PSA: Amazon Raises Free Shipping Minimum To $49
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I don't know if this is a joke. Do they publish content worth watching? The only HBO show I know of is Game of Thrones, and I don't watch that.
Squarehard
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TigerNightmare
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So, I thought I'd look at what shipping costs look like today. The World's End on blu-ray was only $5 on my wishlist. Cool. Add to cart. Yep, there it is, need $44 more. But the cheapest shipping option plus tax is more than the damn thing itself. For a movie they're just going to stuff into a 75 cent bubblewrap envelope anyway. This is pretty much how I usually shop. I see one thing on sale, add a thing or two to get free shipping and everything was great. But if I just get stuff on sale, I'd have to place about 20 orders a year for Prime to break even. I think the most I've done was like 8. And that's not a modest amount of orders, that's hundreds of dollars worth of stuff.
With Prime having free shipping and getting digital $1 credit for choosing value shipping ... I order every item separately with slow shipping and have received at least half of my Prime subscription cost back in digital credit.
Adding in that I also use Prime Instant Video, I'm getting more out of it than I do with Netflix or Hulu.
Adding in that I also use Prime Instant Video, I'm getting more out of it than I do with Netflix or Hulu.
No nothing. They don't clean up at the award shows every year......
It's sad that the only channels teens and young adults are aware of are FX and AMC nowadays.
Man in the High Castle was pretty good.
Squarehard
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redonkalous
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I'm just glad my bro is sharing his Prime with me. I hope they don't change this policy of sharing though.
TigerNightmare
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Amazon prided themselves as one of the most competitively priced stores ever. They fought tooth and nail for years to keep the edge of tax-free orders. How is it that people who spend $20-35 here and there are the fringe and not those who spend $500+ (not including Prime) a year?
I honestly would advise you to get Prime, if you can afford it that is. I feel like I surely get my money's worth and there's so much more I can get out of it. They offer music, moves/tv shows, and free 2 day shipping. It more than pays for itself every year I've had it
In the past I used to make a new amazon account, get the free month of prime, then do it again when the month runs out. I must have had eighty email addresses I used only for prime accounts. I feel okay admitting this now. Please pray for mercy on my soul.
shrike4242
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Same here. Amazon's getting more of my game preorder business anyway with the 20% off they're putting out there as a match to GCU, coupled with numerous ways to get cheap Amazon credit, so raising shipping to $49 will just me a reason to get them to have more people sign up for Prime.
Since it's obvious orders are handled quicker when you have Prime and without, plus the $1 No Rush shipping credits that add up well over time, the free Kindle First books every month, expanded video offerings with Prime Video, as well as the previously mentioned 20% game discounts, as well as the amount of free 2-day shipping broken out on a pre-order basis, it's turning into Prime being a required reason for being an Amazon customer.
NewEgg and Walmart started offering similar shipping-only options for half the price, so it's obvious this is a business model that seems to be working if Amazon's competitors are doing something similar. Plus, as previously mentioned, shipping costs have been going up for numerous years, so the costs have to come out somewhere and Prime seems like a reasonable way to work around those cost increases. Also why Amazon has been using other carriers than UPS / FedEx / USPS when possible, as well as looking into doing their own shipping service via an crowdsourced model to save on shipping costs:
http://consumerist.com/2015/06/16/amazon-reportedly-working-on-new-shipping-service-that-turns-ordinary-people-into-couriers/
http://www.cnet.com/news/amazon-reveals-delivery-service-powered-by-regular-folks/
Their profits get rolled back into R&D at the company unlike Walmart and other companies, so they're covering their costs somewhere and that is Prime.
Either get Prime, get your purchases up to $49 per order or don't shop there. Options seem pretty clear to me.
EDIT:
Looks like this is a case of "what's old is new again", according to this article (one of a number I found when searching on "Amazon $49 free super saver shipping):
http://www.ecommercebytes.com/cab/abn/y02/m06/i19/s03
Mentions back in 2002 when Amazon was lowering the price threshold for FSSS from $99 to $49 for a 3-6 month test. Guess they're going back in time and going the opposite direction? I started shopping in Amazon in 2001 and I remember those days about FSSS being $99 as my first order I placed with them was over $100 for that very reason.
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Your blanket statement honestly just doesn't apply to me. Most everything I watch is sci-fi or sitcoms, and most of what I watch is older. More importantly, I absolutely hate when people make such claims of judgment with no guidance. Just saying "whippersnappers watch dumb things!" while offering no suggestions of alternatives, it's such an empty turd of a complaint. I've watched maybe 2 FX shows in my life, and 1 from AMC. Everything I watch on cable is sports-related, too. I don't even know why you said it in response to me, as if being about 5 years older makes you magically worldly.
