Amazon dropped the non-Prime free shipping minimum to $35.

[rh71]

I still find myself buying stuff under $25 often enough that can't always wait a week (otherwise I'd just drive to the store). Pay for Prime by taking advantage of some credit card reward money like the Better Balance BoA card (thanks again Ross)

 

[ImpulsE69]

Sales taxes are right to pay in every way. Why should some company shipping from out of state get a competitive advantage over another company that has stores in your state, employing people in your state, paying property taxes in your state, generating income taxes from those employees in your state, etc.?

Answer: there is no reason. It's a historical aberration from 'let's help the internet get off the ground' and the practical difficulties collecting the tax.

Those taxes go for extremely helpful and needed things. They pay for the medical care for the less fortunate. They pay for the state services that do a lot for the public. They pay for a lot of good programs. I think it's basically short-sighted, destructive selfishness that leads people to say "no way I'm paying sales tax on my new big screen tv". Pay it and be proud as a citizen.

Or, how about if there's a loophole, like all the ones people richer than me have, you take it. Like a proud citizen. I pay plenty of taxes, I'll take the breaks where I can.

I sure as hell won't feel guilty about it.

 

[Craig234]

Or, how about if there's a loophole, like all the ones people richer than me have, you take it. Like a proud citizen. I pay plenty of taxes, I'll take the breaks where I can.

I sure as hell won't feel guilty about it.

Sales tax isn't one to try to evade, and is one to feel guilty about trying to weasel out of.

So many people think they're such victims - because they think 'people richer than them' have it better so it's ok to not pay your fair share as if you're getting even with an injustice.

And in a way, that's not wrong. The rich do have it unfairly advantaged over you.

But the solution to that is not for everyone to try to not pay taxes also.

It's to increase theirs by removing unfair benefits. Then you can lower yours.

 

[Aikouka]

Sales taxes are right to pay in every way. Why should some company shipping from out of state get a competitive advantage over another company that has stores in your state, employing people in your state, paying property taxes in your state, generating income taxes from those employees in your state, etc.?

The problem is that the amount that we're being charged is actually more than what it would be if you paid it on your income tax. We don't have a physical Amazon presence here, but they're charging us 9% now, which is the tax that you'd get if you went to a local score. However, if you paid the tax on your state taxes, which is where you'd handle it in the past, you'd only pay 4%. I'm paying over twice as much now.

 

[Dr. Zaus]

Living in Washington the only Best Buy is across the river in Oregon. I don't even know how to pay my taxes on this crap.

That said, I went out of my way last year to make sue I paid for my 40k in cars, so one 4K TV and a VR rig ant too bad of evasion.

 

[HamburgerBoy]

I got fucked recently by Amazon raising the free shipping limit from $25 to $35... Ended up spending almost $50 for that one extra item to push it past $35, decided that I didn't really need any of those things right now. Would have spent about $30. I could return them but I may need them later and mailing stuff is annoying -- especially because my printer is only hooked up to my laptop that I rarely use.

"I got fucked recently by my inability to budget appropriately and refrain from buying things I don't need, and I'm too lazy to power up my laptop on the other side of the room and waste other peoples' time and gasoline to return them so that I may buy them again later with free shipping once I do eventually need them so that I might save a few bucks"

 

[Svnla]

I am still mad at AZ for increasing the minimum requirement for their GCs to $1. Greedy bastards.

Used to be $0.15 minimum not too long ago.

 

[Craig234]

The problem is that the amount that we're being charged is actually more than what it would be if you paid it on your income tax. We don't have a physical Amazon presence here, but they're charging us 9% now, which is the tax that you'd get if you went to a local score. However, if you paid the tax on your state taxes, which is where you'd handle it in the past, you'd only pay 4%. I'm paying over twice as much now.

But I don't see why the local store should be at a disadvantage - they're giving more benefit to your community.

 

[Imp]

"I got fucked recently by my inability to budget appropriately and refrain from buying things I don't need, and I'm too lazy to power up my laptop on the other side of the room and waste other peoples' time and gasoline to return them so that I may buy them again later with free shipping once I do eventually need them so that I might save a few bucks"

How nice of you to make it out P&N to make a self-deprecating post more insulting.

 

[VirtualLarry]

Pretty sure the US Constitution gives the power to regulate "interstate commerce" over to the Federal Gov't. And States are prohibited from taxing exports and imports from other states.

It's not tax evasion, it's obeying the highest Law of the land.

 

[HamburgerBoy]

How nice of you to make it out P&N to make a self-deprecating post more insulting.

Your post didn't look self-deprecating to me. If you already knew your place, my bad.

 

[Aikouka]

But I don't see why the local store should be at a disadvantage - they're giving more benefit to your community.

What do you mean a disadvantage? They have the innate advantage of immediate access. Why do you think people used to joke that sales tax was the "get it now tax"?

 

[Imp]

I am still mad at AZ for increasing the minimum requirement for their GCs to $1. Greedy bastards.

Used to be $0.15 minimum not too long ago.

I want to ask why you need an amount that small, but I almost ordered a $1 gift card a while back to see if an old credit card still worked... then I couldn't find the card.

