OT: why does anyone pay for shipping at Amazon? : OT

RRP

I don't buy enough to justify Amazon Prime and when I do order I always use a wish list to accumulate items so as to reach the $35 level for free shipping. My experience time after time after time is I always receive my merchandise much quicker than the standard 5 to 8 day delivery as stated for FREE shipping. For instance I placed an order Friday afternoon, received an email saying it was shipped Sunday and it arrived here this morning and yes today is Monday, Labor Day holiday!!! My guess is they don't charge your credit card until shipment is made so it behooves them to expedite all orders even my piddly $42 order!

smoke-n

guilty! I have prime. I am impatient I guess. just the thought of waiting 5-8 days kills me. I do order from amazon at least twice a week so I can justify it a little. (at least in my head)   I did cancel my Netflix subscription and now just use my Prime to stream the movies since its included. but since I do have prime I find myself ordering 1 thing at a time a lot.

SGH

Ron I have Prime. I order crap all of the time. Ordered a briner, a skimmer, a couple of knives and new injector last night. Also enjoy the movie deal. Is it worth it? To me it is. It's kind of like having a Yeti. If you got it to spare then get it. To me, the movie/TV deal is worth the $99 bucks. That's a tad cheaper than Netflix. I guess it's like anything else. It appeals to some but not others. Me, I like it. 

SmokeyPitt

SGH said:

Ron I have Prime. I order crap all of the time. Ordered a briner, a skimmer, a couple of knives and new injector last night. Also enjoy the movie deal. Is it worth it? To me it is. It's kind of like having a Yeti. If you got it to spare then get it. To me, the movie/TV deal is worth the $99 bucks. That's a tad cheaper than Netflix. I guess it's like anything else. It appeals to some but not others. Me, I like it. 

Exactly this.  If you take advantage of of Amazon Prime instant video it is a no-brainer. I have watched countless shows.  For example, right now I am watching The Newsroom which is a great HBO series.  

This would be a much better argument if I didn't pay for HBO and Netflix, but that is beside the point. 

Also...once you go Prime you can never go back.  I ordered the famous @Cazzy brisket knife on Wed and had it Friday ready for the weekend brisket cook. 

NPHuskerFL

We've been on Prime for awhile now. 

RRP

Well, yet another quirk of mine has been revealed! I have never used Netflix nor do I rent any movies, nor do I watch any TV series and extremely little TV at all. Now that you guys have explained why it's a good deal for you I understand. "Thanks", Ron said as he crawled back under his rock!
BTW the last movie I saw in a theatre was the Johnny Cash story or The Story of Pi.

SGH

RRP said:

"Thanks", Ron said as he crawled back under his rock!
BTW the last movie I saw in a theatre was the Johnny Cash story 

First, Johnny Cash kicked a$$ and was one of my all time favorites. Next, no need to crawl under a rock my friend. We all like different things. I don't really watch that much tv, but I like having a wide assortment to chose from. I have DirecTV, Apple TV, Hulu, Netflix and Prime. In a way it's redundant, but I that's just how I like it. That may explain why I have so many smokers as well. Glad to hear that you was a Cash fan as well my friend.  

lewisj82

I'm an Amazon junkie. We have prime, I have a wishlist a mile long, I use the instant video all the time and my primary means of listening to music these days is through Amazon Prime Music. Wife has a kindle that she's always reading.

The prime shipping always helps, although you can look through other sellers and on occasion there is someone selling cheaper with free shipping or it's just cheaper than buying direct from amazon and paying for the other guys shipping. They have sales for prime members on occasion also. 

RRP

LOL - I was a Cash fan way back in 1962 before country was cool! That's what I liked about the movie's flashbacks as I remember when JC's life was a series of highs and lows. The man battled many demons in his life time.

SGH

RRP said:

before country was cool! 

That was actually a song by the very attractive Barbara Mandrel (When country wasn't cool). 

nolaegghead

Everyone pays for shipping, either through dues for Prime, buying enough stuff, itemized shipping costs or included in the cost of the item with free shipping or a combination thereof.

Your net price regardless of how you itemize the shipping, is what it costs you.  There's a cost to drive around to stores to shop...in gas and your time.  We pay for it one way or another...no one gives stuff away for free.  As consumers, we want to get what we want and minimize the profit made off our purchase.

SGH

@RRP
When country wasn't cool.  

http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=NN50ZU6jVwM

Ozzie_Isaac

I have prime.  I always order things and am to impatient to wait.  I kept making $35 orders and decided I would rather just get prime instead of packing my order with junk for $35 limit.

My vice is blurays.  Sales last a few days so wishlist doesn't work for me.

When I'm not in a hurry I select "No Rush Shipping" and get a $1-$3 dollar digital downloa credit.

KSwoll

Prime Members can also utilize the Amazon Drive for cloud storage of pics and such.

smoke-n

Ozzie_Isaac said:

I have prime.  I always order things and am to impatient to wait.  I kept making $35 orders and decided I would rather just get prime instead of packing my order with junk for $35 limit.

My vice is blurays.  Sales last a few days so wishlist doesn't work for me.

When I'm not in a hurry I select "No Rush Shipping" and get a $1-$3 dollar digital downloa credit.

Yea I'd order $30 worth of stuff and then i would have to buy my dog another toy just to get free shipping.  

buzd504

SGH said:

RRP said:

"Thanks", Ron said as he crawled back under his rock!
BTW the last movie I saw in a theatre was the Johnny Cash story 

First, Johnny Cash kicked a$$ and was one of my all time favorites. Next, no need to crawl under a rock my friend. We all like different things. I don't really watch that much tv, but I like having a wide assortment to chose from. I have DirecTV, Apple TV, Hulu, Netflix and Prime. In a way it's redundant, but I that's just how I like it. That may explain why I have so many smokers as well. Glad to hear that you was a Cash fan as well my friend.  

