Going even further, it is the stated position of most credit card companies that at the time of purchase you are only allowed to take out an "authorization" (hold) on the funds: you cannot "capture" (get) the money until you are pretty much just about to (within 24-48 hours) ship the product.
you cannot "capture" (get) the money until you are pretty much just about to (within 24-48 hours) ship the product.
I'm not sure what the general worldwide fact is for all kinds of payment processing. But it is general practice (not federal law, as I thought before editing this) in the United States that a seller can't actually get money from a transaction paid by a credit card unless the item ordered has actually entered the shipment process.
That's the way Amazon has always billed me, and I think it's the reason that Amazon sends me partial shipments even when I didn't ask for separate shipments when I order several items at once.
I think it's the reason that Amazon sends me partial shipments even when I didn't ask for separate shipments when I order several items at once.
That might be one of the reasons, but I'm sure the usual reason is that the items are coming from different warehouses and the logistics are easier (/cheaper) for each to ship to you directly than for them to shuffle their product around so they can send everything to you in one box.
Same in the UK: You cannot (legally) charge someone for a product ordered over the internet until you have shipped it under the distance-selling regulations.
