

what ordeal? I do it all the time
posted by matteo at 9:09 AM on May 2, 2007

Got anyone Stateside who can post it to you? You could order via Amazon and have someone send it in the mail for much cheaper. Or can you not wait that long? ;)

My other thought was check ebay, perhaps.
posted by wayward vagabond at 9:10 AM on May 2, 2007

I halfway preordered the book and it says it'll cost $134.16

???

With standard international shipping (9-36 days):
Items: $18.89
Shipping & Handling: $8.98
Total Before Tax: $27.87
Estimated Tax: $0.00
Order Total: $27.87

With expidited international shipping (6-22 days):
Items: $18.89
Shipping & Handling: $12.98
Total Before Tax: $31.87
Estimated Tax: $0.00
Order Total: $31.87

With Priority internationl courier (2-4 days):
Items: $18.89
Shipping & Handling: $35.98
Total Before Tax: $54.87
Estimated Tax:* $0.00
Import Fees Deposit: $0.00
Order Total: $54.87
posted by EndsOfInvention at 9:13 AM on May 2, 2007

I've done the opposite (bought UK books in the US) and I have never found an easier way than to use amazon UK. The fact is that international purchasing is a pain in the ass and there is no easy way to do it that I have found. Unless of course you know someone who is going to be travelling that could pick it up for you.
posted by frieze at 9:35 AM on May 2, 2007

Amazon US sent things to me in Denmark for a lower price than I could find things in local stores. Go figure.
posted by beerbajay at 10:05 AM on May 2, 2007

I've done the opposite (bought UK books in the US) and I have never found an easier way than to use amazon UK. The fact is that international purchasing is a pain in the ass and there is no easy way to do it that I have found.

It depends on the publisher, but if you're close to Canada, you may want to check out the nearest Chapters. They get the UK versions of Terry Pratchett and Ian Rankin, for instance.
posted by Lentrohamsanin at 10:20 AM on May 2, 2007

Branches of Borders in the UK sometimes seem to have US rather than UK editions - but I'm not sure that would happen with something so high-profile as HP.
posted by paduasoy at 10:58 AM on May 2, 2007

Branches of Borders in the UK sometimes seem to have US rather than UK editions

Usually that happens because at the time the US edition was ordered, no UK edition was listed. Won't happen for a high profile item like Potter.
posted by Lentrohamsanin at 11:12 AM on May 2, 2007

(In fact, identifying those opportunities used to be my job.)
posted by Lentrohamsanin at 11:13 AM on May 2, 2007

I'll buy it and send it to you, if you like! I send packages to my friends in the UK all the time. Shipping is usually about $15. Just send me an email if you're interested.
posted by lhall at 11:53 AM on May 2, 2007

I halfway preordered the book and it says it'll cost $134.16

That's crazy! But as EndsOfInvention detailed shipping should be much less, and you've got lhall's offer now.

Is the specific issue that you want the book quickly but the cost of shipping is way too much? I can understand not wanting to wait weeks to read the new Harry Potter but the obvious solution is to borrow a copy from a friend once they've read it. Then it doesn't matter how long it takes for your US copy to arrive; you'll have already read it and eventually your collection will be complete.
posted by 6550 at 12:13 PM on May 2, 2007

nthing Amazon.com

For those using Amazon UK to import books to the US, I'd highly recommend using The Book Depository. They have FREE shipping North America. This usually saves me 10-20 dollars. They have pretty good service too... nothing that I could complain about.
posted by i_am_a_Jedi at 5:00 PM on May 2, 2007 [2 favorites]

A couple of rocking mefites have offered to ship the book to me. I'll probably borrow/buy a cheap paperback copy when it is published and get the US version shipped here through those offers. Cheers, guys!

Marking as best i_am_a_Jedi because that is an awesome solution for those who want to ship from UK -> US.
posted by like_neon at 8:30 AM on May 3, 2007

Total plug for the company I work for, but it is a good solution for you. Try www.abc.nl. The American Book Center in Amsterdam will charge you EUR 5.50 (I think) for postage, and they're taking a loss on on the import price of the US edition of HP7. So it should work out cheaper than amazon.com.
posted by pootler at 12:55 AM on May 6, 2007