Travel hack: have Amazon deliveries sent to your hotel

Whereas Amazon is now effectively established in Australia, there stay vital variations in each the vary and pricing of things accessible via the native outlet in comparison with the Amazon mothership within the USA.

That features many merchandise which, for a wide range of causes, can’t be shipped to Australia.

However in the event you repeatedly journey to the US, there’s a canny strategy to entry the total Amazon product line – and keep away from often-outrageous delivery fees to Australia, which for some gadgets might be as a lot because the product itself. It’s what I do forward of every journey to the US, and it’s a follow since adopted by the numerous pals and colleagues I’ve shared it with.

(In fact, this tip additionally applies to different nations with a neighborhood Amazon presence, such because the UK, in addition to nearly any on-line retailer.)

Sending Amazon deliveries to your lodge

First up, on an ongoing foundation, add something you suppose you’d like to purchase from Amazon into your account’s on-line buying cart or a particular buying listing you would possibly select to create.

Ten days to 1 week forward of your journey, revisit the buying cart or listing and fine-tune your choice.

You is likely to be within the temper to purchase every thing you’ve added over the months, or you possibly can select to stay with a handful of things and shifting others out of the cart utilizing the ‘save for later’ hyperlink.

I discover that one week is often enough for Amazon’s free ‘commonplace’ delivery to reach at my lodge, though it’s best to examine your order for gadgets which aren’t being fulfilled by Amazon however as a substitute have to return from a third-party retailer, as these can take longer to reach and would possibly have to be ordered earlier.

Set your lodge within the US as supply tackle, itemizing your title and the dates of your keep on the highest line, corresponding to Jack Smith, visitor: 3/22 – 3/25 (be aware the reversed US-style format of month/day slightly than day/month).

Simply concentrate on how a lot stuff you’re ordering: you’ll must both go away enough space in your baggage or carry alongside a spare bag (or add a bit of bags to your Amazon order!). I often pack a collapsible ‘weekender’ bag squashed down inside my checked baggage for buying sprees.

Benefit from Amazon Prime

In case you’re supplied free 30-day trial membership of Amazon Prime throughout this course of, or shortly earlier than your journey, take it up: it’ll provide you with quick two-day US delivery so you’ll be able to place orders nearer to you journey and, relying on the size of your keep, even whilst you’re within the US.

You’ll be able to all the time cancel the trial Prime membership inside 30 days, earlier than the annual membership price kicks in.

Look ahead to hidden lodge ‘dealing with and supply’ charges

There’s an excellent probability that some parcels could arrive at your lodge earlier than you do – particularly in the event you order utilizing Amazon Prime. In that case, some inns will cost you – or not less than try to cost you – on a per-item foundation for receiving and holding your deliveries.

That is one motive to time the deliveries to succeed in the lodge not more than a day earlier than you examine in, and ideally to land whilst you’re on the lodge, assuming your keep is greater than only one or two nights.

This price is very frequent in massive ‘conference inns’ and doubly so in Las Vegas, the place some inns outsource their mail and package deal dealing with to an on-site Fedex department.

It’s often presumably to dispute the price at checkout and have it eliminated, both fully or partly – simply make your objections know calmly, and preserve them logical and fair-minded.

(For instance, I as soon as introduced right down to the checkout desk a slim A5-sized doc envelope for which I’d been charged a US$5 ‘holding’ price regardless that it arrived throughout my keep, to make use of for instance of how unrealistic the surcharge was – the receptionist discovered herself in settlement and struck all the costs off.)

Clearly, if the parcels are delivered to your room, it’s best to anticipate handy over a tip – it’s sometimes US$2 for one merchandise or a flat $5 for a number of packing containers.