It's not HBO-made. However, I watched the first two episodes before the full release last year, and I really liked it. I still need to go watch the rest.
I've heard people say good things about some of those shows, but I can't say any are up my alley of intrigue. The one exception might be Family Tree, just because Roy from The IT Crowd is in it. I prefer sci-fi which seems to be missing from their offerings.
Cuauhtblanco
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All of you that are talking about best buy charging $1500 are idiots. With Best Buy you earn your free shipping with still being allowed to get free shipping for minumium of $35 plus you can always go to the store pyschially and earn towards 1 year of free expedite shipping. Mean while Amazon your working your way towards what, nothing? You have to pay for prime regardless or minumum of $49. To sum it up Best Buy your always working towards free shipping and rewards with amazon you are not.
Man its expensive to get all these freaking memberships, but I can see the benefit in prime (hope I had jumped when it was on sale), but looking at my numbers:
PS+ (40 with deal) + Live (40 with deal) + Netflix ($120) + GCU ($15 per year) + Prime ($99 without discount) comes to $314 per year on my end...frack.
PS+ (40 with deal) + Live (40 with deal) + Netflix ($120) + GCU ($15 per year) + Prime ($99 without discount) comes to $314 per year on my end...frack.
It's an Amazon Original... so how did you watch it? Other good ones are "Hand of God" with Ron Perlman, Bosch, Alpha Dogs, and Transgendered. There are more, but not that I have spent the time to watch (the also have kid offerings).
I'm sorry, but you lost me when you didn't know HBO did their own programming... Have you never heard of "OZ", "Sex and the City", "Rome", "The Wire", "Sopranos", "Entourage" "Band of Brothers" "Deadwood" and I'll stop there and still leave off 10-20 highly reviewed series.
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chriscolbert
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Amazon Prime is a steal at the regular price if you enjoy streaming video and music. I see the free shipping as a bonus. Of course I've been able to get the student rate for a while despite not being in school for quite some time, but that's another story.
I highly recommend anyone with access to a .edu email address to look into that option.
I highly recommend anyone with access to a .edu email address to look into that option.
Hextech Raven
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Doesn't affect me much because I don't shop at Amazon all that often anymore. Ever since I got my GCU membership last year most of my video game related business has gone straight to Bestbuy. If I purchase something on Amazon nowadays it's dirt cheap, Bestbuy doesn't carry it (usually older games), or it's something not video game related (and typically costs well over the minimum for free-shipping). Also, because I'll be moving into an apartment soon, store pickup through Bestbuy is likely going to become essential to my online ordering as I'm not familiar with how deliveries work in that kind of situation.
TigerNightmare
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It really varies depending on where you live. Two apartments ago, USPS never bothered to knock on my door. They delivered "Sorry we missed you!" slips in my mailbox and I would have to wait until the next business day to pick it up at the actual post office. That same apartment complex, I would get deliveries left on my doorstep, left with my neighbor just once and sometimes left with the leasing office, which could be a pain because they closed at 4 PM before people typically come home from work. FedEx and UPS always came to my door and they would do all of the above if I wasn't home and I usually had to drive to their delivery hub if I wasn't home and they needed a signature.
I love where I live now. USPS delivers in my box, they deliver keys for a few mailboxes for bigger packages and drop everything else off at the leasing office, which closes at 6 and is open on Saturday. And for some reason, I've been getting packages delivered to my door on Sunday lately. The only problem was when they curled a paperback to fit it into my box (instantly plummeting the condition from new to fair) because Amazon decided to mail it in a god damn bubblewrap envelope.
The first episode of The Man in the High Castle was apparently streamed along with other pilots to decide which shows would be picked up, from what I read. However, I just went on the Internet and watched the first two (not sure when/how that second one was provided). Three of your four follow-up examples were crime-related somehow (cop drama, judge drama, cop dog documentary), and reality shows are probably the only thing that have been done do death to a greater degree than that kind of stuff. None of what you mentioned could keep my attention for 10 minutes. Sci-fi is what gets me, for the most part.
