Amazon may raise Prime prices.

[Xanthe]

Originally Posted by Sydney's Mom

Well, I have been a Prime Member for years, but the last couple orders (within the last week or so) have taken 4 business days to arrive. It tells me that is exactly the same as standard shipping. Not happy. Don't know if Prime movies and renting books is worth it.

Check if UPS used "Smart Post" on your delivery. They bring it to your local post office and then the PO delivers it. I've often seen the tracking show that my "Smart Post" was delivered on one day when it actually shows up at my door a day or two later.

Otherwise, you do have to take into consideration the weather at this time of year. There have been a lot of flights grounded around the country due to ice and snow and that impacts UPS as much as travelers.

I think that a $40 rise in the Prime membership might cause me to cancel my subscription to it. I order from Amazon often and I do utilize the Prime Videos, so I do think that I get value out of my subscription, but it's really a non-essential expense that I could cut out of my budget.

[pidgeon92]

For all the stuff I order from Amazon, Prime is a great deal for me. I have no problem with paying more. That it's been holding steady at $79 for ten years is already a miracle.

[CRussel]

I've had Amazon Prime for years. At the current price, it's a no-brainer for me. And even at $20 more, it's likely to be a no-brainer. At $40 more? Pushing it. But I'll bet they can find a way to make it still make sense.

Yes, sometimes they fail in their 2-day. But it's pretty rare. And they real advantage is that just about everything I buy ships 2-day, since I will rarely buy anything that isn't Prime eligible. The lending library for books? I've read 4 or 5, but nothing I really cared about one way or another. Certainly not a compelling reason. The videos? Oh, yeah. I use that a lot.

[crich70]

I wasn't saying that someone has to have prime and do acknowledge that people can shop at Amazon without it but it is a fact that members of prime get some perks that the rest of us don't get. And if they raise the price even more than that option will be even more closed off to those of us who can't afford it. And to me that smacks of discrimination. i.e. if you have the $$ you can get this in addition to what everyone else can get. If you don't have the $$ then you don't get these extras. There is a difference between being able to choose if you want something and being prevented from being able to get it because the price is higher than you are able to afford.

[eschwartz]

Originally Posted by crich70

I wasn't saying that someone has to have prime and do acknowledge that people can shop at Amazon without it but it is a fact that members of prime get some perks that the rest of us don't get. And if they raise the price even more than that option will be even more closed off to those of us who can't afford it. And to me that smacks of discrimination. i.e. if you have the $$ you can get this in addition to what everyone else can get. If you don't have the $$ then you don't get these extras. There is a difference between being able to choose if you want something and being prevented from being able to get it because the price is higher than you are able to afford.

I can't afford my own private plane. Cessna is discriminating against me because I can't afford their high prices.

[QuantumIguana]

Originally Posted by crich70

I wasn't saying that someone has to have prime and do acknowledge that people can shop at Amazon without it but it is a fact that members of prime get some perks that the rest of us don't get. And if they raise the price even more than that option will be even more closed off to those of us who can't afford it. And to me that smacks of discrimination. i.e. if you have the $$ you can get this in addition to what everyone else can get. If you don't have the $$ then you don't get these extras. There is a difference between being able to choose if you want something and being prevented from being able to get it because the price is higher than you are able to afford.

People who buy first-class airplane tickets get all kinds of benefits not available to those in coach. They get to board the plane first, they get the big seats, better meals, they get to use the first class lounge. If I pay the money for a luxury box at a football game, I get access to all sorts of things that are not available to the people in the bleachers. Amazon Prime subscribers get free second-day shipping, free borrowing of some books, and free access to certain videos. If you pay more, you get more. I took my wife out for our anniversary this weekend. I splurged on a large room with a Jacuzzi. It cost more, but I got more. I could have stayed at a Motel 6.

I don't fly first class, I fly coach. I don't sit in the luxury box, I sit in the bleachers. I do have an annual splurge on our anniversary, but if we just need a place to sleep, a Motel 6 will do.

[DiapDealer]

Originally Posted by eschwartz

I can't afford my own private plane. Cessna is discriminating against me because I can't afford their high prices.

More along the lines of: the price on Cessna's Citation is discriminatory to those who can only afford the 182.

[Atunah]

Originally Posted by crich70

I wasn't saying that someone has to have prime and do acknowledge that people can shop at Amazon without it but it is a fact that members of prime get some perks that the rest of us don't get. And if they raise the price even more than that option will be even more closed off to those of us who can't afford it. And to me that smacks of discrimination. i.e. if you have the $$ you can get this in addition to what everyone else can get. If you don't have the $$ then you don't get these extras. There is a difference between being able to choose if you want something and being prevented from being able to get it because the price is higher than you are able to afford.

