Is Amazon Prime worth it? - Page 4

rkw · 09-07-2012, 02:25 AM

something often glossed over or not mentioned at all is shipments for Prime members go to the head of the queue. I have had prime since it was made availble and never has my order not shipped within 12hrs of being laced. Prior to that the "super Saver" free shippig could take a week to be processed and then shipped. Meaning at minimum I get my orders two days after the order being placed, for Prime eligible items anyway. Super Saver oders do not receive the same processing priority, at least in my experience anyway.

The above is why I signed up for Prime and why I still use it. The addition of video and whatever is great but is not why I renew every year. I also dropped my Costco membership in favor of Prime. I can shop when I need to, save fuel and time this way. When I need something now I can, as otherss have mentioned, use thee two next-day options. I use one-day on electronics or other items I do not want in the hands of the UPS/Fedex or even worse the hamfisted "Ontrac" parcel service for more than the minimum amount of time.

One thing to watch for is Amazon now often does not price their items lower knowing people are using Prime for faster shipping. So, Prime will not always be about saving the maximum amount of money, for me it is about getting things fast and also having Amazon to stand behind the crap they sell.

Do be aware that not all items with Prime shipping are actually sold by Amazon. Instead they can come from Marketplace sellers who warehouse their items with Amazon who handles the shipping. That means those items typically can only be returned for refund not exchange unless you contact the seller orAmazon does it on your behalf.

Prime is not all roses but for many of us, it is still a great value if only for the convenience and speed. I probably buy 70-80% of everything I need on Amazon now-a-days. That is 100% due to the Prime program.

HoopyFrood · 09-07-2012, 04:27 PM

I must be one of the few that is unimpressed with paying for shipping. Which is what Prime is, truth be told. I shop a fair amount at Amazon, and have never paid a dime for shipping since I use their Super Saver Shipping. My packages all arrive in a timely manner and nothing I order is so important that I would have to pay extra for it to arrive a couple days earlier.

And in a lot of cases Amazon is not the cheapest place to buy anyway. Even if I have to pay for shipping somewhere else the price can be low enough to make it worthwhile.

I've never checked out their lending library since Prime doesn't interest me. I can borrow books free from the local/online library.

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09-07-2012, 02:25 AM	#46
rkw Old & Busted Hotness Posts: 182 Karma: 1290260 Join Date: Apr 2012 Device: Samsung Galaxy Note 8.0,Asus TF700T, K1-2-3-Fire	something often glossed over or not mentioned at all is shipments for Prime members go to the head of the queue. I have had prime since it was made availble and never has my order not shipped within 12hrs of being laced. Prior to that the "super Saver" free shippig could take a week to be processed and then shipped. Meaning at minimum I get my orders two days after the order being placed, for Prime eligible items anyway. Super Saver oders do not receive the same processing priority, at least in my experience anyway. The above is why I signed up for Prime and why I still use it. The addition of video and whatever is great but is not why I renew every year. I also dropped my Costco membership in favor of Prime. I can shop when I need to, save fuel and time this way. When I need something now I can, as otherss have mentioned, use thee two next-day options. I use one-day on electronics or other items I do not want in the hands of the UPS/Fedex or even worse the hamfisted "Ontrac" parcel service for more than the minimum amount of time. One thing to watch for is Amazon now often does not price their items lower knowing people are using Prime for faster shipping. So, Prime will not always be about saving the maximum amount of money, for me it is about getting things fast and also having Amazon to stand behind the crap they sell. Do be aware that not all items with Prime shipping are actually sold by Amazon. Instead they can come from Marketplace sellers who warehouse their items with Amazon who handles the shipping. That means those items typically can only be returned for refund not exchange unless you contact the seller orAmazon does it on your behalf. Prime is not all roses but for many of us, it is still a great value if only for the convenience and speed. I probably buy 70-80% of everything I need on Amazon now-a-days. That is 100% due to the Prime program.

09-07-2012, 04:27 PM	#47
HoopyFrood Zealot Posts: 118 Karma: 1005064 Join Date: Dec 2010 Location: Missouri Device: Cruz e-reader, 2 Kindles and a Kindle DX, Sanza Clip	I must be one of the few that is unimpressed with paying for shipping. Which is what Prime is, truth be told. I shop a fair amount at Amazon, and have never paid a dime for shipping since I use their Super Saver Shipping. My packages all arrive in a timely manner and nothing I order is so important that I would have to pay extra for it to arrive a couple days earlier. And in a lot of cases Amazon is not the cheapest place to buy anyway. Even if I have to pay for shipping somewhere else the price can be low enough to make it worthwhile. I've never checked out their lending library since Prime doesn't interest me. I can borrow books free from the local/online library.

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