Amazon lowers free shipping minimum back to $25

tubemonkey · 05-09-2017, 01:12 AM

Amazon Reduces Free Shipping Minimum To $25

Quote:

In February, we reported that Amazon reduced their minimum order size required to qualify for free shipping for non-Prime members from $49 to $35. Now, less than three months later, Amazon is at it again. All orders of $25 or more featuring eligible items will qualify for free shipping, according to Amazon’s official shipping page . Please see the screenshot below of Amazon’s shipping page as of 5/8/2017.

Quote:

While Amazon has not yet publically announced the change, they have traditionally stayed under the radar when adjusting their free shipping minimums. Here is a brief history of Amazon’s free shipping minimum order size adjustments.

October 2013 — Minimum Order Size Increases from $25 to $35

May 2016 — Minimum Order Sizes Increases from $35 to $49

February 2017 — Minimum Order Size Decreases from $49 to $35

issybird · 05-09-2017, 06:51 AM

I may start buying from them again.

I don't know, though; I got out of the habit after I let Prime lapse and shipping was $49.

Alpha o · 05-09-2017, 08:54 AM

Used to be if you did get free shipping, you got it well within the time frame specified.
Now it seems like Amazon waits until the last possible minute with all carriers to ship.
The method of shipping to a PO for delivery by a mail carrier is the pits.

poohbear_nc · 05-09-2017, 12:15 PM

Fighting back against Walmart ....

Barbara1955 · 05-09-2017, 01:21 PM

I wish they Drop the Add On Items! They Never want to Add them to my order, always an excuse!

JoHunt · 05-09-2017, 05:43 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Alpha o

Used to be if you did get free shipping, you got it well within the time frame specified.
Now it seems like Amazon waits until the last possible minute with all carriers to ship.

I've noticed this as well. For me, non-Prime free shipping used to ship two to three days after order. Now the norm is 8 days after order. It still saves around $15-$20, so I'll continue to use free shipping.

library addict · 05-09-2017, 11:24 PM

And after they ship it at the last moment it doesn't arrive when they say it's expected to, so you get the late notice with an apology stating to come back in 5 more days if it hasn't arrived. At least that is what happened to me on my last order.

Still it's a lot easier to add another item or two to reach $25 than $49 or even the $35. So I'll keep using free shipping as well.

Catlady · 05-10-2017, 09:08 AM

Although I'm a Prime member, I've placed several recent orders that were non-Prime free shipping, and they all shipped within a day or two and arrived quickly. Just yesterday morning (Tuesday) I received an item I ordered Friday evening with non-Prime free shipping.

GtrsRGr8 · 05-11-2017, 09:18 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by poohbear_nc

Fighting back against Walmart ....

Well, Walmart was fighting back against Amazon, no doubt, when they changed their minimum for free shipping from $50 to $35.

Too, they introduced "2-day shipping" for that $35. Only problem is, if my experience is any indication--and I order from them about once every two weeks--the orders never arrive in 2 days. Maybe one or two items out of ten, that's it. Sometimes it takes nearly a week to get the last of the items. Talk is cheap.

When I had Amazon Prime, their "two-day shipping" was two days or less. I ordered from them quite a bit during the time that I had Prime, and it never took over 2 days to have a package delivered. Never. Often I received it in one day.

Walmart seems to be devoid of innovation and fresh ideas. All that they seem to know to do in the last few years is to mimic Amazon.

drofgnal · 05-24-2017, 05:59 AM

My experience with this is lackluster. Whenever I order free shipping the order sits around. I ordered a couple of minor things, then threw in a cd to get it over the 25 buck mark. All these items are in stock. I ordered on Sunday and the order status shows to ship 5/29, 5 days from now!! Ridiculous.

That's always been my experience. If you order free shipping expect long delays before it ships out, while they send you emails trying to get you to sign up from Prime. If you pay the few bucks for standard shipping it will go out that day.