I lost you when you misread what I said? When did I say I didn't know HBO did its own programming? I said I didn't know if their stuff was typically good, because the only show I saw that I knew was HBO-made was Game of Thrones. Basically, I said I don't have HBO. I've never heard of Rome or Deadwood. I didn't know the others were from HBO because, again, I don't have HBO. They're not the kinds of shows I watch. I mean, I mentioned twice now I watch mostly sci-fi, and a few sitcoms. Given those are the genres I like, it shouldn't be surprising I don't know much about The Wire (which my cousin has espoused praises for at me for years), Entourage, or The Sopranos.
Try 35. Or nothing, if you go get it at the store with zero wait.
Done with Amazon after my Prime is up this year. They've jacked up the price on Prime, jacked up the free shipping minimum, Amazon Video is still a pale imitation of Netflix (High Castle was ok, but hardly something I'd be willing to pay for), they now charge tax where I am, and Best Buy will pricematch them. There is no benefit to Amazon over Best Buy for me.
See ya. Best Buy is way easier.
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Reraise
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There's always going to be the doom and gloom "sky is falling" rants whenever something changes.
Honestly, 99$ a year (if i miss a sale) gets me some ok video streaming, free music, enough free books the wife stopped buying them @ 10-30$ a month, 20% gaming discount, free shipping that when used with no rush credits more than pays for prime its self in a year. Did i miss anything?
Oh noes, 49$ for free shipping. If what you are ordering doesnt come to that, wait until you have more to order. Just watch over the next 6-12 months at how many other companies (jet, walmart etc) raise their minimum ship too. Especially if amazon get more traction in becoming its own shipping company.
As for people screaming "OMG its now prime or nothing". No, its prime, pay shipping, or order 49$ worth. If you want convenience to order 6$ items for free shipping when you want, get prime. Dont want to pay for it, then dont. But if an extra 14$ on the minimum ship threshold is a deal breaker for you, thats too bad for you.
Honestly, 99$ a year (if i miss a sale) gets me some ok video streaming, free music, enough free books the wife stopped buying them @ 10-30$ a month, 20% gaming discount, free shipping that when used with no rush credits more than pays for prime its self in a year. Did i miss anything?
Oh noes, 49$ for free shipping. If what you are ordering doesnt come to that, wait until you have more to order. Just watch over the next 6-12 months at how many other companies (jet, walmart etc) raise their minimum ship too. Especially if amazon get more traction in becoming its own shipping company.
As for people screaming "OMG its now prime or nothing". No, its prime, pay shipping, or order 49$ worth. If you want convenience to order 6$ items for free shipping when you want, get prime. Dont want to pay for it, then dont. But if an extra 14$ on the minimum ship threshold is a deal breaker for you, thats too bad for you.
Sir_Fragalot
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I would use GCU but the nearest BB is 40+ mins from my house and the gas wasted isn't worth my time so I am stuck with prime.
I like prime, but I am becoming annoyed with them lately because I noticed that with game preorders some are not coming in on day one anymore which is hugely annoying. I preordered PvZ GW 2 over a month and a half ago and they are saying it wont be in until Thursday.
Although the real reason I still am keeping prime is not for prime music but for actual CD's. They are the only place I can buy CD's around here from artists who are not just the big record labels and the free shipping I get from that adds up over time.
I like prime, but I am becoming annoyed with them lately because I noticed that with game preorders some are not coming in on day one anymore which is hugely annoying. I preordered PvZ GW 2 over a month and a half ago and they are saying it wont be in until Thursday.
Although the real reason I still am keeping prime is not for prime music but for actual CD's. They are the only place I can buy CD's around here from artists who are not just the big record labels and the free shipping I get from that adds up over time.
Reraise
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If they miss a release date, contact them, you will get a free month of prime. ITs like saving an extra 7$ or so
Sir_Fragalot
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I did not know that is still a thing. I will make sure I do for GW2. Honestly I wouldn't care but my GF who preordered the game later than me is getting the game on release day or so Amazon says and yeah, I hate having to hear people talk about how good a game is when I don't have mine due to some error.
I regularly wait in line at the store when picking things up.
And you're in the minority of Amazon (or any retail) shoppers if Best Buy offers you everything Amazon does.
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Wow. I can't believe how many people are defending one of the most anti-consumer practices I have ever seen. Do you guys work for Amazon? Are they threatening your family? What is going on here? Hey, I like Amazon. I do. I have Prime. I haven't paid cash for anything on Amazon except for Prime since I got my account there due to their video game trade-ins. But this is a donkey punch to the nuts of every non-Prime customer and only fools or blind loyalists won't get mad at them for this.
Reraise
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Or, some of us know more about the cost of doing business....