All you need now is a Kodi box.

MJG

I really like the Amazon Prime Music App. They are setting up a warehouse just outside of Boston...same day delivery and groceries soon!  

Dredger

We love Prime. We order a lot of non- GMO food products and buy the Hatch chiles by the case. I know they're aren't as good as smoking them on the Egg yourself, but they are handy to have on hand. Also, I had rather have my fingernails pulled out than go to a shopping mall.

JohnH12

RRP said:

Well, yet another quirk of mine has been revealed! I have never used Netflix nor do I rent any movies, nor do I watch any TV series and extremely little TV at all. Now that you guys have explained why it's a good deal for you I understand. "Thanks", Ron said as he crawled back under his rock!
BTW the last movie I saw in a theatre was the Johnny Cash story or The Story of Pi.

The last time I went to a movie theater was about 1983 while stationed in Beeville, TX. The carpet was squishing as we walked to our seats. The wife stayed for the movie but I went back to the truck to wait.
I haven't missed a thing either.

rosem

I have prime. But I live in the city and get pretty much everything (other than groceries) through amazon. 

SoCalTim

I too have Prime, one added benefit is that with a minimum $35 dollar order I can get my order the same day. That's really nice!

nolaegghead

SoCalTim said:

I too have Prime, one added benefit is that with a minimum $35 dollar order I can get my order the same day. That's really nice!

Wha?!  I didn't know that!

SoCalTim

nolaegghead said:

SoCalTim said:

I too have Prime, one added benefit is that with a minimum $35 dollar order I can get my order the same day. That's really nice!

Wha?!  I didn't know that!

Yes, it's available to only major cities ... but will be available to the rest of the country by early January (at least that's what I read in the paper)

SmokeyPitt

SoCalTim said:

nolaegghead said:

SoCalTim said:

I too have Prime, one added benefit is that with a minimum $35 dollar order I can get my order the same day. That's really nice!

Wha?!  I didn't know that!

Yes, it's available to only major cities ... but will be available to the rest of the country by early January (at least that's what I read in the paper)

I think it is called Amazon Prime Now.  I read in some cities it includes beer, wine, liquor.  Game over...I would never leave the house. 

Legume

What about mail order brides?  Same day?

Davec433

We have prime and my wife is always ordering stuff. We use their pantry as well to buy Gatorade and a bunch of other stuff.

HofstraJet

Ozzie_Isaac said:

When I'm not in a hurry I select "No Rush Shipping" and get a $1-$3 dollar digital downloa credit.

This.  I order items one at a time if I have multiple items to get the digital credit. Pays for Prime over the course of a year. And it is nice to get everything in two days and have the option of one day for a few dollars when you need it.  And I have tried the Prime Now in NYC and Miami, FL and it works great. Can't wait until I can get it at home.

HeavyG

With Prime I don't have to wait until I have a large enough order to get "free" shipping.

Prime spoils you - if you need a single $3 item in the next day or two - Click and done.

Depending upon which warehouse the item is in it's not unusual for me to get stuff the next day for "free".

It's hard to imagine how Amazon makes money shipping me a $3 microSD card the next day (actually Amazon rarely makes a profit) but I have read that their approach with Prime is just like Costco - they make most of their money just from the membership fee. However, Costco doesn't have to eat shipping charges to my front door.

I'd really like to see all the actual costs involved in them shipping an order consisting solely of a $3 item.

I've been a Prime member from day one and can't imagine being an Amazon customer sans Prime membership. All the other bennies - the videos, storage, etc. are just icing on the cake.

SoCalTim

Here's something you might not know, if a 'Prime' delivery takes longer than promised, Amazon will extend your annual membership by a month or credit you account the equivalent of a months service, whichever you prefer.

Judy Mayberry

Ditto all the Prime users. I had a severe injury several months ago and since then have used it for every piddly thing I want to buy, except for grocery store items. No traveling to compare prices, look for certain brands, or hard-to-find items. Little time wasted to find it cheaper. Amazon is a great resource for customer reviews, by the way. They have changed my mind one way or another many times.

And streaming Amazon...I don't watch it often but it's there if I want it. A big plus are all the boxes...perfect for sending packages when I sell on eBay!

The smallest roll of butcher paper they offer just arrived! Going to try my first packer.

Smoker317

My probes on my Maverick took a dump, I ordered a 733, on SUNDAY around NOON.  Free shipping to my door that evening by 8:00 PM.  Of course we have an Amazon distribution center less than 50 miles from my house.  It is amazing how many things I get shipped Prime, next day...

Before my inlaws passed, they lived about an hours drive away.  When they needed driveway salt, bird seed, etc..  I would just order and it was delivered to their door.  Prime really rocks with the heavy and/or bulky items.

Not such a big deal now with fuel as cheap as it is, but when gas was 4 bucks a gallon, I know we saved a bunch not driving different places.  I still use eBay on occasion as most stuff on eBay these days seems to be free shipping and there is no sales tax unlike Amazon and Indiana.

On some things, I have been waiting for one week shipping and getting pantry credit.  With the pantry, one can order household goods for a flat shipping of like 5 bucks or something for a large box.  You can order X number of items to fill your "box."  I saved enough credit up to get enough garbage bags and zip lock bags to last a year for five bucks or so.

We love prime.