Amazon Prime -- Anyone use it?

Chrisoc13 · Post by **Chrisoc13** » Wed Apr 03, 2013 4:53 pm

Ugh the add on thing hit me again today. An item (a Plano case I have used for several board games) that is normally around $3 free shipping (I have bought 4 or 5 in the last year) is not $3 as an add-on only item. They certainly are not just giving us free shipping on more items, they are absolutely moving Prime items to add-on status. That irks me.

Blackhawk · Post by **Blackhawk** » Wed Apr 03, 2013 5:17 pm

As I'm on a search to find better storage for my own games, could you link that?

Chrisoc13 · Post by **Chrisoc13** » Wed Apr 03, 2013 5:33 pm

Blackhawk wrote:As I'm on a search to find better storage for my own games, could you link that?

I like this small one for small amounts of tokens, but it depends on the game. For most game I actually find the best storage solutions by going to boardgamegeek.com and searching the individual games forum for storage solutions. I'm also rather fond of this Plano box. I still keep most of my games in their original boxes I just take out the really bad inserts and replace them with a plano. For some games (Merchant of Venus) it makes the game much much better. For some I think it is just a bit obsessive of me.

Blackhawk · Post by **Blackhawk** » Wed Apr 03, 2013 5:49 pm

Thanks. I have been using bead boxes from the hobby store for mine (Ravenloft et al, Tannhauser, Gears of War) mostly for markers and miniatures, mainly to protect them and sort them so that I don't have to fumble during games, but have been wanting something a little sturdier and with a little more room.

Chrisoc13 · Post by **Chrisoc13** » Thu Apr 04, 2013 10:32 am

Blackhawk wrote:Thanks. I have been using bead boxes from the hobby store for mine (Ravenloft et al, Tannhauser, Gears of War) mostly for markers and miniatures, mainly to protect them and sort them so that I don't have to fumble during games, but have been wanting something a little sturdier and with a little more room.

Here's a geeklist with lots of games and the storage solutions people have come up with.

Zaxxon · Post by **Zaxxon** » Thu Apr 04, 2013 10:50 am

I had a fun add-on item incident this week. I bought 3x the cheap add-on + a mouse, together totaling a bit over the $25 minimum.

Amazon shipped the mouse in one box and the add-ons in another box.

Blackhawk · Post by **Blackhawk** » Thu Apr 04, 2013 11:00 am

Chrisoc13 wrote:
Blackhawk wrote:Thanks. I have been using bead boxes from the hobby store for mine (Ravenloft et al, Tannhauser, Gears of War) mostly for markers and miniatures, mainly to protect them and sort them so that I don't have to fumble during games, but have been wanting something a little sturdier and with a little more room.
Here's a geeklist with lots of games and the storage solutions people have come up with.

Great thread, thank you. It reminded me how badly I wanted to get my cards sleeved. I really, really wish I had a local game store.

Blackhawk · Post by **Blackhawk** » Thu Apr 04, 2013 11:01 am

Zaxxon wrote:I had a fun add-on item incident this week. I bought 3x the cheap add-on + a mouse, together totaling a bit over the $25 minimum.

Amazon shipped the mouse in one box and the add-ons in another box.

I... They...

Chrisoc13 · Post by **Chrisoc13** » Thu Apr 04, 2013 11:14 am

Zaxxon wrote:I had a fun add-on item incident this week. I bought 3x the cheap add-on + a mouse, together totaling a bit over the $25 minimum.

Amazon shipped the mouse in one box and the add-ons in another box.

This adds to my suspicion that the $25 thing is just to drive up sales and the shipping issue is being used as an excuse...

Zaxxon · Post by **Zaxxon** » Thu Apr 04, 2013 11:36 am

Chrisoc13 wrote:
Zaxxon wrote:I had a fun add-on item incident this week. I bought 3x the cheap add-on + a mouse, together totaling a bit over the $25 minimum.

Amazon shipped the mouse in one box and the add-ons in another box.
This adds to my suspicion that the $25 thing is just to drive up sales and the shipping issue is being used as an excuse...

I think the truth is probably somewhere in the middle. In my case, the items came from 2 different warehouses. I would suspect if the items I ordered were all available in one location, they'd have shipped together.

Brian · Post by **Brian** » Thu Apr 04, 2013 11:40 am

Yeah, I just put together an order with five different items (one of which was an add-on) and every single item is shipping from a different location.

