Quick answer: use Amazon.in first, Amazon US second, and Ubuy or Desertcart for products neither Amazon sells. Ubuy holds a 4.2 rating from about 1,600 Trustpilot reviews, and both shops quote rupee prices that you should compare with the duty-paid US price.
This Ubuy India review started with a question readers keep sending me: is it cheaper to buy a US gadget from Ubuy or Desertcart, or to order it from Amazon US yourself? I order from Amazon US, so I know that route well. For the other two, I compared their rupee prices on real products against what the same thing costs from Amazon with duty, and read through what buyers say about them.
The short version is that each route has a job. Amazon.in is the easy buy when the product is listed. Amazon US is usually the cheapest way to get something India doesn’t sell, as long as the listing ships here. Ubuy and Desertcart fill the gap for products that neither Amazon will send you.
Amazon US vs Ubuy vs Desertcart at a glance
| Route | Price vs US list | Duty at checkout | Delivery | Returns | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Amazon.in | Indian price with GST | Nothing to add | 2 to 5 days | Amazon.in’s normal window | Anything listed at a fair price |
| Amazon US | US price plus about 31% duty | Yes, as an import fees deposit | 10 to 15 days | 30 days on Amazon-fulfilled items | Listings that ship to India |
| Ubuy | Ubuy’s own rupee price | Read the order summary | Shown on each product page | Ubuy’s own policy | Products neither Amazon sends you |
| Desertcart | Desertcart’s own rupee price | Read the order summary | Shown on each product page | Desertcart’s own policy | Products neither Amazon sends you |
The same product on each route
Prices tell you more than any rating, so here are two products I looked up on every route.
Razer Blade 16: Amazon US wins clearly
Amazon US lists the newest Blade 16 with an RTX 5070 Ti, 32 GB of RAM and a 1 TB SSD at about $3,500, and that listing ships to India. With duty, that’s about ₹4.3 lakh at checkout. Desertcart listed the same RTX 5070 Ti model at about ₹6.3 lakh, roughly ₹2 lakh more. Ubuy had an older Blade 16 configuration at about ₹3.6 lakh, which is a different, previous-generation laptop. For this one I’d order from Amazon US without a second thought. The details are in my Razer Blade price in India guide.
Kindle Colorsoft: the import shops win
The 16 GB Kindle Colorsoft costs $289.99 on Amazon US, which works out to about ₹36,000 with duty. It isn’t on Amazon.in, and its Amazon US listing doesn’t deliver to Indian addresses. Ubuy listed the same 16 GB model at about ₹34,700, and Desertcart at anywhere from about ₹34,300 to ₹52,300. So the lower listings on both shops came in a little under the duty-paid US price, for a device you otherwise couldn’t order. That’s a good deal, as long as the price you pay already covers customs. My Kindle Colorsoft India guide has the rest.
The lesson from both: an import shop’s price only means something next to the US price times about ₹124. I’ve explained that number in my customs duty on electronics guide.
Amazon.in: the first place I look
If a product has an Amazon.in listing at a sensible price, that’s where I buy it. The Switch 2, Steam Deck OLED, Meta Quest 3 and reMarkable Paper Pro are all there, and for the consoles the Amazon.in price sits close to what an import would cost anyway. You get delivery in days, an Indian invoice and the return process you already know.
Amazon US: the Amazon Global route
When India doesn’t sell something, Amazon US is my next stop. With an Indian address set, the product page says whether that listing ships here. If it does, the checkout total includes shipping and an import fees deposit for the duty. Aramex then sends a KYC link by SMS and email, you upload Aadhaar or PAN, and the parcel arrives in about 10 to 15 days.
What makes it hard to beat is the return cover. Items Amazon fulfils can go back within 30 days, and if one arrives faulty Amazon refunds the import fees deposit too. I’ve written the whole routine up in how I buy gadgets from Amazon US.
Ubuy India review: what buyers say
Ubuy shows its prices in rupees and ships products from overseas stores to Indian addresses, so it covers a lot of things Amazon won’t send here. It has a large public review trail. Trustpilot has it at 4.2 from about 1,600 reviews, and Justdial also shows 4.2. MouthShut is lower at 2.9 from about 2,000 reviews, and the Android app sits at 3.5 on Google Play.
The point that comes up most in Reddit threads is customs. Some buyers say they paid customs separately at delivery, apart from the price shown at checkout. So before paying, I’d look for whether the order summary says duty is included, and ask Ubuy’s support if it doesn’t. Once you know the full rupee figure, compare it with the US price times ₹124 and decide.
Desertcart India review: wide price swings
Desertcart works the same way: overseas products, rupee prices, delivery to your door. What stood out to me was how far its prices move. The same 16 GB Kindle Colorsoft showed up at about ₹34,300 and at about ₹52,300. A Fire TV Cube was about ₹20,700, against the ₹13,999 Amazon launched it at here. The Blade 16 was ₹2 lakh over the Amazon US total.
None of that makes Desertcart a bad shop. It just means you compare every listing, because a good price and a poor one can sit side by side. When its price is close to the duty-paid US figure and Amazon can’t deliver, it’s a sensible way to get the device.
Amazon Global vs Ubuy: which to pick
If the Amazon US listing ships to India, I’d pick Amazon every time: the duty is shown before you pay, and a faulty item comes back with the duty refunded. If it doesn’t ship, Ubuy or Desertcart is the route, and the cheaper of the two on that product wins. For e-ink tablets, many of which aren’t sold here, my best e-ink tablet in India guide says which route suits each one.
Plugs, voltage and accounts
Whichever shop you use, a US gadget arrives with a US plug. India runs at 230 V and 50 Hz, with type D sockets for small devices and type M for 16 A. Read the label on the charger: if it says 100–240 V, as the Switch 2 and Steam Deck chargers do, a plug adapter is all you need. For a big laptop brick, use a grounded adapter rather than a flimsy two-pin one.
Accounts matter more than plugs on consoles. Switch 2 game cards aren’t region locked, so any physical game runs. The Nintendo eShop follows your Nintendo account’s country, and India doesn’t have its own, so Indian players commonly use a US account topped up with US gift cards. Steam sells games in rupees. Streaming boxes are the easy case, since the apps follow your Google or Amazon account’s country, not where the box came from.
Warranty and support
On every one of these routes, an imported gadget carries the maker’s warranty from the country it was bought in. Amazon’s 30-day return window on items it fulfils is the clearest cover of the three. With Ubuy or Desertcart, read the shop’s return policy on the product page before you pay.
Frequently asked questions
Is Ubuy safe to buy from?
It’s an established shop with thousands of public reviews, rated 4.2 on Trustpilot and Justdial and 2.9 on MouthShut. Check that the final price includes duty and read the return policy before you pay.
How does Ubuy work in India?
You pick a product from its overseas catalogue, pay a rupee price, and Ubuy ships it to your Indian address. Read the order summary to see whether customs is included.
Is Ubuy better than Amazon?
Not when Amazon.in or Amazon US can deliver the product. Ubuy is the better choice for products neither Amazon will send to India.
Is Amazon Global cheaper than Ubuy?
On the products I compared, yes, whenever the Amazon US listing ships to India. Work out the US price times about ₹124 and compare it with Ubuy’s rupee price.
Why do Desertcart prices vary so much?
Desertcart sets its own rupee price for each listing, so the same model can show up at very different prices. Compare a few listings and the duty-paid US price before you order.
My order of preference stays the same for every gadget: Amazon.in, then Amazon US, then whichever import shop has the better price that day.
