Every time I talk about ebooks I’m currently reading on my Kindle Paperwhite on Dayre, I get asked questions like how to buy an Amazon Kindle, how to ship it to Singapore, where to buy a Kindle in Singapore. In this post I will provide answers for these questions and more.
Pre-Kindle, I was steadfast with my affection for flipping pages made of paper and felt uniquely old-school for fishing out a thick book out of my bag while the rest of my fellow train passenger have their eyes glued on modern gadgets. Now that I have this one device that can store more books than I can handle, is thin and light and takes up a quarter of the space of a typical book, allows me to read anywhere under whatever light conditions, embraces my need to change font type and size according to mood, remembers where I last stopped, gives me the definition of unfamiliar words at the touch of a button, helps me find where I first encountered a certain character, and more, I wonder why I deceived myself for so long haha. I must admit I will find it hard to go back to flipping yellowed pages and squinting under bad lighting. This is definitely one of the best gifts I ever bought for myself. <3
I wish I could reach in, put my hands on your shoulders, look into your eyes and tell you, 'It's going to be the best gift you ever got for yourself' too hahaha.
So, can you or can you not ship an Amazon Kindle to Singapore? YES, YOU CAN! 🙂 It’s actually really easy and by the end of this post, you might have already carted out a Kindle for yourself. Hoho. Alright, let's get started on how to buy and ship a Kindle to Singapore!
As you can see in the image below, Amazon reminds me that I bought my Kindle Paperwhite on 30 November 2015 when I revisit the product page. 30 November 2015 was Cyber Monday and I took advantage of the reduced price of USD $99.99 from the original of USD $119.99.
Find it here: Kindle Paperwhite E-reader
Of course, while the Amazon Kindle comes with FREE Shipping with the word free in caps, it only applies to U.S addresses. More on shipping from U.S to Singapore in a while!
The Kindle Paperwhite E-reader that I bought comes with a built-in light (extremely important) and wifi. I did not get the 3G one since it’s not like the downloading of an ebook is so urgent that I need to do it when I’m out and about. Also, a 3G + Wi-Fi Kindle is a lot more expensive than one with just Wi-Fi.
There's a no-ads version but I bought the one with ads coz it's cheaper and TBH the ads are non-intrusive. One ad appears just once when you flip open the leather case, you swipe it away and won't see any ad until the next time you close and open to read.
When you search on Amazon, you’ll see cheaper Kindles. They may be refurbished (meaning pre-loved and reformatted), from a previous generation, or do not have the built-in light function. I could not have loved my Kindle as much without the built-in light. It allows the reader to read even under extreme lighting conditions – in absolute darkness or in bright daylight with the sun behind you, as you can adjust the level of brightness to your comfort. It’s not as intuitive as the iPhone’s ability to auto-adjust brightness, but manual adjustment is good enough.
While Amazon does not ship direct to Singapore, it does accept international credit cards. *phew!* So add the item to cart, check out and you’ll be directed to the payment page. This is where you need a forwarding service that provides you with a U.S address. Comgateway (CGW), Vpost, Borderlinx, EzBuy are some forwarding services that provide users with addresses for shipments from the U.S, China, Taiwan. I’m not sure which provides the cheapest shipping fee from USA to Singapore, but I’ve always used CGW out of habit. I used Vpost once and it was rather expensive.
Once the deal’s been done, you’ll receive an email introducing you to the wonders of the Kindle – free books, Kindle exclusives, Kindle Unlimited, and a wide range of Kindle accessories. A protective case is a MUST for your Kindle. I was too anxious to start on mine and brought it out without any protective case AND DROPPED IT. Boohoo..!! It bears scars to remind me of my impatience. That's why getting a leather cover at the point of purchase is vital since the back of the Kindle is smooth and slippery. The Amazon Kindle Paperwhite Leather Case fits all Paperwhite generations.
Scars. :'(
At the same time, I signed up for Amazon Prime. During the 30-day free trial, the user gets unlimited free two-day shipping. Please remember to cancel your Amazon Prime account before the 30th day as it’s an auto renewal so your credit card will automatically be charged henceforth!
Two days later, on 2 December, Amazon sent a notification that my order was shipped. Oooh, Amazon Prime works! 😀
The next day they sent another informing of a delay LOL. Oh wells.
On 5 December I received an email from CGW that my parcel had arrived at my U.S address. Six days later, I was informed that the shipment was on the way from the U.S to Singapore. An infinity after that, I finally received the text to pick up my item from Cheers convenience store. I cannot recall the taxes and shipping fees CGW charged, and they changed their website, conveniently wiping out my History as well. -.-“ It probably was around USD $20.
All in all, total time taken to ship a Kindle to Singapore was about 2 weeks. It may seem a little long to some and with international shipping, there's always a risk that things might go wrong. But everything went smoothly for me, and I saved about SGD $50.
Alright, so let me summarize the steps on How To Ship A Kindle Paperwhite Wi-Fi From USA To Singapore:
- Log in / sign up for an Amazon account
- Choose Your Kindle, or choose my Kindle Paperwhite E-reader
- Log in / sign up for a CGW account. You will input your own address and be given a U.S address
- Use the U.S delivery address in your order
- Complete payment
- When CGW receives your parcel, you will receive an email to choose the mode of delivery eg. self-collection or door-step
Now that you know how it works, you can ship all your foreign makeup brands too. YAYYY!!
I hope you've found this post informative! In my next post, I will share how to search for free ebooks, how to convert ebook formats, and how to download them into your Kindle. See you again soon! 😀
Don't think it came with any of these accessories. You have to buy them separately! =D
Hi, this kindly comes with charger? what other things need to buy, eg, leather case and ? thanks.