Buying Books from Across the Pond: A Guide to Amazon U.K.

If you're a book lover, chances are that you've popped over to Amazon on more than one occasion to snag a book that you've been itching to read. But what if the book you're itching for isn't available on Amazon, or even in the United States?

That's what happened to me last September when I fell in love with the Skulduggery Pleasant series, of which only the first three are available in the United States. It's not like I could just not read them, right? Right!

Ordering books that aren't available in the United States* is actually super, super easy through Amazon U.K., and differs very little than an Amazon.com purchase. Still, for those who may not have ordered something from overseas before I've set up a little guide jump to help you.

(Disclaimer: Unfortunately, I am not certain how this guide will impact those in other non-U.K. countries. Please refer to Amazon U.K.'s Help section to tailor your purchase to your needs.)

Pre-Step One: Make sure that you have an Amazon account. It's easy and free to set up, just go to amazon.com, click on the "Your Account" drop-down, and under the yellow "Sign In" button should say "New Customer? Start Here." Start there, and when you're done meet me at step one!

Step One:

Pull up the website, amazon.co.uk., and click on "Your Account." Sign in exactly as you would on amazon.com. 

Step One

Step Two:

The next thing you're going to do is turn on your currency converter, so that you can see the cost of things in USD rather than GBP.

 Under "Payment & GC" click on "Turn On/ Turn Off Amazon Currency Converter."

Step Two

 Afterwards, you'll be presented with some information about the currency converter from Amaon U.K. You're free to read though it, but what we're looking for is the button that reads "Yes, Turn On Amazon Currency Converter."

Step Two (Part Two)

There you go! At the end of your order you should be presented with the approximate cost of your purchase in USD, alongside the actual cost in GBP.

Step Three:

After you've found your books (or other items), add them to your cart ("basket," here.) My book just happens to be a pre-order.

Step Three

Step Four:


Double-check all of your information, making sure that your bill will be sent to the right card and your items to the right doorstep! I'm stopping here for a moment to point out that your items will, obviously, take more time getting to you than a purchase off of amazon.com would, so plan accordingly if you'll need your purchase sooner than later.

Step Four

Step Five:


If you did not turn on your currency converter, your order will appear in GBP. Even though my currency converter was on, my order still comes up in GBP because my purchase is a pre-order. This has happened to me before with no ill-effects; I still paid in USD once my pre-order was sent out.

I have noticed that this does not happen to me if I am making a regular purchase, as shown below (with the currency converter on):

You now have a rough idea as to what your purchase will be in USD. You also have the option to switch currencies and see the exchange rate. You'll might see a few links below the order box, addressing concerns about shipping rates and why you may not have qualified for Super Saver delivery rates. Refer to those as you please.

Lastly, click "place your order in USD" and sit tight! If you have any more questions, you'll want to refer to the Help section of amazon.co.uk, and their North America Delivery Rates can be found here.

Enjoy your books, and if there's anything that I can do to improve this guide please let me know!