Amazon is *slow* without Prime

[RobbieB]

I'm not a prime member and I could care less. The stuff comes when it comes. It always comes though, just sometimes faster than other times.

I have no problem with Amazon. I really have no problems with any internet vendors, even stuff from China off ebay.

 

[broadway]

I'm not a prime member and I could care less. The stuff comes when it comes. It always comes though, just sometimes faster than other times.

I have no problem with Amazon. I really have no problems with any internet vendors, even stuff from China off ebay.

I suppose the next time someone posts something here on this message board, I should write "I could care less" about this topic in the discussion?

I have really no problems with my eBay vendors on China too.
That's not this topic.

 

[RobbieB]

If you want an argument you have to pay first.

 

[jimbee]

If you want an argument you have to pay first.

 

[tinlizzy]

I agree with the OP that Amazon deliberately delays shipments. I think his point was that by doing this Amazon is creating an artificial value in it's Prime shipping.

UPS and FedEx work very hard to streamline their time in transit and Amazon has is basically charging Prime members $99 to put the package on the conveyor belt.

 

[meierlde]

I agree with the OP that Amazon deliberately delays shipments. I think his point was that by doing this Amazon is creating an artificial value in it's Prime shipping.

UPS and FedEx work very hard to streamline their time in transit and Amazon has is basically charging Prime members $99 to put the package on the conveyor belt.

Note that Amazon tends less and less to use UPS or FedEX. They tend to use their own trucks to move parcels to a sorting center and then take them to local post offices as the original poster shows. Only if the package can't make the prime deadline due to other factors do they use UPS/FedEx any more.

 

[AutumnElf]

Discounts, faster shipping, streaming video, streaming music, all for 99 bucks a year. Can't beat it. That's roughly the cost of other services (like NetFlix) that provide just one of these.

I'm sorry to cut in with this comment, but I don't feel that you can compare Amazon streaming with Netflix. Netflix offers all seasons, all episodes of a series they have available. Amazon only offers a few episodes to one full season only on many series. Then they require you purchase the remainder. This is not a streaming service, but a teaser service with intents to get you to purchase the remainder of the series.

I'm not the only one who sees this and doesn't include video streaming services as one of Amazon's benefits. All of my family and friends that I've talked to about this feel the same way. I've still yet to become a Prime member. I don't need speedy shipping on what I order online. I have all the music I could want to listen to already. Netflix will stream to me the entire series of something I want to watch. I don't really see what the benefit and excitement is about Prime, especially when certain things they "took off" Netflix to put on Amazon (i.e. Amazon got an exclusive contract to show some things like Nickelodeon cartoons, for example) are no longer watchable without being purchased.

 

[tinlizzy]

Note that Amazon tends less and less to use UPS or FedEX. They tend to use their own trucks to move parcels to a sorting center and then take them to local post offices as the original poster shows. Only if the package can't make the prime deadline due to other factors do they use UPS/FedEx any more.

It may seem like they provide their own transport if you live in a large city but they are still very dependent on UPS, FedEx, and the USPS.

UPS handles about 30 percent of Amazon’s 600 million packages within the United States. That’s an estimated $1 billion a year, which, it has been reported, has grown 500 percent in 10 years. https://insiderlouisville.com/busin...ome-a-competitor-of-ups-and-does-it-matter-2/

If I did a search I think I would find that FedEx and USPS handle an even larger percentage of Amazon deliveries than UPS (because of the cost).

I don't think that Amazon will ever be able to deliver their own packages because of the sheer volume.

 

[tinlizzy]

As an afterthought, the "sheer volume" made me think that the value in the $99 Prime membership may be from Amazon prioritizing preparing your shipment, in which case, ordering from a smaller vendor may be faster in some instances now that Amazon is so popular.

 

[broadway]

I agree with the OP that Amazon deliberately delays shipments. I think his point was that by doing this Amazon is creating an artificial value in it's Prime shipping.

UPS and FedEx work very hard to streamline their time in transit and Amazon has is basically charging Prime members $99 to put the package on the conveyor belt.

You said it very well.

In this case, which I already stated above, Amazon basically charges Prime members $99 to put the package in the hands of the USPS (United States Postal Service).

Forbes recent 2016 article on this topic is included in Google Search:
https://www.google.com/?gws_rd=ssl#q=amazon+delays+non+prime+orders
Read the comment to the Forbes article by "Kelly".
He/she basically echos what I wrote here.
She writes that Amazon "deliberately sabotages" non-Prime orders. Ouch.
Also read the comments by "John Walsh", "Ray Rock".

The consumer doesn't know what the warehouse processing time really is.
Only by buying from a retailer such as Walmart.com or Boxed.com, does the consumer see that 1 or 2 day shipping is possible for free.

 

[broadway]

As an afterthought, the "sheer volume" made me think that the value in the $99 Prime membership may be from Amazon prioritizing preparing your shipment, in which case, ordering from a smaller vendor may be faster in some instances now that Amazon is so popular.

It is not volume.

Other Amazon customers believe it is sabotage. Read the comments to the article below.

https://www.forbes.com/sites/kateashford/2016/01/30/amazon-shipping/

One guy even believes that Amazon deliberately punishes people who drop Prime.
It is all in Amazon's database. I wouldn't doubt it. Amazon knows he used to have Prime.

 

[broadway]

If you want an argument you have to pay first.

Just an observation that I don't see you writing your "could care less" comment on any of the other posts on this message board.

 

[braumeister]

What is the medical term for removal of a chip from one's shoulder?

