Amazon Prime might see a $20 to $40 price hike

[SlitheryDee]

I get it today? I don't have to worry about it being delivered via USPS who won't leave it at my door? Amazon isn't always cheaper? Ultimately, it just comes down to various factors that determine where I will buy it from, but I don't just exclude B&M stores automatically!

I still go to B&M stores a lot, but being able to order something I need at the moment I realize I need it means a lot to me. It's not about price or speed for most things, but more about being able to check that item off the list and not think about it anymore. I never seem to be able to compile a complete list of what I should pick up from the store, and I always seem to forget something that I've been reminding myself for days to get. Yet at some point all the things that I was reminding myself of DID occur to me. If I had just ordered them from amazon at that moment I would be done with them.

It makes sense that I would like that prospect, because it's basically how I live the rest of my life too. If I want to get something done, I better do it at the time it occurs to me to do it or else I always forget. I can't plan to do things in the future, even if it somehow works out to be more efficient that way. I think I'm a rare breed of absent minded though.

 

[IndyColtsFan]

And the selection a BB is only about 10% of what Amazon offers, and you have to put up with the dweebs in blue shirts trying to up-sell you.

Exactly. For any electronics I'd need, it would likely boil down to driving 45-60 minutes to Fry's or ordering from Amazon. Unless it is extremely urgent, I'm going to order from Amazon (or Newegg). Best Buy's selection sucks and they're not even a consideration most of the time.

I do have a funny Best Buy story though. For whatever reason, my in-laws gave me a $100 Best Buy card for Christmas. So I went to Best Buy and bought $100 worth of Amazon gift cards. When I went to pay for them, they actually gave me ANOTHER $15 Best Buy card!! I almost turned around and put it towards another $25 Amazon card, but I was simply floored they'd give me ANOTHER gift card.

 

[Rhezuss]

I never understood the use of Prime...
I don't have it and my orders ALWAYS get to me under 3 days using the standard Free shipping for orders over 25$.

I really don't see why i'd pay 50$ a year to have the same service?
Is there any other advantage to Prime then fast shipping?

 

[KaOTiK]

I really like Prime, but when possible I purchase locally using price matching. I rather support local business so that they are still there. I live close to most major stores and can be there within 5 mins for most. While I do value my time and gas, there is something to be said about instant gratification and getting the item right then. Also, when I go to the store I make sure I am going out to complete a few things at once, be it stopping at the grocery store to pick up some meat as well as stopping somewhere else.

I'd rather Amazon remove the streaming/extras of prime and make them their own cheap little service instead of raising the price. Or offer Prime in x months blocks or monthly, I use it more around the holiday time then the rest of the year combined.

 

[nageov3t]

I never understood the use of Prime...
I don't have it and my orders ALWAYS get to me under 3 days using the standard Free shipping for orders over 25$.

I really don't see why i'd pay 50$ a year to have the same service?
Is there any other advantage to Prime then fast shipping?

I justify it with the free Kindle book every month along with shipping (and I frequently have orders under $35 when I'm just ordering something stupid like an ethernet cable or some cooking ingredient that I can't find locally).

I'm surprised Amazon doesn't do that with their video rentals just to get people using the service... throw in one free movie rental/month or something. might make people more likely to pay for a second.

 

[Schfifty Five]

I never understood the use of Prime...
I don't have it and my orders ALWAYS get to me under 3 days using the standard Free shipping for orders over 25$.

I really don't see why i'd pay 50$ a year to have the same service?
Is there any other advantage to Prime then fast shipping?

For most people it's $80/yr. However, the $80 subscription comes with their unlimited tv/movie streaming which is pretty decent.

Also, if you wanted free 2 day shipping on something below $25, no problem.

Lastly, not everyone lives near a hub and get things shipped under 3 days like you.

 

[ponyo]

You guys can blame people like me. I try to order under $20 items. Then I make sure to order every item separately so it's shipped separately.

 

[tfinch2]

I wish they allowed monthly subscriptions to prime, or just charged a reasonable amount for 2 day shipping on each order.

 

[Crotulus]

I'm not sure how I feel about this just yet. I've bought many blu-rays with my Prime membership but Amazon has been slacking on movie prices lately. All they do is price match Best Buy and Target. Depending on if and how much they raise Prime membership I may just go back to using Best Buy.

 

[drquest]

Have had Prime for several years and use it a bunch. My kids use the streaming quite a bit.

Heck we've been remodeling two bathrooms the past month or so and almost all of the fixtures came from Amazon, including the toilets. Got free shipping on 100+ pound toilets delivered in 2 days, with no tax, couldn't beat that at any local store.

