Quick answer: set an Indian address on Amazon.com, pick a listing that ships to India, and pay one total with duty included. The courier then sends a KYC link, you upload Aadhaar or PAN, and the parcel usually reaches you in 10 to 15 days.
This is how I buy from Amazon US to India, and it’s the same routine every time. Most of my streaming boxes came this way, because the ones I wanted were never launched here. The process looks complicated from the outside. In practice it’s a normal Amazon order with one extra step, a KYC form on your phone, and the wait is a little longer.
Below are the steps in the order I do them, what the checkout total covers, how the Aramex KYC works, and how long delivery takes. There’s also a table showing what five real US prices turn into once they reach India, so you can tell quickly whether an import is worth it or whether Amazon.in is the better buy.
Before you start: Amazon.in or Amazon US?
I always open Amazon.in first. If the thing I want is listed there at a fair price, I buy it there. Delivery takes a few days, the invoice is Indian, and returns work the way everyone already knows.
Amazon US earns its place when a product isn’t sold here, or when the Indian listing costs a lot more than the US price plus duty. The Nvidia Shield TV Pro, the Kindle Scribe and the newest Razer Blade laptops are all good examples. The Switch 2 and Steam Deck are the opposite case: their Amazon.in prices are close to what an import would cost, so I’d just buy them locally.
How to buy from Amazon US to India, step by step
1. Create an Amazon.com account and add your Indian address
Amazon.com and Amazon.in keep separate accounts, so sign up on Amazon.com. The same email address is fine. Then open the delivery location box at the top of the page and add your home address in India. Type your name exactly the way it appears on your Aadhaar or PAN. That one detail makes the KYC step later go through on the first try.
2. Check that the listing ships to India
With your Indian address selected, every product page tells you straight away whether that listing can come to you. You’ll either see an Add to Cart button with an estimated delivery date, or a line saying the item can’t be shipped to your selected delivery location. Amazon lists India as an AmazonGlobal destination, but each listing decides for itself, so I check every single time.
If the US page says it can’t ship to your address, use the Amazon.in listing instead, or look for another Amazon US listing of the same product. The Razer Blade 16 and Blade 18 listings, for example, ship to India.
3. Compare the price with Amazon.in
My quick sum is the US price times ₹94.5, then times 1.31 for duty. If Amazon.in is within a few thousand rupees of that figure, I buy on Amazon.in. If the Indian price is far higher, or the product isn’t there at all, I carry on with the US order. The table further down does this sum for five products.
4. Read the checkout total and the import fees deposit
At checkout Amazon shows three lines: the item, shipping, and an Import Fees Deposit. That deposit is Amazon’s estimate of the customs duty and IGST, and its courier pays it to customs for you. Amazon US adds the duty to the checkout total, so the number on that screen is the number you pay. On my orders nothing else was collected at the door.
Personal imports pay about 31% in total: 10% basic customs duty, a 10% surcharge on that duty, and 18% IGST on the lot. I’ve broken the maths down line by line in my customs duty on electronics guide.
5. Pay with an international card
Amazon.com charges in dollars, so you need a credit or debit card with international payments switched on. Indian banks let you switch that on in their app or net banking. Turn it on before checkout so the payment goes through first time.
6. Finish the Aramex KYC when the parcel lands
Once the parcel reaches India, the courier sends an SMS and an email with a KYC link. On my orders that’s been Aramex. You open the link, upload your Aadhaar or PAN, and you’re done in a few minutes from your phone. I haven’t paid anything at this step. Do it the day the message arrives, because the parcel waits for it.
7. Wait about 10 to 15 days
From order to doorstep, my parcels have taken 10 to 15 days. Some arrive sooner. A late KYC adds days, so that’s the one thing in your control. You can follow the parcel on Amazon’s tracking page and then on Aramex’s once it lands.
8. Know how returns work
Amazon gives 30 days from delivery to return items it fulfils. If the item is defective, damaged or not what you ordered, Amazon refunds the import fees deposit too, and it pays the full return postage in those cases. Film the unboxing and keep the box until you’ve tested everything, and a return is simple if you ever need one.