Of late, if I can order the same thing from someone else, I will

JSWolf · 05-24-2017, 08:17 AM

What about Amazon UK? Did they lower the amount before free shipping?

tdonline · 05-25-2017, 10:02 AM

Long ago, I switched to Chewy for pet care items. Yes, the minimum is $49 for free delivery but with two cats, there are purchases I need to make every couple of months. Food and litter each order and it's easy to get to and well over $49. Every single order is delivered within 24-48 hours. The most impressive was when I placed an order in the early evening and it was delivered before noon the next day. If I'm low on litter, I know within a day or two, I'll have a bag to use. Also great for travel too--if I'm preparing for a long trip and need to top off food/litter for the cats, I can place order within 3-4 days of my departure and be confident everything will arrive before I fly off. Can't do that with Amazon free shipping. With Amazon I have to plan at least two weeks in advance to be safe or if I leave it too late, go to Petsmart. I'm not shilling for Chewy, their prices aren't any better than Amazon's, but their free delivery is ace.

Right now I'm sitting on an Amazon order placed 10 days ago. The status is still showing "preparing for shipment." The last delivery day promised is this Saturday. None of the items are needed urgently but it is frustrating that online delivery in this day and age can take close to two weeks to be delivered.

jswinden · 05-25-2017, 11:42 AM

From the comments above, it does seem that Amazon treats Prime members and non-Prime people differently when it comes to free shipping. I've had Prime for several years now, and I get orders on time in most cases. I routinely get my 2-day orders on time, and I get most of 1-day and same day orders on time. I guess being a Prime member must help, and quite frankly, it should. Hardly worth being a Prime member at $99/year plus tax if non-Prime people get the same privileges and treatment you get. Just saying. If a shipment is late, I can call and complain and I usually get a $10 or more credit, and they make sure the item arrives soon thereafter.

As far as late shipments go, there are several reasons for delays. Here are a few:

Items are shipping from different warehouses. Even though you add on another item to hit the minimum amount necessary for free shipping doesn't mean that item is already in the same warehouse as the other item(s) you ordered. If not, some items may arrive on time and others might need more time.
Item states it is Prime but won't ship for a number of days. I've gotten burned by this a few time due to not paying close enough attention to the item page. Technically, the item when it ships will ship Prime 2-day delivery, or whatever it was stated to do, but due to other circumstances it won't ship immediately. They do have that CYA statement, but it is easy to overlook and rather deceptive IMO with that big Prime label. So be careful with these.
Your location matters. If you live near Amazon warehouse hubs, which usually means within a large metropolitan area, you can expect more timely deliveries. If you live in a rural area or have a PO Box address, you might have a lot of delays in deliveries.
Weather related. We have to understand this happens sometimes.
Amazon or carrier screw ups. This happens too. I had a recent order delayed one day. I called to ask why, and Amazon admitted they had screwed up and delivered the package to UPS rather than USPS. UPS was confused because Amazon had already put a USPS shipping label on it. First and only time this has happened to any of my shipments. But I got it the following day after it was supposed to arrive, so UPS stepped up to the plate and got it delivered even with the Amazon screw up.
Deceptive 3rd Party sales. Not all 3rd party sales companies play nice on Amazon. They can be really deceptive. I've ordered at least one item that was supposed to be a 2-day delivery, but it actually shipped from China. No way that would have arrived in 2 days! There was no indication of the company shipping from China. I complained, Amazon pounced on the company, and bottom line was I got the item a few weeks later but it was free. Amazon cancelled the order mid-shipment, refunded my money, found another company shipping from USA with true 2-day delivery, and substituted that for the original order. And I got $10 credit. So I wound up with two of the items. One was normal cost, the other was free, and I got a $10 credit. Inconvenient as heck, but Amazon made it right and in a timely fashion.

Don't get me wrong, I'm not a fanboy of Amazon. I think there devices like Kindles, Fires, Alexa devices, etc. are rather lackluster and not the best deals out there. I get frustrated with their streaming video and music. Again, it is lackluster. But the one thing they seem to do well, at least in my experience, is shipping. And if nothing else, they shook up the retail industry and caused the competion to rethink business and shipping fees. So I look at Amazon as good in retail and shipping, and lackluster, perhaps even a suckfest, in electronics.

Cinisajoy · 05-25-2017, 12:28 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jswinden

From the comments above, it does seem that Amazon treats Prime members and non-Prime people differently when it comes to free shipping. I've had Prime for several years now, and I get orders on time in most cases. I routinely get my 2-day orders on time, and I get most of 1-day and same day orders on time. I guess being a Prime member must help, and quite frankly, it should. Hardly worth being a Prime member at $99/year plus tax if non-Prime people get the same privileges and treatment you get. Just saying. If a shipment is late, I can call and complain and I usually get a $10 or more credit, and they make sure the item arrives soon thereafter.

