Kiwis looking to take advantage of Amazon's vast online store have a new option from today, with Amazon.com.au now selling direct to consumers in Aotearoa.
Previously New Zealanders had to rely on shipping from the Amazon store in the US or relying on third-party re-senders - like NZ Post's YouShop - if the product wouldn't ship directly.
Both of those options could add significant costs to the purchase price.
Amazon's expedited shipping from Australia offers delivery in three business days to certain areas in Auckland and Christchurch starting at AU$6.99 and has the potential to save Kiwis some cash as well as time.
Standard delivery will start at AU$2.99, the company said.
Amazon.com.au adds to the options that New Zealanders already have for buying goods online, including MightyApe, JB Hi-fi, The Warehouse and more.
Customers looking for a bargain have also been accessing free shipping options from Chinese-based website AliExpress for some years.
"We know that many New Zealand customers are already shopping on the US store and we are pleased to be offering them a faster option," said Tony Austin, general manager of exports for Amazon.com.au
International brands such as Breville, Mattel, Nintendo and Oculus will be available through the store, while Kiwis will also be offered NZ-made goods like manuka honey, popcorn, skincare products and puzzles.
"Amazon Australia has provided immense support to our business," Roger Holmes, founder of Auckland-based Serious Food Co said.
"They've enabled us to move from the cornfields to an online marketplace much more quickly than we could have ever believed."
The launch comes just two weeks after Amazon was widely criticised for destroying millions of items of stock. An ITV investigation in the UK found in some weeks as many as 200,000 items - including many new and unused - were destroyed.
This included smart TVs, laptops, headphones and books.
Amazon was in the news in Aotearoa earlier this year after it was revealed the New Zealand Government was providing the company with additional rebates for filming the Lord of the Rings TV series there.
That was worth over $100 million, the Minister for Economic Development and Tourism Stuart Nash said at the time.
But he denied there was any link to rumours of a retail distribution centre being set up locally.
"People can go online and buy something from Amazon... I don't think them having a distribution centre here would make any difference to whether people went online or not," he said.
The tech giant's reported revenue in 2020 was US$386 billion, with founder Jeff Bezos the world's richest man with a net worth of around US$177 billion, according to Forbes.
