Amazon streaming video is pretty darn close to Netflix or Hulu for us (we have all three) and only $0.26/month more expensive. That makes the shipping a pretty good deal. The Amazon music streaming is fantastic!
Sounds like a good deal for you then. DW is hooked on some of the Netflix that is only available on DVD, so a streaming only service isn't an option for us (assuming I want to remain as one of 'us'!). And from what I've seen, Amazon Prime doesn't add much over the available Netflix streaming.
I was curious, so I looked at our last seven purchases. By Item #:
1) Prime Eligible, but free standard shipping on orders > $35 for non-Prime customers.
2) $18.54 including normal shipping charges, $25.80 with Prime (so you pay twice for Prime).
3) Not Prime Eligible, free standard shipping from 3rd party with no restrictions.
4) Only Prime Eligible as a $25 add-on. But free standard shipping on orders > $35 for non-Prime customers.
5) Not Prime Eligible, free standard shipping from 3rd party with no restrictions.
6) Prime Eligible, but free standard shipping for non-Prime customers.
7) Prime Eligible, but free standard shipping on orders > $35 for non-Prime customers.
So that confirms that
for me, I don't get much value from Prime. I keep a few staples and other non-time critical items in my 'wish list', so getting to $35 is rarely a real restriction for me. So of those 7 items, Prime would get me the (possibly) faster shipping on only 4 of them w/o paying added fees anyhow (item #2), and 2 were not Prime Eligible anyhow. And of the 4 that were Prime Eligible w/o added fees, 1 had a 'catch' ($25 add-on order only).
So with Prime only really offering value on about half of what I order, I find it underwhelming. If it applied to (almost) everything, w/o restriction, they might get me to bite, but probably still not at $99, or even $79.
-ERD50