Speaking of Amazon, I didn't realize until yesterday that they opened a new fulfillment center with robots near the one I usually get my stuff from. They're cool but not really from what I understand: essentially an army of Roombas that jack up a stack of shelves so pickers no longer need to run 10+ miles a shift from shelf to shelf, the shelf comes to them. Can't replace human dexterity yet? Replace the legs.

 

[Imp]

Your post didn't look self-deprecating to me. If you already knew your place, my bad.

Like where I exaggerated getting "fucked" over a whole $10 change in Amazon's shipping policy? And that I could get my money back by just turning on my laptop and mailing it -- implying I'm lazy? The fact that I was bitching about buying stuff impulsively but keeping it anyway because I kind of need it?

 

[Muse]

Just noticed this today as I was dropping stuff into my cart (never saw this thread or other info online). I will move those items to Save for Later, I keep stuff there either to make my minimum free shipping limit or to remind me to research reviews.

Yes, it was evidently Walmart's lowering their free shipping limit from $50 to $35 that triggered the Amazon move back to $35. I've taken advantage of Walmart's free shipping several times, but way way fewer than Amazon's. I can't see shelling out for Prime at Amazon. It used to be a lot cheaper and I was thinking about it then but at $99/year, I'm not signing on.

 

[rh71]

If only we can get Toys R Us to drop their shipping minimum full time.

 

[Muse]

Hot dam, this is welcome.
I rarely order directly from Amazon due to the $50 min., plus the fact that they'll wait 4-5 days to ship half the time - maybe because they want to bundle and have to shuffle stuff, or another order from you appears imminent and they know they can combine the two orders - or maybe it's purely because you aren't paying for shipping.

I don't think they'll wait because you have something in your cart, I've never seen that. Most of the time I have something in my cart, anyway... they could be sleuthing your buying tendencies YMMV but I doubt they do that. What I think they do is combine when they can for free shipping and that slows it down sometimes. I usually don't care that much, a day or two is rarely important to me in online ordering. What grates on me sometimes is ordering from China. We're talking weeks and weeks sometimes. In my experience, Amazon free shipping with 25, 35, 49 minimum has been quick enough most of the time. I leave a ton of stuff in my save for later bin and usually have a few things in my cart. I shuffle stuff around to get in under the minimum for free shipping. Dropping it to 35 from 49 will make my shipments more frequent. Glad they did that, hope it holds.

 

[13Gigatons]

I'm starting to buy only 3rd party sellers on Amazon and avoid the whole Amazon warehouse slavery. No minimum shipping and it ships faster.

 

[FeuerFrei]

I'm starting to buy only 3rd party sellers on Amazon and avoid the whole Amazon warehouse slavery. No minimum shipping and it ships faster.

That's how I roll. No minimum. Ships quicker. Costs less (or same).

 

[dullard]

I'm starting to buy only 3rd party sellers on Amazon and avoid the whole Amazon warehouse slavery. No minimum shipping and it ships faster.

Amazon is forcing that on me. I went to order 4 things yesterday and only 1 of the 4 would Amazon let a non-Prime member order.

Exclusively for Amazon Prime Members
This item, sold by Amazon.com, is currently reserved exclusively for Prime members.
Amazon Prime members also enjoy:

• Unlimited Free Two-Day Shipping
• Instant streaming of over 40,000 movies and TV episodes
• A Kindle book to borrow for free each month - with no due dates
• Over a million songs and hundreds of playlists

Try Primer free for 30 days. Cancel anytime.
See other buying options from other sellers.

 

[Elixer]

Looks like the $35 minimum was too high, it is back down to $25.

To place an order online, do the following:

1. Add at least $25 of eligible items to your Shopping Cart. Any item with "FREE Shipping" messaging on the product detail page that is fulfilled and shipped by Amazon is eligible and contributes to your free shipping order minimum.
   
2. Do one of the following:
   • To place the order using the shopping cart:
     1. Proceed to checkout.
     2. Ship your items to a single U.S. address in one of the 50 states.
     3. Select Group my items into as few shipments as possible as your shipping preference.
     4. Select FREE Shipping as your shipping speed.
   • To place an order using 1-Click®:
     1. Click Review or edit your 1-Click orders on the 1-Click® confirmation page.
     2. Click Change next to Shipping Speed.
     3. Select FREE Shipping as your shipping speed.

For more information on how to qualify, go to About Free Shipping by Amazon. You can get unlimited FREE Two-Day Shipping on eligible items with Amazon Prime. No minimum spend is required to qualify.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/help/customer/display.html?nodeId=527692

 

[Carson Dyle]

Gotta wonder what's going on with them. I was going to place an order last week, but couldn't find anything I needed for $6 or whatever to hit $35. Bought the item from Walmart instead, with free shipping (and for some reason, no local taxes).

 

[pcslookout]

Gotta wonder what's going on with them. I was going to place an order last week, but couldn't find anything I needed for $6 or whatever to hit $35. Bought the item from Walmart instead, with free shipping (and for some reason, no local taxes).

What did you buy ?