Theres a lot more to the price raise than people are willing to look into, rather than just bash amazon. If you go look at fedex's jan 4th price raise, individual deliveries have increased in price from 50c-15$ after all handling fees and other factors (location, type of building delivered to) added in, thats just an INCREASE. Price per skid went up 10$ alone. This is just FedEx. Its just so easy to jump in screaming "evil corporation" without looking into other facts. The fact that Amazon has only been profitable since Q3 2015 means they need to keep that ball rolling. If raising the free ship threshold is "one of the most anti consumer practices you have ever seen", you dont pay much attention to the financial/business goings on in the rest of the sector.
They still do it, just dont "abuse" it as apparently it can get your account flagged.
If you are a prime customer what incentive do you have to be mad on behalf on non-prime customers? If you have prime, this change doesn't affect you.
And if you haven't realized the cost of shipping has gone up significantly in recent years, and that those costs have to be passed to the consumer in order to retain profits, then I don't know what to tell you. Not to mention they want people to subscribe to Prime, as it is in their best interest to have consumers associate with their brand and all that it offers. So increasing the minimum threshold for free shipping helps push their business strategy while recovering money on shipping costs from those who aren't likely to be the customers they most want to retain.
Also, are Sam's club and Costco anti-consumer? In order to take advantage of everything they have to offer, you have to pay a subscription membership each year. Guess anyone who didn't decry them when they opened their doors are fools and blind loyalists, huh?
It isn't like people who don't have prime have to keep shopping at Amazon if they don't like the cost increase. Every other purchasing option that was available prior to the shipping threshold rising is still available to them. Also, free shipping is still available, it isn't like it was removed entirely, now people just have to combine more to secure free shipping. Oh the horror!!!
Won't Amazon just stop to think how much the public welfare is being disturbed by them restricting their free shipping threshold even further? We probably need the government to step in and protect all the innocent consumers from this despicable practice. It's the most anti-consumer practice I've seen since Subway raising the price of their foot long from $5 to $6.
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nah they brought it back, but just made that prime exclusive w the 20% off new releases MRSP.
Amz is pushing prime like a drug dealer needing cash to pay back its own stash.
TigerNightmare
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Calling The Wire a cop drama is like calling a multi-city leveling hurricane some sort of weather formation.
When I was a kid, I would only watch TV shows that were animated. Horizons are meant to be broadened. You really don't wanna be that guy that hates everything. Besides, most of the stuff on TV that qualifies as sci-fi these days is completely dwarfed by the best the medium is currently offering. Most sci-fi seems to just be adventure fantasy and fails to address the what-ifs that define real sci-fi.
While it is a drastic jump, I can definitely understand it. I can't imagine how much it actually costs to ship bottles of tide and other, really heavy shit, that people get free shipping on.
Regardless of what people think, Amazon isn't exactly racking in the dough... the profit margins are pretty small. Last year, it was under 1%, I think. Compare that to something like WM, who's profit margins are rarely under 3% (which is fairly average for retailers, I believe).
Reraise
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This is Vinny
Vinny gets it
Be like vinny
Had to laugh at this. Gasoline prices?, falsified economy/market?, companies forced to give backdoor access to their products? nay, 49$ free ship...now thats the most anti consumer ive ever seen!.It's the most anti-consumer practice I've seen since Subway raising the price of their foot long from $5 to $6.
You pretty much said everything i was going to say in another post. My Costco membership, saves me money than buying at a supermarket, and my membership points pay for themselves yearly. My prime account, again, saves me money, and if i use no rush shipping, can get way more than the 99$ it costs me in digital services (like PSN/XBL for "free" every year after the cost of prime too).
All things considered, i would pay for prime if it was 149$ a year, because it saves me more than that just in e books alone. If it doesnt for you, then dont buy it. But dont whine about something that was far too low based on market values to begin with, especially if you dont understand it. 35$ free ship, theres no way they were not losing money on that.
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Captain Wrong
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Once upon a time, everyone chargd shipping for everything and prices to begin with were shit. And you got paper catalogs once a quarter. 
I'm old.
I'm old.
Or you can get the BB credit card and just put $1500/$3500 on it a year that you would have put on another card anyway and not worry about it at all =)
Anyway, back on topic, this is definitely going to further curtail my amazon shopping. I definitely bought less since the last increase, so I'm sure this will just decrease the number of items I buy from amazon.
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Reraise
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Nothing wrong with that.Once upon a time, everyone chargd shipping for everything and prices to begin with were shit. And you got paper catalogs once a quarter.