 

[Rhezuss]

For most people it's $80/yr. However, the $80 subscription comes with their unlimited tv/movie streaming which is pretty decent.

Also, if you wanted free 2 day shipping on something below $25, no problem.

Lastly, not everyone lives near a hub and get things shipped under 3 days like you.

Well good points, I understand why it may be a good service for some.

 

[shortylickens]

HOLY SHIT!

😱

Lurkers!!

 

[smackababy]

You guys can blame people like me. I try to order under $20 items. Then I make sure to order every item separately so it's shipped separately.

I am definitely part of the problem. Anything I order online (except for shoes and clothes) comes from Amazon. I will search for it then find it on Amazon. I bought a computer case awhile back, a cheap dresser (that weight a ton), a cheap mattress for the guest room (again weighed a ton), and some other items that would cost extra to ship, but paid 0 for 2 day. And the amount of single, $20 or less items is ridiculously high.

If it is something I don't need that day, Amazon is where I buy it.

 

[Kadarin]

Wow, AMZN cratered today, worse than Apple.

I use Prime, like it.

 

[smackababy]

Wow, AMZN cratered today, worse than Apple.

I use Prime, like it.

That makes, literally, zero sense. Do they think Prime is what helped them achieve double the profits of last year?

 

[shortylickens]

That makes, literally, zero sense. Do they think Prime is what helped them achieve double the profits of last year?

Most of the big stock changes are due to speculators, not stockholders.

 

[Midwayman]

Prime is often just as expensive as ordering elsewhere. Just 2 day shipping instead of a week. However since they stopped saturday delivery that only seems to matter much if you order mon-wed. The rest of the week your shipment is delayed 2 days.

Prime video sucks. The selection is mediocre at best and it has way more buffering issues than any other video service I use. Its to the point that I refuse to rent movies from them because they can't handle even standard dvd quality video. Netflix can send me 1080p superHD with no buffering issues.

Dropping prime would probably help curb impulse shopping anyways. With as much as I've been buying at Amazon they should be throwing in Prime for free. One thing is for sure, it'll make me research prices a little more rather than just popping onto amazon for whatever.

 

[Ns1]

Prime is often just as expensive as ordering elsewhere. Just 2 day shipping instead of a week. However since they stopped saturday delivery that only seems to matter much if you order mon-wed. The rest of the week your shipment is delayed 2 days.

I get amazon prime deliveries on sunday

 

[Midwayman]

I do have a funny Best Buy story though. For whatever reason, my in-laws gave me a $100 Best Buy card for Christmas. So I went to Best Buy and bought $100 worth of Amazon gift cards. When I went to pay for them, they actually gave me ANOTHER $15 Best Buy card!! I almost turned around and put it towards another $25 Amazon card, but I was simply floored they'd give me ANOTHER gift card.

Can you order BB cards on Amazon? Rinse and repeat!

 

[Midwayman]

I get amazon prime deliveries on sunday

Good for you. I'm in Chicagoland and haven't had a weekend delivery for over a year. They charge extra for saturday delivery on checkout too.

 

[ahenkel]

Pro tip. If you have family or friends that have an Amazon Prime account and all you care about is the shipping option they can share that feature with you.

details here.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/help/custom...deId=200444180

You don't have to have their log in. They just invite you to join Prime.

 

[mizzou]

it was nice getting my kitchen cart shipped for "free". but some shit isnt worth it because you have a 99% chance ups/fedex destroys your package before you open it.

my wife and i use amazon prime video all the time.

for those delicate items, much easier to deal with b&m on returns

 

[sjwaste]

Wow, AMZN cratered today, worse than Apple.

I use Prime, like it.

Forward P/E still over 600. Wow. A big chunk of how I invest is with contrarian bets, but I'm still not sure that I'm touching this. I'm still not quite clear on how they support 10% ROE on 1% net margins, let alone supporting their current valuation.

Now, one more big drop and I might be willing to bet on a bounce back, but I'm still not holding long term with those fundamentals.

 

[jpeyton]

I'll still pay for it, even if it's $20 to $40 more.

Free 2-day shipping on millions of items with no minimum purchase. $4 overnight shipping. Free streaming TV shows/movies. Free e-books.

Prime is currently a loss leader for Amazon, but even with a price hike, it's still a great value for the end-user. Especially one that does a lot of online shopping.

 

[Herr Kutz]

I'll still pay for it, even if it's $20 to $40 more.

Free 2-day shipping on millions of items with no minimum purchase. $4 overnight shipping. Free streaming TV shows/movies. Free e-books.

Prime is currently a loss leader for Amazon, but even with a price hike, it's still a great value for the end-user. Especially one that does a lot of online shopping.

I though they had a minimum purchase for tons of items now, even with prime.