Amazon Prime increasing annual fee to $119

[Dawg52]

It need not be all or nothing, I pay the monthly fee 4-5 times per year.

True. There are a couple of video series I like on Amazon so when a new season of those are available I will pay the monthly fee to binge watch. Just as I do with Netflix. As far as ordering products goes, I just ordered my normal items from Jet and received in 2 days with no freight. Same price. I doubt I will notice a difference ordering from 2-3 vendors vs through Amazon.

 

[RonBoyd]

As far as ordering products goes, I just ordered my normal items from Jet and received in 2 days with no freight. Same price.

Some things from my current shopping list:

Yamaha RX-A3080 Receiver - Jet = Not found/Amazon = $1,999.99
Friedrich Chill CP06G10B 6000 - Jet = $329.95/Amazon = $319.00
NuWave Countertop Elite Dome Oven - Jet = 149.95/Amazon = $149.95
Logitech Harmony Ultimate All in One Remote - Jet = Not found/Amazon = $168.95
Canon EOS M50 Mirrorless Camera Body - Jet = $779.79/Amazon = $629.00

Even ignoring the 5% rebate, I don't see the advantage.

 

[CRLLS]

Some things from my current shopping list:

Yamaha RX-A3080 Receiver - Jet = Not found/Amazon = $1,999.99 1395 at ebuyusa
Friedrich Chill CP06G10B 6000 - Jet = $329.95/Amazon = $319.00 327.47 at overstock.com
NuWave Countertop Elite Dome Oven - Jet = 149.95/Amazon = $149.95138.99 at Overstock.com
Logitech Harmony Ultimate All in One Remote - Jet = Not found/Amazon = $168.95 124.87 at Walmart.com
Canon EOS M50 Mirrorless Camera Body - Jet = $779.79/Amazon = $629.00 599.95 at newegg.com




Even ignoring the 5% rebate, I don't see the advantage.

Above in blue shows what a couple of clicks can do. All have free shipping. Only Walmart.com requires sales tax, similar to Amazon. Having a 2% CC gives only a 3% advantage to Amazon card. Amazon isn't the best total price on any of these.

 

[Janet H]

It would be fun to see WalMart (or any other company!) take on Amazon with similar services, faster delivery, and so on. I would especially enjoy seeing what Amazon might come up with to keep their customers, if faced with some serious competition.

It will be interesting to see how this shakes out but until walmart substantially improves it's website there is little danger of most folks switching gears. Waiting for walmart search returns to load is a big detractor for me. The walmart search tools leave a lot to be desired as well.


Amazon leverages their server capacity so give super fast page returns on searches and most items have good images and description.

 

[RonBoyd]

Above in blue shows what a couple of clicks can do. All have free shipping. Only Walmart.com requires sales tax, similar to Amazon. Having a 2% CC gives only a 3% advantage to Amazon card. Amazon isn't the best total price on any of these.

Oh! I didn't mean to imply that Amazon always has the best price. I was merely comparing Jet.com to Amazon in response to the OP.

It is interesting about the M50, however. I would be a little concerned about "gray" market switch... yeah, it says shipped from the U.S. but that's not the same as registered in.

I also might question the RX-A3080 quote since this model has yet to be released. $1,300 seems about right for the RX-A3070 which is the discontinued version, though... or a bait and switch. In any event, Yamaha will honor their warranty on products sold only through a select list of sellers; ebuyusa is not on that list. They also have an extensive list of those that are specifically NOT authorized to sell their products -- https://usa.yamaha.com/support/unauthorized_sellers/. ebuyusa is not on that list either, but it is very easy to change a name online to circumvent OEM rules.

 

[W2R]

It will be interesting to see how this shakes out but until walmart substantially improves it's website there is little danger of most folks switching gears. Waiting for walmart search returns to load is a big detractor for me. The walmart search tools leave a lot to be desired as well.

Amazon leverages their server capacity so give super fast page returns on searches and most items have good images and description.

Amazon's website is truly amazing, and you're so right - - to many customers, including me, it is a big "plus" to shopping at Amazon. If Walmart is going to provide meaningful competition, I agree that a good (and necessary) first step would be to work on their website.

 

[aja8888]

It will be interesting to see how this shakes out but until walmart substantially improves it's website there is little danger of most folks switching gears. Waiting for walmart search returns to load is a big detractor for me. The walmart search tools leave a lot to be desired as well.


Amazon leverages their server capacity so give super fast page returns on searches and most items have good images and description.

We have a Super Walmart one mile from the house. For the last 6 months (since DW is not able to go grocery shopping easily), I have been ordering all our groceries on the Walmart website through the grocery link. I find it excellent and quick in searches (maybe it's our bandwidth?).

We love the service and can schedule a pickup time at the store pick up area. For a $30 minimum order, the service is free.

I find we are using Amazon less and less each month and will be canceling Prime at renewal time. Everything else we order (dog food, coffee, cleaning supplies, etc) is either from WM or a online retailer with similar prices to Amazon and free shipping.

 

[Dawg52]

Some things from my current shopping list:

Yamaha RX-A3080 Receiver - Jet = Not found/Amazon = $1,999.99
Friedrich Chill CP06G10B 6000 - Jet = $329.95/Amazon = $319.00
NuWave Countertop Elite Dome Oven - Jet = 149.95/Amazon = $149.95
Logitech Harmony Ultimate All in One Remote - Jet = Not found/Amazon = $168.95
Canon EOS M50 Mirrorless Camera Body - Jet = $779.79/Amazon = $629.00

Even ignoring the 5% rebate, I don't see the advantage.

