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A couple of days ago, Amazon raised the minimum order amount for regular customers to receive free shipping from $35 to $49, citing "increased shipping costs." As a non Prime customer, I already found it difficult to hit the $35 minimum to get the free shipping (which increased from $25 a few years ago) because many of their items cost $34.99. The times I did reach the minimum and placed an order, in stock items have sat in the warehouse a week or more "preparing for shipment," for no reason at all. Then once I received my order, it came piecemeal, arriving in separate shipping boxes.
I'm having trouble buying this increased shipping cost argument once again, especially with gas prices being so low. This seems like a transparent ploy to get non Prime customers to buy Prime. I might actually buy Prime if it weren't for Add-On, Prime Pantry, and the commercials in many of the videos now, but the negatives now present in the Prime program have discouraged me from getting it. Many companies require minimums of $49 already but their prices are more competitive or the shipping is more prompt. Even if I were able to hit the new minimum, I suspect Amazon wouldn't ship out any faster because they will still try to push us to buy Prime.
Are you a Prime member? If you aren't, will the new minimum affect your shopping on Amazon?
I never shop on Amazon, it's too expensive and I have to pay tax. If I'm going to order something, I'll check eBay first. I do a lot of ordering from various places, and go through ebates. That way, every 90 days, they send me a little bit of money.
Although gas prices have come down, Amazon's primary carriers - UPS and FedEx - are still charging fuel surcharges between 3-4% on shipments. These surcharges have been around for a decade or so and are never going away. Further, both carriers raised their base rates almost 5% just like they have every year. Amazon (as do most shippers) gets a discount on rates and those discounted rates are seeing the increases as well.
A couple of days ago, Amazon raised the minimum order amount for regular customers to receive free shipping from $35 to $49, citing "increased shipping costs." As a non Prime customer, I already found it difficult to hit the $35 minimum to get the free shipping (which increased from $25 a few years ago) because many of their items cost $34.99. The times I did reach the minimum and placed an order, in stock items have sat in the warehouse a week or more "preparing for shipment," for no reason at all. Then once I received my order, it came piecemeal, arriving in separate shipping boxes.
I'm having trouble buying this increased shipping cost argument once again, especially with gas prices being so low. This seems like a transparent ploy to get non Prime customers to buy Prime. I might actually buy Prime if it weren't for Add-On, Prime Pantry, and the commercials in many of the videos now, but the negatives now present in the Prime program have discouraged me from getting it. Many companies require minimums of $49 already but their prices are more competitive or the shipping is more prompt. Even if I were able to hit the new minimum, I suspect Amazon wouldn't ship out any faster because they will still try to push us to buy Prime.
Are you a Prime member? If you aren't, will the new minimum affect your shopping on Amazon?
I too experienced the long "preparing for shipment" status on my order. It took over a week to actually ship the coffee maker I ordered. According to tracking, it shipped from Phoenix, AZ, to San Bernadino, CA then to it's destination in Utah. I am also not a Prime customer.
I was surprised I didn't see a post on this earlier after I heard about it on the news the other day. I shopped at Amazon occasionally and this is more a discouragement to me - there are lots of companies that offer free shipping.
I have Prime. My remaining college age son buys many of his text books from Amazon because they are cheaper. They are shipped directly to his school address.
I regularly buy cat litter from Amazon - free 2 day shipping, delivered directly to my door.
I ordered most of my Christmas gifts from Amazon, shipped free to my workplace.
I ordered Valentine's gifts for my sons, shipped free directly to their residences, from Amazon.
I use Prime Music all the time.
My sons log in for the Prime videos.
I last ordered something from Amazon this past Saturday night. It was in my mailbox when I got home from work Monday afternoon, 36 hours later.
I'm having trouble buying this increased shipping cost argument once again, especially with gas prices being so low.
Shipping cost includes wages for those who pick and pack the item, cost of the packaging, cost of the container, cost of the driver wages, cost of regulatory trucking fees, cost of licensing fees, tolls, maintenance cost of the vehicles, material handling consumables.............. Yeah, fuel is the only thing that contributes to "shipping cost"
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