Importing UK Blu's in the time of Covid

[BillBR]

Part of my regular buying cycle of Blu's involved purchasing region free titles from Amazon UK and Indicator/Second Sight/etc. direct, but current events make all that a little worrying, of course. I was about to participate in Indicator's Nicholson sale yesterday, but their email had language like "most, but not all, of our international orders are getting through." And then, of course, Amazon UK's website won't even let you purchase most Blu's if you have a US address listed. I had pre-ordered the region free blu-only Skywalker Saga box from them (which I would've only been docked around $80 for rather than $132 or whatever the importers want) in February, and that order is still languishing in limbo.

Is anybody successfully still importing UK blu's?

[hariseldon]

My AmazonUK preorders made before the shutdown on new order all have made it to the US. I have 3 more preorders pending from Jan/Feb orders -- 2 'releasing' May 4 and one without a release day yet. I'm slightly worried about the May 4 items since both have already been pushed back a couple times and both are Limited Edition items with short production runs to begin with

From reading -- Zavvi, Arrow, Base, Indicator, Network, Eureka/MOC orders have all gone through though dispatch time and shipping transit times have been unpredictable. More items from Zavvi especially have had release day pushback likely due to replication/production issues than Zavvi issues.

I'm not really changing my ordering plans, but I'm not expecting on-time deliveries and am adding 2-4 weeks in my mind for acceptable delivery times

[BillBR]

Originally Posted by hariseldon

My AmazonUK preorders made before the shutdown on new order all have made it to the US. I have 3 more preorders pending from Jan/Feb orders -- 2 'releasing' May 4 and one without a release day yet. I'm slightly worried about the May 4 items since both have already been pushed back a couple times and both are Limited Edition items with short production runs to begin with

From reading -- Zavvi, Arrow, Base, Indicator, Network, Eureka/MOC orders have all gone through though dispatch time and shipping transit times have been unpredictable. More items from Zavvi especially have had release day pushback likely due to replication/production issues than Zavvi issues.

I'm not really changing my ordering plans, but I'm not expecting on-time deliveries and am adding 2-4 weeks in my mind for acceptable delivery times

That's great to know, thank you!

[GeoffOliver]

I imported two Indicator releases (The Big Heat and The Lady From Shanghai) and one Eureka release (Hush... Hush, Sweet Charlotte) a month ago, ordered straight from their respective websites. No issues, although HHSW took forever to reach me. Not sure how much has changed since then.

[RFK]

Being unable to order arrow UK titles from amazon UK to the US is unfortunate but thankfully ordering discs direct from arrow UK to the US is still available.

Thanks Arrow.

[FragnitoM]

I can order some titles from Amazon UK but they are charging ridiculous prices now for shipping that is often more than the item. Even a single Blu-ray they wanted like 20 pounds. I hope things can get back to normal eventually...

About to make a Zavvi order but their inventory is limited compared to amazon. This sucks

[thornhill]

What are the best options at the moment for buying Region B releases in the U.S.? I know Amazon is out because of their shipping prices at the moment. Is it better to order direct from the labels, from Zaavi or even just DiabolikDVD here in the states? Or is it just a case by case basis with a mixture of all of the above? I am just about to get my 1st region free player so I'm doing some research as to buying titles. Thanks for any input!

[hariseldon]

I'm going to say a case by case depending on the label and how many you are going to order at a time.

AmazonUK isn't necessarily out, but it's a lot more hit/miss than it was.

Zavvi may have the lowest shipping costs, but not always the best item prices and sometimes their selection is lacking and their 1 item per shipment is just irritating if you make a big order.

ArrowUK says are great during sales, but shipping costs are definitely set up for big orders being most cost effective.

Diabolik -- great packaging, flat rate shipping, generally pretty fast, but non-sale prices are steep.

Rarewaves via AmazonMarketplace, Eureka direct, Powerhouse Indicator during sales.

Deff.com I've been hearing more about. Apparently a big shipping charge though may be flat rate