Blackhawk · Post by **Blackhawk** » Thu Apr 04, 2013 11:46 am

It's also because of people like me who abused the Prime system by ordering a $1.50 pack of paper clips that cost $2.50 to ship.

ska5fe · Post by **ska5fe** » Thu Apr 04, 2013 2:00 pm

Chrisoc13 wrote:
Zaxxon wrote:I had a fun add-on item incident this week. I bought 3x the cheap add-on + a mouse, together totaling a bit over the $25 minimum.

Amazon shipped the mouse in one box and the add-ons in another box.
This adds to my suspicion that the $25 thing is just to drive up sales and the shipping issue is being used as an excuse...

It's not so much about driving up sales as it is stopping the dam of taking a huge loss on those sales. I don't know if you follow the quarterly results, but Amazon runs on a razor-thin margin, and any profit they do make goes right back into the company.

Chrisoc13 · Post by **Chrisoc13** » Thu Apr 04, 2013 2:17 pm

ska5fe wrote:
Chrisoc13 wrote:
Zaxxon wrote:I had a fun add-on item incident this week. I bought 3x the cheap add-on + a mouse, together totaling a bit over the $25 minimum.

Amazon shipped the mouse in one box and the add-ons in another box.
This adds to my suspicion that the $25 thing is just to drive up sales and the shipping issue is being used as an excuse...
It's not so much about driving up sales as it is stopping the dam of taking a huge loss on those sales. I don't know if you follow the quarterly results, but Amazon runs on a razor-thin margin, and any profit they do make goes right back into the company.

But if they ship them independently anyways... they are still taking the loss. Which is why I can't help but think that this is not just to stop taking a loss, but also it will help drive up sales. I almost did it yesterday. I wanted that Plano so I almost found $22 worth of stuff to add to my order before I realized what I was doing and decided to just wait.

LawBeefaroni · Post by **LawBeefaroni** » Thu Apr 04, 2013 2:20 pm

Chrisoc13 wrote: But if they ship them independently anyways... they are still taking the loss. Which is why I can't help but think that this is not just to stop taking a loss, but also it will help drive up sales. I almost did it yesterday. I wanted that Plano so I almost found $22 worth of stuff to add to my order before I realized what I was doing and decided to just wait.

The other items probably help offset the loss. And they don't always ship independently, probably just when there is no alternative.

I know the last add-on I got shipped with another item.

Blackhawk · Post by **Blackhawk** » Thu Apr 04, 2013 2:47 pm

They're hoping that people will add an extra $5 item to their cart to get the free shipping. It likely works (part of the time), too.

Boudreaux · Post by **Boudreaux** » Thu Apr 04, 2013 3:35 pm

I just ordered a bunch of Plano boxes recently, almost all of which were $3-$4 Add-On Items. I found one Plano box that was not an add-on and included it as the "main" item in my cart.

In the end I got the 3705, a 3650, three 3500s and three 3600s for about $35 shipped, or a touch over $4 each.

Isgrimnur · Post by **Isgrimnur** » Fri Oct 25, 2013 6:41 pm

Super Saver just got bumped up a level:

Amazon's minimum order size for free shipping has changed to $35. This is the first time in more than a decade that Amazon has altered the minimum order for free shipping in the US. During that time, we have expanded free shipping selection by millions of items across all 40 product categories. Look for "FREE Shipping" on product pages to discover eligible items.

And then they try and convince you to go with Prime.

Scuzz · Post by **Scuzz** » Fri Oct 25, 2013 6:47 pm

My daughter wants me to spend the money for prime ($79?). Without reading through this entire thread can someone give me the pros/cons for this. She said something about 4 people could use the account.

Isgrimnur · Post by **Isgrimnur** » Fri Oct 25, 2013 7:00 pm

Depends on how much you order. It's "Free" 2-day shipping on almost everything, streaming, and a kindle borrowing library. You can try it for 30 days for free. Or there's their simple pitch page. Then there's the T&C page:

If you sign up for a free trial or paid Prime membership, you may invite up to four eligible household members (living at the same address) to enjoy the shipping benefits of your free trial or paid Prime membership at no extra cost (invitees).

naednek · Post by **naednek** » Fri Oct 25, 2013 7:02 pm

Scuzz wrote:My daughter wants me to spend the money for prime ($79?). Without reading through this entire thread can someone give me the pros/cons for this. She said something about 4 people could use the account.

