Amazon Prime Increasing from $79 to $99

[andrehoban]

I just got an email confirming that when my prime renews is July the rate is increasing from $79 to $99.
My rate increases in July 2014. So check your renewal dates!


I shop on amazon a lot so I feel like the discounted prices I get probably even out the membership fee. If I had to order more in order to get free shipping or wait around until I have several things to order together then I'll probably end up spending that much more anyway. It's just harder to part with it all at once.

I will probably still come out ahead but not sure. Its probably still worth it but it piszes me off.

 

[patlaw]

If you use Amazon to stream video, which is free with Prime, it may be worth it. We don't.

You can share the account with four members of your family, although only the primary user gets to stream video.

 

[JimD]

I buy lots of things from Amazon and have Prime right now for the second time but I have never paid for it. They run 30 day free trials and I cancel before the 30 days are up. We've tried streaming with it but have not done it successfully. The 2 day shipping for free came in handy on an anniversary gift or I wouldn't have it right now. For free, it's nice. For $100, forget it. Streaming and a Blu ray from Netflix is about $20.

 

[nn4jw]

I order quite a bit from Amazon every year.I more than make up the cost of prime in shipping costs alone. Even at the coming new cost. It’s nice to get free two day shipping. If I ordered less I wouldn’t bother, but it saves me money.

 

[bluedawg76]

i use it all the time for ordering stuff (free shipping). it's one of things that makes my life easier and more efficient. Sure, I'll flatten a board by hand and saw out the parts I need, but the thought of paying for shipping or driving to a store is not on my list of things I'd like to do. I don't like the price increase but understand the motives. For example, I can't find zinser seal coat shellac at the local borgs. I could probably drive 30 min to Woodcraft (1 hr round trip), or I could just order w/ free shipping and get in 2 days. Between work, kids, life etc. I definitely come out ahead. My wife/kids also use many of the streaming features for the kindle.

 

[jazzflute]

We order an enormous amount of stuff from Amazon, so the dollars still work out for me. When we first moved here, I ordered my Powermatic drill press from them during a 15% off sale. And it was prime eligible. Yep, lift gate service right to my garage.

I was tempted to select the $2.99 upgrade to next day delivery, but I thought that might be pushing things a little too much.

K

 

[Rick M]

I have Prime but rarely use it except at Christmas time, was thinking of cancelling.

 

[CLetts]

I purchased prime last year because I ordered from Amazon so often and it included Videos as well. Suddenly they're collecting NC Sales Tax and now a 41% increase (I paid $70, not $79), in membership. I think they've run me away.

 

[CrealBilly]

http://www.chicagotribune.com/business/sns-rt-us-amazon-prime-20140313,0,6262795.story

 

[CLetts]

http://www.chicagotribune.com/business/sns-rt-us-amazon-prime-20140313,0,6262795.story

sonuvagun, I did pay $79 last year. oops!:embaresse

 

[MarkE]

We have had Prime for e a few years and buy a lot of stuff from Amazon. I always thought the free two day shipping was good deal. But, maybe not.

http://www.syracuse.com/news/index...._prices_membership_free_shipping_lawsuit.html

If you check any Grizzly product sold on Amazon and eligible for prime 'free' shipping, it's not hard to see that at least some of the shipping cost is included in the Amazon price.

 

[ScottM]

I live in God's country. The closest Walmart or BORG is 45 minutes drive. Klingpsor or Woodcraft close to 2 hours. I am not complaining. I LOVE where I live. For me one trip in the old F-150 costs me more then $20 in gas. Sure I wish the price went down or stayed the same but what does these days?


P.S. I do not live in the woods. I have a Food Lion, gas station, ABC store, Ace Hardware, Subway, BB&T, Drug Store, and burger joint within 3 miles of the house.

 

[woodworker2000]

P.S. I do not live in the woods. I have a Food Lion, gas station, ABC store, Ace Hardware, Subway, BB&T, Drug Store, and burger joint within 3 miles of the house.

Don't forget the Family Dollar store and the ice cream/shaved ice shack (open seasonally) ;-)

 

[JimD]

Free shipping is available without Prime, I use it all the time. It just isn't 2 day free shipping. I think Amazon deliberately slows down the free shipping to try and get you to pay more. But I normally plan ahead enough I can wait a week for things and still get them delivered free without Prime. For those circumstances, the $99 is wasted money.

I will also note that we stream quite a bit on Netflix without issues. We only have problems streaming from Amazon. Our connection is undoubtedly contributing to the issue but that feature of Prime is still not doing anything for me.

 

[ScottM]

Don't forget the Family Dollar store and the ice cream/shaved ice shack (open seasonally) ;-)

Shame on me for missing those land marks. You must get up this was a lot. Next time through stop in. The beer is always cold and the shop is always open for visitors.

 

[FlyingRon]

Amusingly, sometimes in the metro areas their regular shipping can be darned fast. I ordered a book at about 4PM one afternoon and when I went out the next morning at 8:30 it was on the stoop. They must have their own couriers (it came from a fulfillment center down the road).

I do stream occasionally. Margy and I have been catching up on our Downton Abbey this way.

 

[Chemeleon]

We've got a distribution center here in SC now (Spartanburg area I think?) so once in awhile, I'll get things next day without paying extra for it. Though I've noticed lately, a lot of the times they just ship a day later, so it only takes a day to transport, but still two days to arrive.

 

[zzdodge]

The standard shipping from Amazon works for me, because most of the time my orders are $50 or more.

The streaming video doesn't work on Linux, which is what I run on my computers. It doesn't work on Android phones either. And I don't use Kindle, because last I checked they really didn't have woodworking books.

At Christmas, the shorter shipping is nice, but frankly almost 50% of the things we ordered this year came destroyed in shipping. For example one of my kids ordered me two block planes and a CD. The CD came smashed every time. He had 10 block planes and 5 broken CDs to return when all was said and done.

I just ordered some Titebond II quarts. The first one was busted in the box. The second was OK. The project used more glue (I normally buy gallons) and my hit rate of getting a non busted container (well, really the spout) was less than 50%. In the end, I just keep recycling the tips.

While I get it that Amazon can clear a half a billion by this increase, they are really just going after their more loyal, ordering more often customers. It's just like charging frequent flyers more. When Netflix raised rates, and had such a negative response, they did it almost across the board. Amazon didn't. They hit the loyal fans.

There's a lesson there, somewhere.

 

[Guy in Paradise]

My Family uses amazon a lot,but it our college daughter that wanted us to enroll so that she could use amazon's kindle books like a library to temporarily check out books to read.

 

[garymuto]

I'm leeting our membership go when it is up for renewal in January. We stream but not that much. I'll probably spend teh money on Netflix instead.