They are not perks, they are a service you pay for. You pay for 2 day shipping and recently its also the streaming and two books a month (one loan with a kindle, one own with kindle first reads).

And to be honest, if you can't afford the price of prime than how can one afford to order all the products that get send in 2 days.

Considering how customer centric Amazon is and how they value their prime customers, I don't think they are just going to raise the price $40 in one swoop.
They will try find a way first with other logistics first before raising the price. And if they do, I have faith that they will sweeten the pot.

Considering that they haven't raised the price on it yet in all this time yet keep adding features to the service, they have always shown to be for the customer first.

[Catlady]

Originally Posted by ApK

I apologize for this threat of a price increase. My wife and just joined Prime a few months ago, and whenever we buy something new we like, it tends to go away soon after, so this is probably our fault....

No, it's my fault. They offered me a free trial membership before Christmas, and I neglected to cancel it. And now look.

Truthfully, we'd be unlikely to keep it any any higher price, as Prime is just a mildly nice-to-have set of bonus features for us, no must-haves.

I was adamantly opposed to paying for a Prime membership until I got a smart TV and a Roku last month. Free shipping wasn't enough of a perk, and I don't have a Kindle to borrow books, but I am enjoying the free video offerings.

Since I'm new to Prime, it's hard to judge if I'll still think it's worthwhile a year from now, but right now I think I'd probably continue with it if the price stayed under the $100 barrier. Over that ... I doubt it.

[Jessica Lares]

Originally Posted by ApK

You go make nice-nice with the IT folks and maybe they'll let you keep that .edu address forever!

One of my clients is a college...I need to convince them I need an .edu email account for system testing....

I've been in college since 2008, I'm pretty sure they'd like me out of there ASAP.

[Fluribus]

Originally Posted by crich70

Ah but won't they be leaving themselves open to possible lawsuit if they raise it too high? I mean a business like Amazon is supposed to be open to all the public not just the few.

I'm quite sure that my nearest Ferrari dealership is open to the public. I'm also quite certain that I can't afford any of their cars.

[crich70]

There is a wide difference between owning a private plane and being able to afford extra perks in something like Amazon Prime. !st of all it's a difference between a self made want and something that is (supposed) to be available to all who can afford it. That is AP is something made available by a company not something that a very small percentage of people can afford in the 1st place. I mean besides the plane you would have fuel, upkeep in the form of repairs, housing for the plane when not in use, license, and I don't know what else that you would be responsible for. With AP on the other hand it's just a matter of paying the fee to access the extra features. Even at $79.00 a year that is too much for me as I wouldn't know I'd have the extra to pay for it when the bill renewed in the following year. Limited income means just that. And if it goes higher then it is even more unlikely that I can afford it. So yes I think it would be discriminatory even if they didn't mean it to be. It's basically saying that if you are of a particular social level you can have what others who are less fortunate than you can't have. i.e. the rich get things that are denied to the poor.

[crich70]

Originally Posted by Atunah

And to be honest, if you can't afford the price of prime than how can one afford to order all the products that get send in 2 days.

That's easy, I don't go that route. I choose standard shipping which takes longer but isn't as expensive.

[DiapDealer]

Originally Posted by crich70

!st of all it's a difference between a self made want and something that is (supposed) to be available to all who can afford it.

But that's just it: Amazon Prime IS available to all who can afford it.

Amazon's Prime membership is not a staple, it's a luxury item (relatively speaking). I don't think it's ever been advertised as something "everyone should be able to afford."

[eschwartz]

Originally Posted by crich70

There is a wide difference between owning a private plane and being able to afford extra perks in something like Amazon Prime. !st of all it's a difference between a self made want and something that is (supposed) to be available to all who can afford it. That is AP is something made available by a company not something that a very small percentage of people can afford in the 1st place. I mean besides the plane you would have fuel, upkeep in the form of repairs, housing for the plane when not in use, license, and I don't know what else that you would be responsible for. With AP on the other hand it's just a matter of paying the fee to access the extra features. Even at $79.00 a year that is too much for me as I wouldn't know I'd have the extra to pay for it when the bill renewed in the following year. Limited income means just that. And if it goes higher then it is even more unlikely that I can afford it. So yes I think it would be discriminatory even if they didn't mean it to be. It's basically saying that if you are of a particular social level you can have what others who are less fortunate than you can't have. i.e. the rich get things that are denied to the poor.

But I am not on the same social level as the people who can afford "paying the fees" to own and keep a plane. You are not on the same social level as the people who can afford to pay the fees to have Amazon Prime extra features. I am being denied the plane that rich people can have, you are being denied the Amazon Prime that rich people can have.

Amazon Prime is something made available by a company, similar to private planes which are also made available by a company. Both are available to "all who can afford it".

What's the difference?