2 day free shipping
release day shipping for games and i assume CDs/movies
free access to their video on demand

it's truly a great thing. You just have to see your shopping habits if it's worth your while.

Scuzz · Post by **Scuzz** » Fri Oct 25, 2013 7:05 pm

Okay, I didn't know you got the video service with it. The "same address" thing would eliminate one of the reason for doing it though. I do use it a lot during the holidays, and my daughter uses it all year round.

Think they would let me arrange the free 30 day trial around the holiday buying period, say mid-November to mid-December? Might be an idea there.

Pyperkub · Post by **Pyperkub** » Fri Oct 25, 2013 7:11 pm

Scuzz wrote:My daughter wants me to spend the money for prime ($79?). Without reading through this entire thread can someone give me the pros/cons for this. She said something about 4 people could use the account.

If she's in College, she should be able to get it for free by using her .edu email. May be limited to a year only tho.

My favorite thing is christmas shopping - 2 day shipping all the time (and you can pay for wrapping if you like).

Others - free kindle book loans on certain books
free streaming library for prime members

Scuzz · Post by **Scuzz** » Fri Oct 25, 2013 7:13 pm

Pyperkub wrote:
Scuzz wrote:My daughter wants me to spend the money for prime ($79?). Without reading through this entire thread can someone give me the pros/cons for this. She said something about 4 people could use the account.
If she's in College, she should be able to get it for free by using her .edu email. May be limited to a year only tho.

My favorite thing is christmas shopping - 2 day shipping all the time (and you can pay for wrapping if you like).

Others - free kindle book loans on certain books
free streaming library for prime members

She just graduated college and chose to stay in LA. Crazy girl. We haven't got into kindle books yet. Do they offer audio books? My wife is heavy into that.

naednek · Post by **naednek** » Fri Oct 25, 2013 7:21 pm

naednek wrote:
Scuzz wrote:My daughter wants me to spend the money for prime ($79?). Without reading through this entire thread can someone give me the pros/cons for this. She said something about 4 people could use the account.

2 day free shipping
release day shipping for games and i assume CDs/movies
free access to their video on demand

it's truly a great thing. You just have to see your shopping habits if it's worth your while.

my brother is on my prime account and he doesn't live with me...

Calavera[GG] · Post by **Calavera[GG]** » Fri Oct 25, 2013 7:28 pm

"Kindle" audio books are Audible.com. They've actually linked the audio book to the eBook if you use a kindle.

Baroquen · Post by **Baroquen** » Fri Oct 25, 2013 7:37 pm

The prime instant video doesn't carry over to other email on the account, though, right? I use it all the time as the primary account holder, but I thought my wife told me she doesn't have the option? Or am I wrong on this one?

So the bump in Super Shipper Savings doesn't affect me, but lucky us - Amazon's building a distribution center in Baltimore. So I'll get to pay the sales tax soon. Hooray...

malchior · Post by **malchior** » Fri Oct 25, 2013 7:46 pm

Baroquen wrote:The prime instant video doesn't carry over to other email on the account, though, right? I use it all the time as the primary account holder, but I thought my wife told me she doesn't have the option? Or am I wrong on this one?

Nope you are correct. You don't have to be at the same physical address but it only confers the shipping benefit.

stessier · Post by **stessier** » Sat Oct 26, 2013 4:08 am

Scuzz wrote:Okay, I didn't know you got the video service with it. The "same address" thing would eliminate one of the reason for doing it though. I do use it a lot during the holidays, and my daughter uses it all year round.

Think they would let me arrange the free 30 day trial around the holiday buying period, say mid-November to mid-December? Might be an idea there.

The same address thing must only be for the free trial. I have a paid Prime account and let my relatives in MA, IN, and CA use it without issues. They get the 2 day free shipping, but none of the other benefits (basically instant videos).

Edit - or what the people said just above me.

Pyperkub · Post by **Pyperkub** » Sat Oct 26, 2013 4:10 am

Calavera[GG] wrote:"Kindle" audio books are Audible.com. They've actually linked the audio book to the eBook if you use a kindle.

There is also a 'read to me' feature that many of the ebooks don't disable. At least on my kindle 3g, not sure about the paperwhites. I don't know that I'd recommend it, but it's there and can be neat.

