When will Amazon start charging "prime members" for shipping?

[PandaBear]

Took a few hits when this thread was started.

It has begun. Amazon starting to charge some prime members for grocery delivery.

Only a matter of time till the prime members being charged for other items slowly is implemented.

Amazon axes free grocery delivery on some Prime orders​

New grocery delivery fees for Prime members will range between $3.95 and $9.95, depending on the order size, beginning next month​

https://www.foxbusiness.com/markets/amazon-axes-free-grocery-delivery-some-prime-orders

Grocery is different, it is more like Amazon Fresh instead of Prime.

If you are ordering your grocery primarily from Prime instead of Safeway / Costco you are definitely doing something very wrong. Just because you have Prime doesn't mean you should buy everything from them. I have Costco membership but I would buy my bread mostly from Safeway or TraderJoe instead. I don't want to pay a premium then freeze 1 out of 2 loaves every time.

 

[John105]

Last week, I bought a hot dog and soda at Costco for $1.50. We bought a large 1 topping pizza at Domino's for $4.99. Arguably, these prices are significantly cheaper than when Costco was founded.

I delivered Domino's in college, and I'm no spring chicken. A 3 topping medium was $8.75 back then. Patrick Roy won the Conn Smythe.

Seriously, $8.75 back then, is $23.70 today. imho, at least as far as I can see, amazon will go out of business, before they charge prime members for shipping. And they will be out of business eventually. Given their level of customer service (non-existent), they're not on a trajectory for continued success. Yes, I do own the stock.

 

[Warstud]

What happened to Prime ? I just put in an order for 1 item and it's gonna take 8 days to get it .

 

[mr_boring]

What happened to Prime ? I just put in an order for 1 item and it's gonna take 8 days to get it .

I ordered a new frying pan last Friday. It's still in Georgia. @jeffbezos - bring me my skillet.

 

[SC Maintenance]

I will be dropping my prime membership when it renews in April. I think I have had it pretty much since it started - $79 a year I think gave you free two day shipping - or something like that. I just don't see the value anymore. Walmart delivers for free over $35 order, as does Lowes, HD and Chewy over $50 or so. There streaming is a joke and full of commercials - it was once pretty good. I think I have returned more wrong or damaged items in the last year than the last 20 years combined.

RIP.

 

[sloinker]

Corporate suicide. Never happen. Now the cost for Prime may go up but remember walmart and others are readily available to take up the slack.

 

[Wylie6G72]

They already are, it's just that most Prime members don't realize it. I've compared shipped prices between my non-Prime Amazon account, and my Prime account. Strikingly similar shipped prices.

 

[Hall]

What happened to Prime ? I just put in an order for 1 item and it's gonna take 8 days to get it .

Not all items fall under Prime. Post a link to the item.

 

[Zee09]

Amazon is for the lazy and set in their ways crowd. Me sometimes included. If you shop around they are usually easily beat price wise.

I will say if you need over the counter meds, I can be in bed sick as a dog at 11 pm and grab my cell and get what I need at 4 am often to my doorstep in nowhere-ville.
I did that during covid and I was very grateful..

Even something like a heating pad if you back goes out. They are always expediteable items.

 

[Warstud]

Not all items fall under Prime. Post a link to the item.

 

[SC Maintenance]

When items are out of stock they will show up this way. The prime date based on it shipping when it arrives.

Its often a good time to get deals. Out of stock, the price goes lower somehow. During the pandemic I ordered stuff super cheap that ended up taking months. They kept sending emails asking me to confirm I still wanted it. I presume they were hoping I would not. It all eventually did deliver, significantly less than the price at that time.

 

[JHZR2]

They already have raised prices.

- the cost of prime itself has gone up
- the amount you need to buy for free shipping and next day has changed over time
- some things have a cost to get fast

They know their margins and the locations of their products. So they know how much you need to buy to make the fast delivery trip worth it.

I doubt they’ll start charging, they’ll just charge more for prime or make the minimum purchase higher.

 

[Warstud]

When items are out of stock they will show up this way. The prime date based on it shipping when it arrives.

Its often a good time to get deals. Out of stock, the price goes lower somehow. During the pandemic I ordered stuff super cheap that ended up taking months. They kept sending emails asking me to confirm I still wanted it. I presume they were hoping I would not. It all eventually did deliver, significantly less than the price at that time.

Make sense but it says theres 9 in stock

 

[DuckRyder]

I have not gotten anything prime in 2 days in like a year, now they want to charge for ad free video, all of the prime video is ancient and the newer stuff is all a pivot to some other subscription it it hogwash. I doubt that we will renew prime.