Some of those paper catalogs got me through my teenage years before i had access to porn
. I remember you could "finance" with the catalog. I remember a pair of Addidas shoes were 120, but if you paid over 3 years, you only paid 300 with interest! (shipping not included).Yeah, you would worry about it, as BB credit cards have TERRIBLE rates. 25% on avg....no thx.
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Pthrilla2
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I know this is cheapassgamer but man. I'm no corporate shill for Amazon but I have no problem with this increase. It has been all over the news that shipping costs have been going up year over year. I'm surprised Amazon has not raised rates earlier.
I think Prime is one of the best values out there. $99/year for unlimited 2 day shipping, plus free movie and music streaming and free books loaners. I rarely use the streaming and books and I still feel like I get my money's worth If $99 seems like alot think of it like $8.25/month.
I think Prime is one of the best values out there. $99/year for unlimited 2 day shipping, plus free movie and music streaming and free books loaners. I rarely use the streaming and books and I still feel like I get my money's worth If $99 seems like alot think of it like $8.25/month.
GrimmTrixX
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Doesn't bother me none. I've had Prime since Day 1. I mean it's $99 a year yes... which is $8.25 a month if you look at it that way. free 2 day shipping and free release date shipping, you can let 5 other people use your free 2 day prime shipping (so in theory you could probably have them split it with you, at least a bit if you're worried about $8.25 a month).
Also you get Prime Music and Prime video as part of it which have TONS of stuff to watch and listen too, and good stuff too. Prime music is constantly adding things. Hell I save WAY more than $99 a year by using Amazon. I mean a $60 game alone saves you about $5 due to no tax (if you're lucky like me where I live and pay no tax on Amazon still) as well as free shipping.
Now I only wish Kindle Unlimited would become part of it cuz i'd read more books if that were the case, maybe in the future they will who knows. But anyway if you've been shopping on Amazon for the last few years, then you're doing yourself a disservice. And don't get me started on their customer service who throws $10 credits on your account all day long whenever you have even the slightest discretion. Hell my Amazon prime was supposed to be renewed in October but they kept throwing a free month here and there at the smallest things i had to contact them about. Pretty awesome.
My only regret as far as a subscription service goes is Best Buy's GCU. I wish I got that years ago cuz I've already saved way more than the $30 that the membership cost.
Also you get Prime Music and Prime video as part of it which have TONS of stuff to watch and listen too, and good stuff too. Prime music is constantly adding things. Hell I save WAY more than $99 a year by using Amazon. I mean a $60 game alone saves you about $5 due to no tax (if you're lucky like me where I live and pay no tax on Amazon still) as well as free shipping.
Now I only wish Kindle Unlimited would become part of it cuz i'd read more books if that were the case, maybe in the future they will who knows. But anyway if you've been shopping on Amazon for the last few years, then you're doing yourself a disservice. And don't get me started on their customer service who throws $10 credits on your account all day long whenever you have even the slightest discretion. Hell my Amazon prime was supposed to be renewed in October but they kept throwing a free month here and there at the smallest things i had to contact them about. Pretty awesome.
My only regret as far as a subscription service goes is Best Buy's GCU. I wish I got that years ago cuz I've already saved way more than the $30 that the membership cost.
Man, what is it about my postings on the Internet that make it so impossible for people to understand what I'm saying? I wasn't talking about The Wire. Note how the post I responded to had two segments--one about Amazon and one about HBO. Note that my reply ALSO had two paragraphs, one to respond to each part (oh, and note I'm going to do the same with the reply to you). I was quite clearly speaking of the examples from Amazon--Hand of God, Bosch, and Alpha Dogs.
A lack of interest isn't equivalent to hate. Like I said before, comments of judgment without legitimate explanation behind them are useless, so what you're saying ("watch something other than sci-fi") without any other substance (the rest of the statement basically just says "new sci-fi is lame") just has nothing to really take away. I'm not going to inundate myself with stuff I hate until I like it to be cool. I won't suffer Kendrick Lamar and Adele just to fit in. Also, I don't really watch modern TV. I think that the only show I watch still running is The Big Bang Theory, since Falling Skies and Defiance both ended last year and The League just did the same. In looking for shows to watch, I find myself looking backward much more than forward because of how unimpressive the crap being thrown up usually is.
KingHashishin
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Miketheking
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I use to love amazon back when I was getting free credits by doing surveys. When there wasn't any tax and free shipping was at $25. Also when there use to be a video game gold box tuesday. Now I get my gaming needs on psn sales. Amazon is a no blow on video games and small stuff.
bread's done