Anonymous Bosch · Post by **Anonymous Bosch** » Mon Oct 28, 2013 10:07 am

Scuzz wrote:Think they would let me arrange the free 30 day trial around the holiday buying period, say mid-November to mid-December? Might be an idea there.

FWIW, you can get a three-month free trial of Amazon Prime if you sign up through Amazon Mom.

Smoove_B · Post by **Smoove_B** » Mon Nov 11, 2013 10:51 am

New benefit for Prime members - possible SUNDAY delivery via USPS in select metro areas.

The deal, announced on Sunday and taking effect immediately, in time for the holiday shopping season, gives the Postal Service a chance to take some business from United Parcel Service and FedEx, which do not deliver on Sundays. Now, some orders that would have been handled by either of those carriers for Monday delivery will go through the Postal Service and arrive on Sunday.

...

For this holiday shopping season, Sunday delivery of Amazon products will be limited to the Los Angeles and New York metropolitan areas, which in New York’s case includes parts of New Jersey and Connecticut. In 2014 it is expected to expand to other cities including Dallas, Houston, New Orleans and Phoenix.

Among the primary beneficiaries of the new delivery schedule will be Amazon Prime members, who pay an annual fee for premium services including free two-day shipping for certain items, said Kelly Cheeseman, a spokeswoman for Amazon. “Now every day can be an Amazon delivery day,” Ms. Cheeseman said.

Blackhawk · Post by **Blackhawk** » Mon Jan 06, 2014 12:52 am

Just put in my first order of the new year.

Just paid my first tax on an Amazon purchase.

I buy enough through Amazon that 7% over the course of the year will be a not-insignificant increase. Ah, well. It isn't like it is a new tax - it is just one that was being quietly ignored up until now.

Matrix · Post by **Matrix** » Tue Jan 07, 2014 12:41 am

I find their streaming video while not having as wide selection of other services, is awesome since it doesnt have ads. Hulu plus was garbage where you pay for membership and then they make you watch 4 ads. I couldn't stand it. I dont watch much, so i find amazon selection satisfactory. In addition a shop a bunch on amazon, and 2 day shipping is nice. Though streaming is biggest reason for me to have it.

Smoove_B · Post by **Smoove_B** » Thu Jan 30, 2014 7:54 pm

Cost possibly increasing by $40...

CFO Tom Szkutak said growing transportation costs may cause the online retail giant to add between $20 to $40 to the subscription fee. Prime -- which offers free, two-day shipping on certain items and access to Amazon's Prime Instant Video library and Kindle lending library -- currently costs $79 a year. He said the subscription service, has become very popular in the last nine years. Prime eligible items have grown from 1 million to 19 million units, according to Szkutak.

"Shipping costs have gone up a lot, fuel costs have gone up a lot," he said.

I think it's an incredible value when you factor in the Prime video library, but for $120 a year they'd need to really ramping up the content. I'm already not enjoying the sales tax hit...but in reality it's still a better option than driving around in my car.

Zaxxon · Post by **Zaxxon** » Thu Jan 30, 2014 8:01 pm

Concur. Or it would be nice to break up the Prime services if they raise the price (eg keep your 2-day shipping for $79, pay $40 for video/kindle or something).

Pyperkub · Post by **Pyperkub** » Thu Jan 30, 2014 8:05 pm

Been re- watching Veronica Mars on prime video. Excellent.

Blackhawk · Post by **Blackhawk** » Thu Jan 30, 2014 8:12 pm

Ouch. I'd have to consider very carefully how I wanted to proceed.

I'd gladly give up the library and video streaming to retain the lower price for the shipping. The streaming is great, but I've rarely ever used it, as I have enough content on Netflix to last me for years.

msteelers · Post by **msteelers** » Thu Jan 30, 2014 8:42 pm

And I would rather keep the streaming and pay for shipping.

If it jumps up to $120 a year I might have to consider dropping the service.

Brian · Post by **Brian** » Thu Jan 30, 2014 8:47 pm

msteelers wrote:And I would rather keep the streaming and pay for shipping.

And I'm on Blackhawks side of the fence. There hasn't been anything on the streaming Amazon service that I want to watch that I can't already get via Netflix.

However, we order a LOT of stuff via Amazon so the shipping has more than paid for cost of Prime.