 

[Hall]

View attachment 203498

They must not have that in stock and that date is based on when they expect to receive it and then get it delivered to you. Even if they only had that item in stock in a warehouse at the opposite end of the country, it still wouldn't take as long as they're projecting.

 

[JHZR2]

I have not gotten anything prime in 2 days in like a year, now they want to charge for ad free video, all of the prime video is ancient and the newer stuff is all a pivot to some other subscription it it hogwash. I doubt that we will renew prime.

I get stuff overnight all the time, and it’s free since I buy more than $25.

Unfortunately the world runs on advertising. There’s a reason why we have always boycotted cable tv and never paid. The only TV ivevever paid for was a donation to Locast, which was a local tv streaming repeater. And the tv companies sued them into oblivion. If you don’t like the ads, don’t buy the material. Boycott it.

 

[Hall]

I have not gotten anything prime in 2 days in like a year

This is primarily based on your location. I just picked a random item in our saved shopping cart - some fabric softener. I can order it and have it delivered today. I would have to order $10 more of stuff to meet the $25 threshold but the fabric softener would show up sometime today.

 

[alarmguy]

View attachment 203498

I take this as coming from a third party with Amazon shipping or something not locally available. At least it's disclosed up front.

I never subscribe to Prime, we do take free trials and at times $1.99 specials for Prime and happy with the speed. We have learned to look at the delivery time because you are correct. It does happen. What I do, as long as it's a free return item. I will order it and find out if I can get it faster through another site such as Walmart Plus which is also two day for many items.
Whoever gets it to me faster wins and I just return the other.

I swear, I just did this a few days ago but both sources were Amazon! I do not have Prime. I ordered a 48 inch LED aquarium light for $100, typical NON PRIME Amazon delivery time is a week out. Walmart Plus didnt carry it so I ordered it.
Then two days later I notice another 48 inch LED light on Amazon I would like to try because it would be a direct match with the one I have. Third party seller but Amazon the source. That seller had two day shipping and it arrived on Sunday! Meanwhile the Amazon one was still not to arrive until Tuesday, it arrived one day early on Monday.
So Monday when it arrived I went online to do a return. Brought the box to UPS and have already been credited.

I have no allegiance to any of them. Low price and fast ship wins, loser pays. We must return hundreds or thousands of dollars to Amazon depending on the year. Most everything we buy is online. Walmart Plus works better in many cases. We did pay $48 for the year for Walmart, it was a special at half price at the time. Not sure I will renew or not

I have a thing against Amazon but I use them, like they use the public. Im still waiting to hear of a class action lawsuit but it never happened.
For less savvy internet buyers Amazon takes advantage of people. When they buy stuff they find out as they buy it that it qualifies for "Free Shipping" or they add to the order until they get free shipping. Thing is once they go to the check out page the shipping is automatically populated in a separate box as $6.99 and added to the check out price. Many people I am SURE do not notice that until they change it to free shipping they are billed an extra $6.99 I mean, how dishonest can a HUGE company like that be and get away with it?

Anyway, they are not our friends and I use them to my advantage in every way possible.

 

[ZeeOSix]

No wonder Amazon keeps jacking up Prime subscription cost ... to cover all the people who order 10 items, keep one or two, and send all the others back. Amazon has to eat the return shipping costs on those items, which if you could see the return costs they pay over a year's time it's got to be a huge amount of money. Plus, they probably don't resell many of those items, and sell them at a discount to people who buy bulk returns. All that waste has to be covered somehow or they would eventually go out of business.

 

[SC Maintenance]

No wonder Amazon keeps jacking up Prime subscription cost ... to cover all the people who order 10 items, keep one or two, and send all the others back. Amazon has to eat the return shipping costs on those items, which if you could see the return costs they pay over a year's time it's got to be a huge amount of money. Plus, they probably don't resell many of those items, and sell them at a discount to people who buy bulk returns. All that waste has to be covered somehow or they would eventually go out of business.

They used to cancel customers years ago - there were several articles on different publications and they got lots of bad press. Then you learned that the people who were being cancelled would buy clothes for a certain event - like a dress - wear it once then send it back.

Probably are too afraid of the bad press.

A couple years ago they delivered some sort of TV stand you set up yourself that we did not order. It had our name on it - but we never ordered or paid for it? Wife contacted Amazon but they didn't want it back - too heavy likely. I dropped it off at the Habitat / good will place.