 

[FIREmenow]

 

[broadway]

What is the medical term for removal of a chip from one's shoulder?

I don't know, what would that be, oh wise one? Desoldering?

 

[Koolau]

Only a tangent to this rather trivial (IMHO) thread, but I'm reminded of a situation I observed many years ago.

Not naming names, but a small company I was familiar with was a supplier of an industrial commodity product to a much larger company. They had a contract to provide the product at a 97.8% purity level.

Well, they improved their internal processes to the point that they were able to produce it at 99.8% purity most of the time, and they were very proud of themselves, so they bragged about it to their customer.

Customer went ballistic and demanded that they deliberately introduce adulterants to bring it back down to the contracted 97.8%. They were much more about consistency, and the thought of batch-to-batch variance was abhorrent to them.

Worked tangentially for a company who supplied raw material by the ton (hundreds of drums per shipment.) We heard that a customer in Japan returned a small vial to them which contained a single small indigenous moth (pronounced mooth by inspector Clouseau). It had been carefully reconstructed and cemented together. I was shocked. All of QC was shocked. Management was shocked. Knowing how the stuff was produced, I wondered why they hadn't found more. YMMV

 

[W2R]

I think that shipping times to most parts of the country are becoming more and more problematic for Amazon, whether you have Prime or not.

If I was Jeff Bezos, I'd establish my own faster and more efficient shipping company solely for Amazon deliveries before I even thought of buying Whole Foods or setting up drone delivery.

Instead of the brown uniform of UPS, Amazon Shipping employees could wear a bright orange uniform with a yellow lightning bolt on it, signifying speedier deliveries.


To me this seems like a no-brainer. But if my idea seems impractical, well, that demonstrates why I am not a multi-bazillionaire like Jeff Bezos.

 

[Alan]

What is the medical term for removal of a chip from one's shoulder?

Desoldering?

If that was a pun on deshouldering then I'm impressed.

 

[meierlde]

I think that shipping times to most parts of the country are becoming more and more problematic for Amazon, whether you have Prime or not.

If I was Jeff Bezos, I'd establish my own faster and more efficient shipping company solely for Amazon deliveries before I even thought of buying Whole Foods or setting up drone delivery.

Instead of the brown uniform of UPS, Amazon Shipping employees could wear a bright orange uniform with a yellow lightning bolt on it, signifying speedier deliveries.


To me this seems like a no-brainer. But if my idea seems impractical, well, that demonstrates why I am not a multi-bazillionaire like Jeff Bezos.

With USPS delivery Amazon is just doing this. The package is turned over to the post office at the local post office, and is shipped by Amazon vehicles to that point. All Amazon pays the post office for is the last mile. (If you have orders follow the shipping chain) Howver I am in a small town 60 miles from a big city so things may vary in the big cities.

 

[tinlizzy]

With USPS delivery Amazon is just doing this. The package is turned over to the post office at the local post office, and is shipped by Amazon vehicles to that point. All Amazon pays the post office for is the last mile. (If you have orders follow the shipping chain) Howver I am in a small town 60 miles from a big city so things may vary in the big cities.

Amazon uses UPS and FedEx to do this. If your package says Surepost it was transported by UPS to the post office. If your package says Smartpost than it was FedEx who took the package to the post office.

 

[FIREmenow]

Ordered a new tablet yesterday from Amazon at 11:05AM ET. Received it at 8:30PM same day - free same day shipping (Prime).

Still amazes me.

 

[Bestwifeever]

Ordered a new tablet yesterday from Amazon at 11:05AM ET. Received it at 8:30PM same day - free same day shipping (Prime).

Still amazes me.

Which tablet, if you don't mind my asking?

 

[FIREmenow]

Which tablet, if you don't mind my asking?

Asus ZenPad 10 3S.

Was waffling between that and Samsung Galaxy S2 or new S3. Didn't really need cellular - Wi-Fi only. Needed GPS, though, for marine navigation/charting - really limits the choices without cellular. Reviews online were pretty good - price won out. 4:3 aspect ratio is also better for navigation than the 16:x.

Not a lot of time to use it yet (unlike some of you, I'm still stuck on the cube-farm for another 16 months!). Still getting it set up, but so far I like it a lot (replaced a Nexus 7 for same-use). Display is absolutely stunning.

PM for any other details if you like!

 

[Bestwifeever]

Asus ZenPad 10 3S.

Was waffling between that and Samsung Galaxy S2 or new S3. Didn't really need cellular - Wi-Fi only. Needed GPS, though, for marine navigation/charting - really limits the choices without cellular. Reviews online were pretty good - price won out. 4:3 aspect ratio is also better for navigation than the 16:x.

Not a lot of time to use it yet (unlike some of you, I'm still stuck on the cube-farm for another 16 months!). Still getting it set up, but so far I like it a lot (replaced a Nexus 7 for same-use). Display is absolutely stunning.

PM for any other details if you like!

Thanks--I probably don't need GPS for marine use . I am thinking about getting an e-reader, as i have a very old kindle and my not-quite-as-old iPad mini, which also has the kindle app, is slowing down and I don't really need it for other than reading. So will be researching those.

 

[ERD50]

Thanks--I probably don't need GPS for marine use . ...

But GPS is nice in a tablet, even for non-marine types. Use one of the "no data connection required" GPS apps, like "Here-We-Go", and you have a big screen GPS. Better than the built in navi in my new car, bigger screen than my phone. And that program syncs your 'favorites' between devices, so every phone we have, plus this tablet has all the addresses we use available.

wego.here.com

-ERD50