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지나쌤

[Trending] Amazon starts free shipping service to Korea?

By Park Ju-young

Published : July 6, 2018 - 17:31

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Speculation of a rumored free shipping service to South Korea for online mega retailer Amazon hit social media platforms here Friday.

The sudden interest in Amazon spiked as some Korean consumers claimed a “Free Amazon Global Shipping” option is being activated on the US Amazon website for orders totaling more than $90. 


(Screencaptured from Amazon website) (Screencaptured from Amazon website)


According to a local media report, the free shipping option would be limited to Amazon’s private label products. There has been no official announcement or post regarding the free delivery to Korea, but news has spread rapidly among potential Amazon customers in Korea.

“If you order items on the US Amazon website to Korea, you can now check the Free Amazon Global Shipping among the delivery options, according to what I heard,” a Twitter user said. “It’s said to be possible to ship something heavy like a TV to Korea without an extra charge. I’m not sure whether it’s a system crash or something. But I heard it’s not working in Japan.”

“If the items are the ones sold by Amazon, and there are over $90 worth of products in the cart, the free shipping (to Korea) is now available,” a user of online community Ppomppu said, attaching a captured image of the delivery option displayed on the website. 


(Twitter) (Twitter)


Many consumers in Korea had been using private delivery services to buy products from Amazon, as the e-commerce giant offers shipping to Korea only on limited items. If the rumor of free shipping to Korea turns out to be true, many shoppers expect to save greatly on third-party delivery fees.

Social media users in Korea welcomed the news.

“What surprising news! If you order something on Amazon to Korea, they deliver it for free,” a Twitter user said. The post was shared over 4,800 times and garnered 1,200 likes in seven hours. “As soon as I heard the news, I tried it and it worked! Why is Amazon doing this (free shipping)? They are just so amazing,” another user exclaimed.

But there is also the possibility that the activation of the free shipping to Korea option could have resulted from a glitch on the Amazon site or another technical problem. While The Korea Herald was able to confirm that the free global shipping offer is available now on some items, it remains to be seen if the orders will be fulfilled.

By Park Ju-young (jupark@heraldcorp.com)

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