I can assure you I reviewed each item I purchased before posting and they were all the same including sales tax. I'm sure Amazon does have a leg up on some items. But not this time on items I normally purchase.

 

[CoolRich59]

This is an interesting thread. I have had some experiences with Amazon that go beyond the strictly dollars and cents perspective. I know others have had negative experiences with Amazon, but mine has been almost entirely positive, which is why Amazon Prime is still a great value for me, even at $119.

Last Fall, I was vacationing up in Wisconsin where we had rented a cabin. There was an item I needed right away. I simply changed the delivery address to the cabin and the item showed up 2 days later in rural Wisconsin just the same as if I'd been at home in my Chicago suburb.

I suspect you could do the same thing with Walmart, but I don't have the same confidence that they will meet the delivery window. For example, last month I ordered something from Walmart that did beat Amazon on price. With Amazon Prime, I would have had the item in 2 days, but it was not time sensitive so I was willing to wait.

A week went by and I got a notification from Walmart that my order was delayed and they would let me know when it shipped. It took you a week to let me know you hadn't even shipped my order?? I canceled and made the purchase with Amazon.

Finally, I recently ordered two shirts from Amazon (one was $20, the other $17). I only wanted one of them, and was planning on keeping one and returning the other. I got the order, made my choice (the $17 shirt) and initiated the return process. Amazon immediately credited me the $17. But, then I changed my mind, decided to keep the $20 shirt and return the $17 one. I initiated the revised return, and dropped off the shirt at UPS.

A couple of days later, I noticed that Amazon had not refunded me the $17. I was about to contact them, when I also remembered that they had not charged me for the $20 shirt. It seems that Amazon simply left the charge in place and absorbed the $3 difference.

 

[RonBoyd]

… A week went by and I got a notification from Walmart that my order was delayed and they would let me know when it shipped. It took you a week to let me know you hadn't even shipped my order??

Similar to my experience (See Post #83 above - http://www.early-retirement.org/for...-annual-fee-to-119-a-91770-5.html#post2043590). Walmart will have to do a major overhaul before I would trust them again. I guess that encapsulates my loyalty to Amazon... after 10+ years of Prime, I simply trust them.

Not to say that I don't shop at Walmart, I do, but not as an alternative to Amazon Prime. There are some things they do that I like -- the Walmart App, for instance, with it's "Price Comparison" option takes the "Shop Around" out of the equation. It would be nice if (when?) they match the Sam's Club App and let me purchase items as I put them in the cart but I can wait.

Edit: the "Price Comparison" is actually called the "Walmart Savings Catcher," where local businesses are checked to see if the item was found for less. I have not been reimbursed for a lot (less than $20 so far) but, at least, it was something.

 

[ivinsfan]

This is an interesting thread. I have had some experiences with Amazon that go beyond the strictly dollars and cents perspective. I know others have had negative experiences with Amazon, but mine has been almost entirely positive, which is why Amazon Prime is still a great value for me, even at $119.

Last Fall, I was vacationing up in Wisconsin where we had rented a cabin. There was an item I needed right away. I simply changed the delivery address to the cabin and the item showed up 2 days later in rural Wisconsin just the same as if I'd been at home in my Chicago suburb.

I suspect you could do the same thing with Walmart, but I don't have the same confidence that they will meet the delivery window. For example, last month I ordered something from Walmart that did beat Amazon on price. With Amazon Prime, I would have had the item in 2 days, but it was not time sensitive so I was willing to wait.

A week went by and I got a notification from Walmart that my order was delayed and they would let me know when it shipped. It took you a week to let me know you hadn't even shipped my order?? I canceled and made the purchase with Amazon.

Finally, I recently ordered two shirts from Amazon (one was $20, the other $17). I only wanted one of them, and was planning on keeping one and returning the other. I got the order, made my choice (the $17 shirt) and initiated the return process. Amazon immediately credited me the $17. But, then I changed my mind, decided to keep the $20 shirt and return the $17 one. I initiated the revised return, and dropped off the shirt at UPS.

A couple of days later, I noticed that Amazon had not refunded me the $17. I was about to contact them, when I also remembered that they had not charged me for the $20 shirt. It seems that Amazon simply left the charge in place and absorbed the $3 difference.

Watch out, the shirt story might get you on the naughty customer banned for life list..

 

[Bestwifeever]

Amazon Prime is a good thing for our household and I’m sure we’ll keep it for the foreseeable future. Having it available will likely make the other venues keep improving to try to capture more of this market, so win-win for all of us!

 

[CoolRich59]

Watch out, the shirt story might get you on the naughty customer banned for life list..

I know! I've read where Best Buy did the same thing and banned a customer for excessive returns. It's an interesting marketing strategy.

 

[joeea]

It would be fun to see WalMart (or any other company!) take on Amazon with similar services, faster delivery, and so on. I would especially enjoy seeing what Amazon might come up with to keep their customers, if faced with some serious competition.

I agree. Amazon is clearly in it for the long haul.

If Walmart or other company becomes serious enough ecommerce competition, there's no doubt they will respond. That would be a win for all of us.

I recently purchased an item for my grandchildren. I looked at both Walmart and Amazon - exactly the same price. I chose Amazon for the 2-day shipping and 5% rewards using my Amazon Prime Card.

 

[lucky penny]

I do purchase a big bag of bulk oatmeal from my local Whole Foods about once a month, so I suppose that indirectly represents an Amazon purchase, of sorts.

Major, thanks for mentioning this. I checked this out at Whole Foods (which I pass every day) & it's 99 cents a pound, much cheaper than the 42 ounce container of Quaker Oats that had been my staple. You just saved me $2 or $3 a month. I love this forum!