Amazing Tricks on how to Shop Cheap on Amazon.com from Nigeria

I have been buying on Amazon since 2013. I have had a terrible loss while shopping on Amazon. My losses were no fault of Amazon; it was entirely mine. Amazon shopping tricks are the topic of discussion today. I was the chief architect of my misfortune, a situation that I want anyone reading this to avoid. In today’s article, I will teach you some hard and fast rules you can employ while shopping on amazon.com outside the US.

Firstly, let me remind you that my guide will only be helpful for those shopping on amazon.com. Not for those shopping in the UK, Chinese, or Japanese variants of the site.

Read also:

• How Amazon can help you become a PlayStPlusn plus member
• What You Need to Know About Shipping Larger Items

• Steps to Take to Reinstate/Restore your Amazon Suspended/closed Buyer’s Account

 

 Why all the buzz about Amazon? Why should I shop on Amazon?

Before we proceed, let me quickly run through the “Amazon advantage,” or call it why you should consider shopping on Amazon if you have the means.

1. The largest and the most credible online store.
2. Amazon also offers the lowest prices of any new product in their stores
3. Unrivaled customer service: They offer free return and replacement, and they solve every issue you may encounter
4. Free and fast shipping: If you are in the US, you can get one-day shipping.
5. Your one-stop shopping destination: Gone are the days when you only get to buy books on Amazon. Now they sell everything consumable.

Why do Africans, especially Nigerians, find it very difficult to shop on Amazon?

There is never a solution without a problem. The problem we are trying to solve here is the difficulties involved in shopping on Amazon by most non-US residents. I am going to use Nigeria as my case study. Of course, if Nigeria can do it, others can. Below are the

1. Huge shipping cost: when buying from Nigeria, you may even pay four times the amount of the items you purchase on shipping. I remember back then, when I bought $50 worth of things, I had to pay $59 for the shipping via UPS.
2. Some beautiful items are not available for international shipping: This is one of the frustrations I encountered when I started shopping on Amazon.
3. Get it before any of your friends: If you are expecting a product, you can preorder it on Amazon and get it cheap ahead of your friends. I got pes 2018 for #6000, lesser than what dealers were selling it locally. Be warned; you can get it at a higher price if you don’t know your way.
4. Phobia of some Nigerians for online shopping. Traditionally we are always terrified of ordering items online. Most people prefer to buy from those who already have it in stock.
5. Means of payment: Another grey area is that we believe Amazon will not support us. eBay doesn’t support shoppers from Nigeria. However, Amazon does. Also, Amazon only accepts direct bank transfers (The US only) or credit cards on their site. You can use any credit card from any country.
6. Indiscriminate account banning: Unlike PayPal(of course, they do not fully support Nigeria), Amazon doesn’t ban accounts. On the contrary, their support team is the best. I had issues with my account twice; in both cases, my account was reinstated within the shortest time. You must, however, be clean to pull this through.

The Amazon shopping tricks for shoppers worldwide

Every business involves some element of risk. I will not be held responsible for any losses you incur due to carelessness, negligence, greed, or overzealousness. Follow my guide to the letter, and you should encounter any problem shopping on Amazon.

Especially relevant is the fact that my Amazon shopping tricks work more for those shopping for private consumption than for big buyers. I will talk about Amazon for business in my subsequent post. Now join my ride as I take you through the Amazon shopping tricks.

Pre-requisites to getting the cheapest deals on Amazon

1. You need to open and verify an Amazon account. Note: it is not enough to sign up. You must complete the sign-up process by attaching a valid credit card(you can remove it later) and providing a valid billing address. If you are a scam artist, you will be banned before shipping anything.
2. Also, it will be an added advantage if you have a US address where your items can be shipped. You can later arrange how you will get your items from your USA contact. If this is impossible for you, you must ship directly to Nigeria or your country. Fortunately, we have many shipping companies now. I have used a couple of them. Just google them. I have a relative in the US, and he handles my shipping down to Nigeria for me. 
3. It is a must to be ready to search for products, do not just go with the first results. Search for the cheapest yet highly rated. You can even set your min and maximum prices under their search filter.
4. You need an active ATM/Credit/Debit card for your purchases. Amazon accepts only credit cards for consumers outside.

Other things you need to know before shopping from outside the US

1.    Initially, I wasn’t subscribed to amazon prime. To my utter disbelief, I only realized how much I had missed after becoming a prime member.  Sadly, you can’t enjoy free prime shipping if you are not in the USA. There are too many benefits of Prime to mention. Amazon Prime. Please read them for yourself here. My first Amazon shopping trick for today is “Amazon Prime.” Although in Nigeria, I can still enjoy at least 60% of my prime benefits. The most outstanding benefits I enjoy are access to the best-discounted deals and two days of free shipping. You need a US address to enjoy most of the Prime’s benefits.
2. Try and make use of an Amazon gift card. Alternatively, open a domiciliary account, load your account, and attach the card to your Amazon account. With a Dom account, you can buy cheaper USD than what your bank will sell to you. You can store funds in your account and buy them later with a gift card. You can reload gift cards to your accounts over time if your bank has international spending limit policies. This will help you meet the required amount needed to make your purchases. I remember loading $2 daily for 30 days before I could complete the amount required to buy an item off Amazon.
3. Search products with categories: search for your items within a specific category. It is not always very cool to select any category option, although this also occasionally has benefits. For example, if you want to buy iPhone 8 plus unlocked you can type it into the search box within the cellphone category. 
4. Keep both quality and price in view by reading the user’s reviews. Don’t go all out after just the price. Try and patronize highly rated sellers.
5. If you buy for personal use, consider “Amazon refurbished items.” Also, try as much as possible to select their certified refurbished products. Most of their refurbished products are as good as the new ones.
6. Make sure you ask their support questions on anything unclear to you.
7. Avoid buying heavy liquid products as this will shoot up your shipping cost irrespective of your shipper.
8. If you need more of a particular product, please buy it from another seller on Amazon.
9. Make sure your billing account’s information is 100% correct. Do not worry; your billing address can be in Nigeria while you ship to New Jersey in the US.
10. Finally, if you want to go big and buy in bulk on Amazon, you must sign up for Amazon business. To do this, you need an SSN(Social security number) In other words, you must be a USA resident. On the other hand, you can open an Amazon business account if you have a business in the US.