As far as late shipments go, there are several reasons for delays. Here are a few:

Items are shipping from different warehouses. Even though you add on another item to hit the minimum amount necessary for free shipping doesn't mean that item is already in the same warehouse as the other item(s) you ordered. If not, some items may arrive on time and others might need more time.
Item states it is Prime but won't ship for a number of days. I've gotten burned by this a few time due to not paying close enough attention to the item page. Technically, the item when it ships will ship Prime 2-day delivery, or whatever it was stated to do, but due to other circumstances it won't ship immediately. They do have that CYA statement, but it is easy to overlook and rather deceptive IMO with that big Prime label. So be careful with these.
Your location matters. If you live near Amazon warehouse hubs, which usually means within a large metropolitan area, you can expect more timely deliveries. If you live in a rural area or have a PO Box address, you might have a lot of delays in deliveries.
Weather related. We have to understand this happens sometimes.
Amazon or carrier screw ups. This happens too. I had a recent order delayed one day. I called to ask why, and Amazon admitted they had screwed up and delivered the package to UPS rather than USPS. UPS was confused because Amazon had already put a USPS shipping label on it. First and only time this has happened to any of my shipments. But I got it the following day after it was supposed to arrive, so UPS stepped up to the plate and got it delivered even with the Amazon screw up.
Deceptive 3rd Party sales. Not all 3rd party sales companies play nice on Amazon. They can be really deceptive. I've ordered at least one item that was supposed to be a 2-day delivery, but it actually shipped from China. No way that would have arrived in 2 days! There was no indication of the company shipping from China. I complained, Amazon pounced on the company, and bottom line was I got the item a few weeks later but it was free. Amazon cancelled the order mid-shipment, refunded my money, found another company shipping from USA with true 2-day delivery, and substituted that for the original order. And I got $10 credit. So I wound up with two of the items. One was normal cost, the other was free, and I got a $10 credit. Inconvenient as heck, but Amazon made it right and in a timely fashion.

Don't get me wrong, I'm not a fanboy of Amazon. I think there devices like Kindles, Fires, Alexa devices, etc. are rather lackluster and not the best deals out there. I get frustrated with their streaming video and music. Again, it is lackluster. But the one thing they seem to do well, at least in my experience, is shipping. And if nothing else, they shook up the retail industry and caused the competion to rethink business and shipping fees. So I look at Amazon as good in retail and shipping, and lackluster, perhaps even a suckfest, in electronics.

Oh yes, the third party sellers. Look very closely at the arrive date on the free shipping.
I have had to get a couple of refunds myself because of 3rd party sellers.

Now there is one other reason an Amazon or any other order is late. The delivery vessel might have been in an accident. Be it the UPS truck or UPS trailers on a train. (Google it. That actually happened. )(That one could also have fallen under weather related. )

library addict · 05-25-2017, 06:46 PM

Amazon wants everyone to join Prime. They've said so and Bezos at one point said it's such a good value you are irresponsible not to join. So they purposefully don't ship the items until the last day or so of the timeframe window if you are using the $x for free shipping option.

It's not an issue with the carrier because they don't charge you until the order is shipped and so you can see the items haven't been shipped (in addition to the fact the order status shows "preparing for shipment").

My last two orders they shipped the last day and then they arrived late as well. That could have been a carrier issue, but if you're not in Prime it's not really a guaranteed delivery so they don't give you credit. At least they never have for me. It's more a "if your package still hasn't arrived in the next 5 days come back and tell us."

It didn't used to be like this. They used to ship the packages within a couple of days and every once in a while the same day. But it has been for the past several years.

I agree that Prime members should get priority since they are paying for the service.

I don't mind waiting on my orders usually, so I just know before I order there will be a delay. Otherwise I buy what I need at Target or something.

