A Guide for Black Friday Shopping on Amazon in Taiwan
The time has come. Black Friday sales on Amazon are just around the corner. What type of Black Friday deals will be on Amazon this year? Does Amazon ship to Taiwan? Will shipped items from Amazon be received before Christmas? All of these questions will be answered in this short article.
What is Black Friday?
Black Friday isn’t a huge commercial holiday in Taiwan, but it’s starting to catch on as more US (Costco) and online retailers are starting to follow the US trend. According to Wikipedia, “Black Friday is the informal name for the Friday following Thanksgiving Day in the United States. The day after Thanksgiving is considered the unofficial beginning of the United States Christmas shopping season.”
Black Friday is a major commercial sales day in the US and most retailers (brick and mortar & ecommerce stores) offer considerable discounts on the majority of their inventory. Usually, the best discounts are given at 12am on Friday and discounts will slowly reduce throughout the day.
When Does Black Friday Start on Amazon?
Black Friday starts on 11/27. Deals start exactly at 12:00am on 11/27 and I recommend that you follow the Amazon Black Friday page so you won’t miss out on the best deals of the day. Taiwan is 13 hours ahead of the Eastern Time Zone, which means Black Friday will start at 12pm on 11/28/2020.
Does Amazon Ship to Taiwan?
Yes! As of now, there is FREE shipping on orders that are equal to or over $75. Not all items are eligible for free shipping so make sure to double check that the items you purchase are eligible. Import fees and local taxes are estimated and included in the price, but you’ll still be saving a considerable amount on shipping costs alone. I recently purchased a new gaming laptop that retailed for $1399 and an extra $72 in import deposit fees. The $42 in shipping & handling with Amazon Global shipping was waived and there was a 10-12 day estimated delivery time. Remember to add your local Taiwan address (in Pinyin) as your default address when browsing. Also pay attention to the “Free Shipping to Taiwan” in bold print next to the price of the item. I have highlighted the text in the reference photo located above this paragraph.
Why Not Just Buy the Item from Taiwan's Black Friday Sales (instead of Amazon)?
Do you like saving money? The reason why most people buy goods on Amazon is because (1) the item cannot be found in Taiwan, (2) it’s cheaper to purchase the item from the US and, (3) it’s more convenient.
It’s apparent that many electronic devices are more expensive in Taiwan, compared to the US. Many items are actually cheaper to buy off of Amazon (even with import fees and shipping). Sometimes the shipping and fees might cost more than the product, but for me, the price is worth it for hard to find items in Taiwan.
So how much of a cost savings can I expect by buying off of Amazon on Black Friday? It depends. Some retailers will give greatly discounted prices on their entire inventory, but many retailers, especially in the electronics industry will not provide generous discounts. However, any money saved during Black Friday is a win.
For example:
The GoPro MAX costs $595 (includes $95.65 import fees and free shipping). This is roughly 16,947NTD in Taiwan New Dollars. Black Friday sales for the GoPro Max could reduce the price even further.
Let’s compare the Amazon price to a popular online store in Taiwan – PCHome. PCHome is selling the exact same GoPro for 19600NTD. This is roughly $688 in USD. The cost savings of purchasing off of Amazon is $93. Rumor has it that the GoPro Max might be marked down by 30% on Black Friday. This is an item that I am definitely keeping an eye on during Black Friday.
Another item to keep an eye on is the Dyson V11 Animal. It retails for $738 on Amazon (includes $139 in import fees). This is roughly 21,019NTD in Taiwan New Dollars.
On the Taiwan Dyson Website – the equivalent model retails for $28,900NTD, which is roughly $1014. This is nearly a $300 cost savings by purchasing on Amazon. Also, with Black Friday sales on Dyson products, you may be able to save an additional $100 or so. If you’re looking for a new cordless vacuum, then this item is a MUST on your buy list.