What a US price becomes in India
Here are five products from the three kinds of gadget I write about. The rupee column converts the US price at the same rate as above. The landed column adds about 31% for duty. Amazon’s own checkout figure will be close, and shipping adds a little on top.
| Product | US price | In rupees | Landed with duty | On Amazon.in |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nvidia Shield TV Pro | $299.99 | About ₹28,300 | About ₹37,000 | Listed, so compare both |
| Kindle Scribe | $499.99 | About ₹47,200 | About ₹62,000 | No device page |
| Nintendo Switch 2 | $499.99 | About ₹47,200 | About ₹62,000 | About ₹56,000 to ₹60,000 |
| Steam Deck OLED 512GB | $789 | About ₹74,600 | About ₹97,700 | About ₹1,00,000 |
| Razer Blade 16 (RTX 5070 Ti) | About $3,500 | About ₹3,30,800 | About ₹4,33,000 | Older models only |
The pattern is easy to read. The Switch 2 and Steam Deck cost about the same either way, so I’d take the Amazon.in listing and skip the wait. The Shield is a straight comparison between two listings. The Kindle Scribe and the newest Blade 16 aren’t on Amazon.in at all, so an import is the way to get one. The full stories are in my Switch 2 price guide, Steam Deck price guide, Kindle Scribe guide, Shield TV Pro guide and Razer Blade price guide.
What I buy this way
Three kinds of gadget keep sending me to Amazon US. Streaming boxes are the first: the best ones, like the Shield, were never launched here. My best streaming device in India ranking says which to import and which to buy on Amazon.in.
E-ink tablets are the second. Amazon hasn’t launched the Kindle Scribe in India, while the reMarkable Paper Pro sells on Amazon.in. My best e-ink tablet in India guide covers both routes.
Gaming hardware is the third, and it’s the most mixed. Some consoles are cheaper on Amazon.in, while laptops like the Razer Blade are cheaper to import. My best handheld gaming consoles in India page goes through each one.
If you’re weighing Amazon US against import shops like Ubuy and Desertcart, I’ve compared all of them in Amazon US vs Ubuy vs Desertcart.
A few things I check every time
- The price is near the maker’s own US price. If one listing costs double, I look for another.
- The order name matches my Aadhaar or PAN.
- The charger label says 100–240 V, so a plug adapter is all I need for India’s 230 V sockets.
- Laptops go one per order. One laptop per courier shipment is the allowance for personal imports.
Warranty and support
An imported gadget carries the maker’s warranty from the country you bought it in, so for most brands that means the US. Amazon’s 30-day return window covers anything Amazon fulfils, and that’s the cover I lean on. Test every port and button in the first week, so any fault shows up well inside it.
Frequently asked questions
Can I order products from Amazon USA to India?
Yes. Set an Indian delivery address on Amazon.com and any listing that shows Add to Cart will ship to you. The checkout total includes shipping and the import fees deposit.
Can I use my Amazon account to order in another country?
Your Amazon.in account works only on Amazon.in. For Amazon US, make an Amazon.com account, which takes two minutes, and you can then use it from India like any other shop.
How does Amazon Global shipping to India work?
AmazonGlobal is Amazon’s international delivery service, and India is on its list. Amazon ships the parcel, prepays the duty from your import fees deposit, and hands it to a courier in India for KYC and delivery.
What is the Amazon import fees deposit in India?
It’s Amazon’s estimate of the customs duty and IGST on your order, charged at checkout. For electronics it works out to about 31% of the item’s value. It’s refunded if you return an item that arrived defective, damaged or wrong.
How long does Amazon US to India delivery take?
About 10 to 15 days from order on my parcels, sometimes less. Finishing the courier’s KYC on the day the link arrives keeps it at the short end.
How does the Amazon US KYC with Aramex work?
Aramex sends an SMS and an email with a link once the parcel is in India. You upload your Aadhaar or PAN on that page, and the parcel moves on to delivery. On my orders there was no charge for it.
That’s the whole routine. Check Amazon.in, check the US listing ships to you, read the total, do the KYC, and give it two weeks. After the first order it feels like any other online purchase.