05-25-2017, 11:42 AM	#13
jswinden Nameless Being	From the comments above, it does seem that Amazon treats Prime members and non-Prime people differently when it comes to free shipping. I've had Prime for several years now, and I get orders on time in most cases. I routinely get my 2-day orders on time, and I get most of 1-day and same day orders on time. I guess being a Prime member must help, and quite frankly, it should. Hardly worth being a Prime member at $99/year plus tax if non-Prime people get the same privileges and treatment you get. Just saying. If a shipment is late, I can call and complain and I usually get a $10 or more credit, and they make sure the item arrives soon thereafter. As far as late shipments go, there are several reasons for delays. Here are a few: Items are shipping from different warehouses. Even though you add on another item to hit the minimum amount necessary for free shipping doesn't mean that item is already in the same warehouse as the other item(s) you ordered. If not, some items may arrive on time and others might need more time. Item states it is Prime but won't ship for a number of days. I've gotten burned by this a few time due to not paying close enough attention to the item page. Technically, the item when it ships will ship Prime 2-day delivery, or whatever it was stated to do, but due to other circumstances it won't ship immediately. They do have that CYA statement, but it is easy to overlook and rather deceptive IMO with that big Prime label. So be careful with these. Your location matters. If you live near Amazon warehouse hubs, which usually means within a large metropolitan area, you can expect more timely deliveries. If you live in a rural area or have a PO Box address, you might have a lot of delays in deliveries. Weather related. We have to understand this happens sometimes. Amazon or carrier screw ups. This happens too. I had a recent order delayed one day. I called to ask why, and Amazon admitted they had screwed up and delivered the package to UPS rather than USPS. UPS was confused because Amazon had already put a USPS shipping label on it. First and only time this has happened to any of my shipments. But I got it the following day after it was supposed to arrive, so UPS stepped up to the plate and got it delivered even with the Amazon screw up. Deceptive 3rd Party sales. Not all 3rd party sales companies play nice on Amazon. They can be really deceptive. I've ordered at least one item that was supposed to be a 2-day delivery, but it actually shipped from China. No way that would have arrived in 2 days! There was no indication of the company shipping from China. I complained, Amazon pounced on the company, and bottom line was I got the item a few weeks later but it was free. Amazon cancelled the order mid-shipment, refunded my money, found another company shipping from USA with true 2-day delivery, and substituted that for the original order. And I got $10 credit. So I wound up with two of the items. One was normal cost, the other was free, and I got a $10 credit. Inconvenient as heck, but Amazon made it right and in a timely fashion. Don't get me wrong, I'm not a fanboy of Amazon. I think there devices like Kindles, Fires, Alexa devices, etc. are rather lackluster and not the best deals out there. I get frustrated with their streaming video and music. Again, it is lackluster. But the one thing they seem to do well, at least in my experience, is shipping. And if nothing else, they shook up the retail industry and caused the competion to rethink business and shipping fees. So I look at Amazon as good in retail and shipping, and lackluster, perhaps even a suckfest, in electronics. Last edited by jswinden; 05-25-2017 at 11:44 AM.

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05-09-2017, 06:51 AM	#2
issybird o saeclum infacetum Posts: 20,234 Karma: 222235366 Join Date: Oct 2010 Location: New England Device: H2O, Aura One, PW5	I may start buying from them again. I don't know, though; I got out of the habit after I let Prime lapse and shipping was $49.

05-09-2017, 08:54 AM	#3
Alpha o Addict Posts: 282 Karma: 2603524 Join Date: Jan 2015 Device: Onyx Boox Darwin, inkBOOK Obsidian	Used to be if you did get free shipping, you got it well within the time frame specified. Now it seems like Amazon waits until the last possible minute with all carriers to ship. The method of shipping to a PO for delivery by a mail carrier is the pits.

05-09-2017, 12:15 PM	#4
poohbear_nc Now what? Posts: 58,891 Karma: 135181808 Join Date: Feb 2009 Location: Durham, NC Device: Every Kindle Ever Made & To Be Made!	Fighting back against Walmart ....

05-09-2017, 01:21 PM	#5
Barbara1955 Non-Techy Posts: 4,454 Karma: 15499273 Join Date: Feb 2011 Location: WV---USA Device: Samsung Cell Phone & Amazon Fires & Kobo eReaders	I wish they Drop the Add On Items! They Never want to Add them to my order, always an excuse!

