Amazon Echo Dot too expensive in Singapore? Here’s a step-by-step guide to get them cheaper from Amazon US instead with freight forwarding!
Months after the “Hey Alexa? Play Despacito” meme has subsided, you might be considering adding the Amazon Echo into your home. Maybe you’re beginning your foray into making a smart home. Or perhaps you’re ready for a new bluetooth speaker with extra perks.
Guides to Cheaper Products on Amazon US
#1: Apple AirPods
#2: iPad Pro
#3: Kindle Paperwhite
#4: Bose Headphones
#5: Roomba Robot Vacuum
#6: Amazon Echo Dot
Personally, I don’t see any reason to be overpaying for a smart speaker. I’ve previously spilled the tea on getting a cheaper Animal Crossing, “price hacking” ASOS for lower prices, and accessing A&F’s US store with VPN for cheaper clothes. Now, I’m back again to show you how to get the Amazon Echo Dot smart speaker for a bargain too!
How Much Cheaper is the Amazon Echo Dot on Amazon US?
Unfortunately, it’s not available for sale on Amazon Singapore. You can find it on Lazada however… for the whopping price of S$149. Meanwhile, on Amazon US, it’s only US$49.99 (~S$68.70). If you factor in the estimated cheapest shipping from ezbuy’s ezShip, that’s ~S$72.30 savings in total!
What is the Amazon Echo Dot?
The Amazon Echo Dot is one of Amazon’s most compact smart speakers. It requires a Wi-Fi connection, but it doesn’t require anything else apart from that, and it comes equipped with Amazon Alexa, Amazon’s Virtual Assistant.
Unfortunately, Amazon Alexa’s full capabilities aren’t available in Singapore just yet. For instance, you can’t use Alexa to tell you traffic or weather conditions in Singapore.
I wouldn’t be too worried about it though – it seems likely that Amazon will roll out these features to additional regions in time to come, as they’ve been doing over the past years. Either way, the Amazon Echo Dot can still do some pretty nifty things.
What Can the Amazon Echo Dot Do?
Simply put, the more smart devices you have, the more the Amazon Echo Dot can do for you. It can control your Phillip Hue lights, unlock certain brands of electronic door locks, and control other bluetooth speakers within its range.
It also comes with a handy digital clock display, which looks futuristically chic on your night stand too. It also functions as an alarm clock just in case the alarm on your phone doesn’t go off. Pretty handy, if I do say so myself.
How Do I Access Amazon US Prices?
If you click on the Amazon US link, you may notice that you can’t view the price on the listing if your account is set to deliver to Singapore. That’s because you’ll need to use a US ZIP code in order to access the price Amazon US website.
I used the ZIP code “97250”, which you can use as well, since the ZIP code won’t be applied to your shipping address. You just need it to prove to Amazon that you’re shipping the item within the US.
How Can I Get the Amazon Echo Dot Shipped to Singapore?
Most of the time, Amazon US only ships within the United States, so you’ll need to get a US delivery address from any of the freight forwarders
We’ve covered some of the best US freight forwarders that forward your parcels from the US to Singapore at some of the best prices. Of course, the freight forwarder shipping cost depends on the weight and volume of the package.
Below is an estimate of how much it’d cost to ship the Amazon Echo Dot from the US to Singapore. I’ve used the approximated weight of 0.55kg to calculate the shipping prices.
| Shipping Cost | Total Cost | |
| ezShip | ~S$8 | S$76.70 |
| Buyandship Singapore | ~S$10 | S$78.70 |
| Comgateway | US$11.80 (~S$16.70) | S$85.40 |
| vPost | ~S$18.40 | S$87.10 |
Of course, when you’re choosing a freight forwarder, there’s a lot more than price to consider. Things like insurance, reliability, and shipping speed all come into play!
If you need a more in-depth guide on how to use these freight forwarders, check out our guides on them below:
- Comgateway Guide: How to Ship From USA to Singapore
- vPost Shipping Guide: How to Use vPost Step-by-Step
- ezbuy’s ezShip Shipping Guide: How to Use Step-by-Step
If you want to maximise your savings, you could opt for ezbuy’s ezShip since it’s the cheapest. Including shipping, you’d still be saving ~S$72.30, which is still a decent chunk of change.
By the way, my colleague has done a review on vPost’s freight forwarding service from both the US and UK. Long story short, they provided speedy delivery and timely updates!
How Do I Pay on Amazon US?
You’ll want to check out as you normally do on Amazon Singapore, with one key difference: You need to key in the shipping address of your freight forwarder exactly as it says on your freight forwarder of choice’s website, to ensure your Amazon package reaches the freight forwarder warehouse without a hitch.
Of course, you’ll want to pay with your YouTrip card and select to pay in “USD”. In the unfortunate event that you run into any issues when paying with your YouTrip card, you can also add your YouTrip card to your PayPal account and make payment that way.
Pro tip: you’ll probably want to check out the PayPal currency conversion and exchange rates guide to make sure you use YouTrip’s exchange rates, and not PayPal’s.
I’ve Ordered the Amazon Echo Dot, What’s Next?
Well, it depends on which freight forwarder you want to use. For some, you might need to input the tracking number of the Amazon package in your freight forwarder account. For others, you won’t need to do anything but wait for the package to reach the warehouse. Once it does, the freight forwarder will notify you via email!
My Amazon Echo Dot Has Arrived at the Warehouse! What Should I Do Now?
Hurray! Once it arrives in the warehouse, you’ll just need to pay for shipping to Singapore. It’s quite a simple process – login to the freight carrier you used, and navigate to the “Parcels/Packages” section to pay for Singapore shipping.
Most freight forwarders take one to two business days to dispatch your package from their US warehouse. After that, your new smart speaker should be with you in no time!
What About the Warranty For Amazon Echo Dot?
I know some of you guys would want to get a warranty for your shiny new Amazon Echo Dot. Unfortunately though, the warranty would only be effective in the US, since it was bought on Amazon US. Amazon Singapore is unlikely to honour the warranty since they don’t sell the Amazon Echo Dot at all.
Personally, I’m okay with saving more than ~S$70 after factoring in shipping and going without a warranty. You’ll have to decide on what’s best for you though!
Now that you’ve got the scoop on how to get the Amazon Echo Dot without going through a third party reseller, drop us a line at content@you.co to let us know if there’s others deals we might have missed! When you’re paying on Amazon US, ensure that you check out with your YouTrip card to take advantage of our Wholesale Exchange Rates and no pesky fees.
*All currency conversion rates are accurate to nearest 10 cents on 04 August 2020 SGT 13:00.
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