Join Early Retirement Today
Reply
 
Thread Tools Display Modes
An oddity in Amazon CC charges
Old 07-21-2017, 10:38 AM   #1
Thinks s/he gets paid by the post
 
Join Date: Mar 2013
Location: Coronado
Posts: 3,655
An oddity in Amazon CC charges

I was putting categories on my Amazon transactions in Quicken today, and I came across this interesting way that they processed my CC on a recent order.

I ordered 3 items:
Item 1 - $14.99 with a $3.00 lightning deal
Item 2 - $104.22
Item 3 - $32.00

Invoice totals:
Item(s) Subtotal: $151.21
Shipping & Handling: $0.00
Lightning Deal: -$3.00
---
Total before tax: $148.21
Sales Tax: $10.56
Rewards Points: -$22.91
---
Total for This Shipment: $135.86

So far that's all good. Then I scroll to the bottom of the invoice and see this.

Credit Card Transactions:
Amazon.com Visa Signature ending in xxxx: July 13, 2017: $23.56
Amazon.com Visa Signature ending in xxxx: July 13, 2017: $65.83
Amazon.com Visa Signature ending in xxxx: July 13, 2017: $46.47

Everything adds up and I was charged the correct amount in the end, but I am puzzled about why the would break this into 3 random amounts that don't even relate to the individual item prices. Everything I know about credit card processing says that doing this should actually cost them more than processing a single transaction. All 3 items shipped together and arrived in the same box.
cathy63 is online now   Reply With Quote
Join the #1 Early Retirement and Financial Independence Forum Today - It's Totally Free!

Are you planning to be financially independent as early as possible so you can live life on your own terms? Discuss successful investing strategies, asset allocation models, tax strategies and other related topics in our online forum community. Our members range from young folks just starting their journey to financial independence, military retirees and even multimillionaires. No matter where you fit in you'll find that Early-Retirement.org is a great community to join. Best of all it's totally FREE!

You are currently viewing our boards as a guest so you have limited access to our community. Please take the time to register and you will gain a lot of great new features including; the ability to participate in discussions, network with our members, see fewer ads, upload photographs, create a retirement blog, send private messages and so much, much more!

Old 07-21-2017, 01:39 PM   #2
Full time employment: Posting here.
RetiredGypsy's Avatar
 
Join Date: Mar 2008
Posts: 979
I have this happen a lot on multiple items in an order, going back at least a year. I have to go back through the charges, figure out where they coincide with the items that are shipping and have shipped, then keep track in the end to make sure everything adds up correctly.

It's a PITA, but I'll take the bit of due diligence it requires for the price breaks.
__________________
I'm free and I like it!
RetiredGypsy is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 07-21-2017, 01:47 PM   #3
Give me a museum and I'll fill it. (Picasso)
Give me a forum ...
audreyh1's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jan 2006
Location: Rio Grande Valley
Posts: 37,931
Quote:
Originally Posted by cathy63 View Post
I was putting categories on my Amazon transactions in Quicken today, and I came across this interesting way that they processed my CC on a recent order.

I ordered 3 items:
Item 1 - $14.99 with a $3.00 lightning deal
Item 2 - $104.22
Item 3 - $32.00

Invoice totals:
Item(s) Subtotal: $151.21
Shipping & Handling: $0.00
Lightning Deal: -$3.00
---
Total before tax: $148.21
Sales Tax: $10.56
Rewards Points: -$22.91
---
Total for This Shipment: $135.86

So far that's all good. Then I scroll to the bottom of the invoice and see this.

Credit Card Transactions:
Amazon.com Visa Signature ending in xxxx: July 13, 2017: $23.56
Amazon.com Visa Signature ending in xxxx: July 13, 2017: $65.83
Amazon.com Visa Signature ending in xxxx: July 13, 2017: $46.47

Everything adds up and I was charged the correct amount in the end, but I am puzzled about why the would break this into 3 random amounts that don't even relate to the individual item prices. Everything I know about credit card processing says that doing this should actually cost them more than processing a single transaction. All 3 items shipped together and arrived in the same box.
Because they were shipped separately, and they only charge your card when they ship something.
__________________
Retired since summer 1999.
audreyh1 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 07-21-2017, 01:50 PM   #4
Give me a museum and I'll fill it. (Picasso)
Give me a forum ...
Sunset's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jul 2014
Location: Spending the Kids Inheritance and living in Chicago
Posts: 16,972
Quote:
Originally Posted by audreyh1 View Post
Because they were shipped separately, and they only charge your card when they ship something.
+1
When building a website I was told we could only charge when we ship.
Sunset is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 07-21-2017, 01:52 PM   #5
Give me a museum and I'll fill it. (Picasso)
Give me a forum ...
RunningBum's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jun 2007
Posts: 13,184
Quote:
Originally Posted by audreyh1 View Post
Because they were shipped separately, and they only charge your card when they ship something.
But look at the numbers more closely. What did they ship, part of item 2, and then item 1 and part of item 3, and so on?
RunningBum is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 07-21-2017, 02:19 PM   #6
Dryer sheet wannabe
Retiired's Avatar
 
Join Date: Apr 2016
Posts: 23
It could be because of different sales tax rates?
I know on receipts in Illinois, food is separated from other items due to different sales tax rates from other items and some items are not taxed at all (magazines, newspapers).