05-09-2017, 11:24 PM	#7
library addict Grand Sorcerer Posts: 12,885 Karma: 35535698 Join Date: Nov 2010 Location: USA Device: Nexus 7 2, Samsung Galaxy Tab A 8" (retired=Sony PRS650, Kobo Mini)	And after they ship it at the last moment it doesn't arrive when they say it's expected to, so you get the late notice with an apology stating to come back in 5 more days if it hasn't arrived. At least that is what happened to me on my last order. Still it's a lot easier to add another item or two to reach $25 than $49 or even the $35. So I'll keep using free shipping as well.

05-10-2017, 09:08 AM	#8
Catlady Grand Sorcerer Posts: 7,345 Karma: 52398889 Join Date: Oct 2010 Device: Kindle Fire, Kindle Paperwhite, AGPTek Bluetooth Clip	Although I'm a Prime member, I've placed several recent orders that were non-Prime free shipping, and they all shipped within a day or two and arrived quickly. Just yesterday morning (Tuesday) I received an item I ordered Friday evening with non-Prime free shipping.

05-24-2017, 05:59 AM	#10
drofgnal Wizard Posts: 1,231 Karma: 7838248 Join Date: Dec 2009 Device: Ipad Pro/Kindle Oasis 3/iPhone 13 Pro Max	My experience with this is lackluster. Whenever I order free shipping the order sits around. I ordered a couple of minor things, then threw in a cd to get it over the 25 buck mark. All these items are in stock. I ordered on Sunday and the order status shows to ship 5/29, 5 days from now!! Ridiculous. That's always been my experience. If you order free shipping expect long delays before it ships out, while they send you emails trying to get you to sign up from Prime. If you pay the few bucks for standard shipping it will go out that day. Of late, if I can order the same thing from someone else, I will

05-24-2017, 08:17 AM	#11
JSWolf Resident Curmudgeon Posts: 74,041 Karma: 129333114 Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: Roslindale, Massachusetts Device: Kobo Libra 2, Kobo Aura H2O, PRS-650, PRS-T1, nook STR, PW3	What about Amazon UK? Did they lower the amount before free shipping?

05-25-2017, 10:02 AM	#12
tdonline Addict Posts: 309 Karma: 2644486 Join Date: Dec 2011 Device: PW3, Nook Simple Touch	Long ago, I switched to Chewy for pet care items. Yes, the minimum is $49 for free delivery but with two cats, there are purchases I need to make every couple of months. Food and litter each order and it's easy to get to and well over $49. Every single order is delivered within 24-48 hours. The most impressive was when I placed an order in the early evening and it was delivered before noon the next day. If I'm low on litter, I know within a day or two, I'll have a bag to use. Also great for travel too--if I'm preparing for a long trip and need to top off food/litter for the cats, I can place order within 3-4 days of my departure and be confident everything will arrive before I fly off. Can't do that with Amazon free shipping. With Amazon I have to plan at least two weeks in advance to be safe or if I leave it too late, go to Petsmart. I'm not shilling for Chewy, their prices aren't any better than Amazon's, but their free delivery is ace. Right now I'm sitting on an Amazon order placed 10 days ago. The status is still showing "preparing for shipment." The last delivery day promised is this Saturday. None of the items are needed urgently but it is frustrating that online delivery in this day and age can take close to two weeks to be delivered.

05-25-2017, 06:46 PM	#15
library addict Grand Sorcerer Posts: 12,885 Karma: 35535698 Join Date: Nov 2010 Location: USA Device: Nexus 7 2, Samsung Galaxy Tab A 8" (retired=Sony PRS650, Kobo Mini)	Amazon wants everyone to join Prime. They've said so and Bezos at one point said it's such a good value you are irresponsible not to join. So they purposefully don't ship the items until the last day or so of the timeframe window if you are using the $x for free shipping option. It's not an issue with the carrier because they don't charge you until the order is shipped and so you can see the items haven't been shipped (in addition to the fact the order status shows "preparing for shipment"). My last two orders they shipped the last day and then they arrived late as well. That could have been a carrier issue, but if you're not in Prime it's not really a guaranteed delivery so they don't give you credit. At least they never have for me. It's more a "if your package still hasn't arrived in the next 5 days come back and tell us." It didn't used to be like this. They used to ship the packages within a couple of days and every once in a while the same day. But it has been for the past several years. I agree that Prime members should get priority since they are paying for the service. I don't mind waiting on my orders usually, so I just know before I order there will be a delay. Otherwise I buy what I need at Target or something.

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