Actually, there’s one other important consideration: Prime can be shared across multiple family members. We have three families using the same Prime account quite happily, which knocks the price down to a much more reasonable figure.
5 Likes
Lately some of my Prime shipments, specifically those that involve DHL and USPS, have taken 4-5 days to arrive. This makes Prime less attractive to me, though it hasn’t happened often enough yet to be a deal breaker.
1 Like
Wife got me Prime as a Xmas gift. Since I don’t have a Kindle I can’t take advantage of the great reading library that comes with it, which is about the biggest benefit to Prime I’ve noticed.
As to free shipping? I always just threw things in my cart that I needed until I reached the $75 mark and just did standard shipping. Often things come within 3 days with standard & if I had to wait 6 days, then so be it. And as someone mentioned, with Prime I’m more apt to make a quick $12 book purchase and tell them to mail it right away. Can’t be good for my carbon footprint.
The movie selection seems almost identical to Netflix but the free TV show options do seem a bit better.
When it comes time to renew next year, I probably won’t. But if I were to get a Kindle I just might for all of the books.
It used to be $25. Alas.
The Kindle Lending Library is pretty good too. Definitely saves me the majority of the annual price right there.
The bargain shipping gets here quickly enough. Then again, I’ve never used Amazon for food, toiletries or anything where waiting would be a serious annoyance. I tend to pick those up a the stores within walking distance. Plus, I think I live on one of the main shipping lines, so 5-8 days for bargain shipping is rarely that.
But my Mom lives in a rural area. The nearest chain stores tend to be clustered in Merced, an hour away. For her, Amazon Prime is useful.
Hmm. When I’m logged in, the price of items is actually more than when I’m not. It’s not as much as the shipping would be, so I’ve always been satisfied. But if I can get free shipping anyway…
I’ll have to match the prices more carefully.
1 Like
I’ve noticed that when several buying options are displayed for an item, the Prime eligible one is significantly higher priced. I’m thinking of not renewing after this first year.
2 Likes
Also, Netflix doesn’t have Downton Abbey last I checked.
There’s a fair number of shows that I wouldn’t necessarily spend money on sight unseen, as it were, that I can try thanks to Prime.
1 Like
I think some Prime customers just order large quantities of stuff with the intention of returning much of it. They can’t even be bothered to read the product descriptions. That’s why the “frequently ordered together” items are often very similar.
It must depend on what you’re buying. My experience is that the Prime option is usually $2-3 more… until you click through and discover that the non-Prime option tacks on a $5.99 shipping fee.
1 Like
I know we have a reputation for failing at delayed gratification, but in general you will find that you’re not alone.
@falcon2001: I have only had one or two shipments over the last decade show up at the long end of the shipping estimate. More often than not, it shows up in 2-3 days. I only pay for shipping on items that I simply cannot finagle free shipping on.
This. I was going to buy some Dryel laundry pens via Amazon as they’ve gotten hard to find in stores here. The Prime version was about $8 per pen. The non-Prime version was about $3 per… but with a $4.99 shipping charge (for something that’s going to ship out in a bubble envelope or plastic sleeve!)
I decided not to order either - they’re $3 each at Drugstore.com when they come back in stock, and I’ll add on stuff to get to their free shipping limit.
Most of the time, though, I see Prime items as being priced similarly or lower to other offers.
This topic was automatically closed after 5 days. New replies are no longer allowed.