Since the different amounts don't correspond to the items, this most likely is not it but it sounded good when I first started typing :-)
Retiired is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 07-21-2017, 02:56 PM   #7
Thinks s/he gets paid by the post
Cobra9777's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jul 2012
Location: Texas
Posts: 3,024
Being an Amazon branded card, I was sorta hoping that the CC records/statement would have the description of what I bought at Amazon. I guess that's asking too much. So I still have to go back and cross reference to validate. And yes, I've seen the same weirdness as OP with the amounts, which makes the validation a bit more time consuming.
__________________
Retired at 52 in July 2013. On to better things...
AA: 85/15 WR: 2.7% SI: 2 pensions, SS later
Cobra9777 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 07-21-2017, 03:01 PM   #8
Full time employment: Posting here.
mamadogmamacat's Avatar
 
Join Date: Dec 2012
Posts: 751
I have had this happen as well. However it has always corresponded to how they ship, at least it has for me.

Note the OP says all items shipped together in same box, so that was apparently not the reason for the OP.

And yes, matching up items with CC charges is a pain. Cant beat the convenience of AMZN however. imagine the hassle of running around to brick and mortar places to get what we buy on AMZN, assuming one could even find it all in stock.
mamadogmamacat is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 07-21-2017, 03:21 PM   #9
Thinks s/he gets paid by the post
 
Join Date: Mar 2013
Location: Coronado
Posts: 3,655
Quote:
Originally Posted by Retiired View Post
It could be because of different sales tax rates?
I know on receipts in Illinois, food is separated from other items due to different sales tax rates from other items and some items are not taxed at all (magazines, newspapers).

Since the different amounts don't correspond to the items, this most likely is not it but it sounded good when I first started typing :-)
No, that's not it. These are computer accessories. Sales tax is the same percentage on everything.
cathy63 is online now   Reply With Quote
Old 07-21-2017, 03:26 PM   #10
Thinks s/he gets paid by the post
 
Join Date: Nov 2011
Posts: 3,865
Years ago Amazon included an invoice with the shipment, and then you had a handy record of the transaction. That ended around the time Amazon got sloppy and began mixing up the invoices. I sometimes got someone else's invoice with my shipment. At the Amazon site you can print your own invoice for previous orders.
GrayHare is online now   Reply With Quote
Old 07-21-2017, 03:40 PM   #11
Thinks s/he gets paid by the post
 
Join Date: Mar 2013
Location: Coronado
Posts: 3,655
Quote:
Originally Posted by mamadogmamacat View Post
I have had this happen as well. However it has always corresponded to how they ship, at least it has for me.

Note the OP says all items shipped together in same box, so that was apparently not the reason for the OP.

And yes, matching up items with CC charges is a pain. Cant beat the convenience of AMZN however. imagine the hassle of running around to brick and mortar places to get what we buy on AMZN, assuming one could even find it all in stock.
The credit card issuers have merchant agreements that prohibit most merchants from charging before a non-custom item is shipped. That's why if Amazon (or any other ecommerce system) splits an order and ships from multiple warehouses or on multiple dates you'll get one charge per shipment. When I saw three charges, I immediately thought that they charged the items separately; but then I looked at the amounts and couldn't make sense of why they would do this. I'm sure Amazon has some reason, but I doubt I'll ever know it.
cathy63 is online now   Reply With Quote
Old 07-21-2017, 04:47 PM   #12
gone traveling
 
Join Date: Aug 2006
Posts: 994
Quote:
Originally Posted by audreyh1 View Post

because they were shipped separately, and they only charge your card when they ship something.

+1

.
Helena is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 07-21-2017, 06:53 PM   #13
Thinks s/he gets paid by the post
 
Join Date: Mar 2013
Location: Coronado
Posts: 3,655
Nope. Everything shipped together and arrived in a single box.

Also, if they had charged me for shipping items separately, the amounts charged would have matched the item prices (plus tax), which is definitely not the case here.
cathy63 is online now   Reply With Quote
Old 07-22-2017, 05:55 AM   #14
Dryer sheet aficionado
 
Join Date: Jun 2008
Posts: 48
My hunch is that the items came initially from different suppliers even though they were shipped to you in one box. Unsure why that would matter unless it is an internal method of tracking the chargeback.
Hershey102 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 07-22-2017, 08:55 AM   #15
Thinks s/he gets paid by the post
 
Join Date: Jan 2017
Posts: 2,628
I just wish they'd break out the multiple charges at the time I place the order, so I know what to look for on my credit card statement.

I actually print out (to .pdf, not to paper) a copy of the invoice when I order, and it frequently doesn't match the charges. Very frustrating.

I'd be OK with charging the card when I order, rather than when it ships. I'm not going to pay until the due date anyway, and if there's a problem I can always dispute the charge later.
CaptTom is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 07-22-2017, 09:41 AM   #16
Thinks s/he gets paid by the post
 
Join Date: Jun 2016
Posts: 4,655
Quote:
Originally Posted by cathy63 View Post
Nope. Everything shipped together and arrived in a single box.

Also, if they had charged me for shipping items separately, the amounts charged would have matched the item prices (plus tax), which is definitely not the case here.


You could always email or chat with Amazon to determine the reason. I've found them to be very responsive.
Scuba is offline   Reply With Quote
Reply


Currently Active Users Viewing This Thread: 1 (0 members and 1 guests)
 
Thread Tools
Display Modes

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off
Trackbacks are Off
Pingbacks are Off
Refbacks are Off


Similar Threads
Thread Thread Starter Forum Replies Last Post
PSA: Save $8.62 Today On Amazon (sold by Amazon only) RetiredGypsy Other topics 50 02-23-2017 06:01 AM
Cell phone oddity; any physicists out there? marko Other topics 22 05-08-2016 11:32 AM
Space Oddity Purron Other topics 5 05-14-2013 09:37 AM
A canceled credit card can still receive charges and refunds Alan FIRE and Money 10 10-12-2007 06:04 PM
Interest charges? Since 1986?!?!?!? BUM Other topics 7 12-02-2005 05:00 AM

» Quick Links

 
All times are GMT -6. The time now is 09:31 PM.
 
Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.8 Beta 1
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, vBulletin Solutions, Inc.