Amazon Prime

[notposting]

Yeah, it's more about the shipping, the video aspect is a nice bonus (that I don't use very much since they have neither a Media Center or XBOX 360 plugin). But the shipping. Nom nom nom. And it doesn't seem to matter--whether it's USPS, UPS, Fedex, or the dude in the Honda with the Prestige magnet on his door, it gets here in two days. I was thinking the other day how brilliant the Prime setup is...we wouldn't have ordered at least 75% of what we did last year without it.

I do miss the old Newegg days of Fedex Super Saver.

 

[ViRGE]

Prime is less about free shipping and more about the speed - If you use Prime long enough you really start to resent the other places you shop that DON'T offer the two-day. Sure it's free, but the beauty is the fact that it eliminates shopping at local stores in all but the most extreme emergencies. Most things can wait two days, far fewer can wait a week.

Viper GTS

Agreed. It dawned on me last month that the only stores I go to anymore are grocery stores and specialty stores. If you can buy it at Fred Meyer/Target/Walmart, you can skip the herd and buy it from Amazon.

 

[Crono]

I let my Prime membership pass after having it for 3 years.

I appreciated the free 2 day shipping and cheap overnight, but I spent way too much money on stuff I didn't absolutely need.

 

[Lamont Burns]

prime is the shit. i absolutely love it.

^^

 

[xSauronx]

prime is the best thing ever. i barely shop at stores unless its for food now.

shoes, clothes, games, movies, music, tools, gadgets, accessories....prime is fantastic

 

[Dulanic]

Plus, I also have an Amazon Rewards VISA, so that encourages me even more to use Amazon and my Prime subscription. I got the board, CPU, and the power supply for the rig in my sig for zero dollars out of pocket -- I got it entirely by using my Amazon Reward points. I just ordered an RC plane on my points too. I'd HIGHLY recommend that anyone using Amazon extensively and with a Prime subscription go ahead and get the Amazon VISA.

Lol i buy so much shit on Amazon I an saving points to buy my next tv. Up to 1500 or so right now. Every Amazon regular should have prime and the credit card.

 

[AyashiKaibutsu]

Yea, I like prime too. Free book a month + free fast shipping that I use the hell out of + the videos are really just icing on top (I didn't watch TV before, but now I do a little).

 

[pontifex]

It is $79/year but remember you can also add 'family members' on there. You can add up to 4 people I believe so technically you can split with you 'family members'. $79/year alone is worth it but if you're splitting it, it's a no brainer.

but the splits don't get access to everything, just the cheaper shipping (no streaming, no kindle books)/

 

[notposting]

Guess I will check into this CC if the rewards are good and automagical. MMMMmmm sucked deeper into the vortex......

 

[fatpat268]

Yeah, I have Amazon Prime and it's painful to shop anywhere else. Newegg's shipping is an example. Something like $21 for two day? But, what can you do? Online retailers put mom and pop out of business, now the mega-online retailers who can ship 2-day for free will put the smaller guys out of business. I do still like Newegg though. Even though it's pricier at times, they've treated me very well so I still buy from there unless the difference is dramatic.

You could always use shoprunner for newegg.

I got an account with shoprunner that I got for something like $1 a while back... works similar to amazon prime.

 

[FeuerFrei]

...

Edit: Also, you should make sure that what you want to watch is actually included in prime instant video. I think you still have to pay for the latest myth busters seasons even if you sign up for prime.

This

I did the free trial of Prime back in February and there was no free streaming of Mythbusters episodes. It was pay only. I refused.

I had to ask myself "What do I get for $79?"
Free shipping? Yeah, but most (maybe all) of the Prime-eligible stuff also qualifies for free Super Saver shipping for non-members anyway. Where's the membership advantage?? Granted there's a $25 minimum order total.
Instant streaming of movies and tv shows?? Technically. They're free for a reason though. Turns out, of Prime's "Instant Video" freebies I only found 2 tv shows (+ 1 movie) worth watching. You have to pay for the good stuff. YMMV
Book borrowing? Who does that?? Kindle my ass.
Two-day shipping?? Depends. Not when I order just before or during the weekend. Factor in the weekend and 2-day shipping stretches to 4-day shipping. Frankly, occasions where I can't wait 7 days to receive my purchases are few and far between.

I also asked myself:
Am I buying things I ordinarily wouldn't? Sometimes. Got to recoup that membership fee, right?

I probably average 3 orders/month. After adding all the above together I realized tangible Prime benefits were negligible and personal profit was zero.

So I cancelled once the trial period expired.

 

[alkemyst]

Can't you hook up with others and all buy a Prime membership together and it still costs $79? I don't know if they still do that.

They never allowed it. It's only for same households and work associates in the same office.

 

[fatpat268]

They never allowed it. It's only for same households and work associates in the same office.

You're right, they don't allow it, but people do it anyway.

 

[alkemyst]

You're right, they don't allow it, but people do it anyway.

yeah dirty unethical bastards.

 

[jhansman]

One of the best reasons to get it is if you know you will be ordering an item that will have a considerable shipping cost. We got our Weber grill (nearly 200 lbs) this way, and at a good price with free shipping. After that, the Prime benefits (of which there are several, as noted previously) were all gravy.

 

[Charles Kozierok]

We've had Amazon Prime since the beta period many years ago. Living in a more rural area with few shopping options, Amazon is like our "local store".

The video options made it even more of a no-brainer for us, and allowed us to cancel our Netflix subscription to save a few bucks.

Between the two, it's a great value.

 

[Wyndru]

I'm one week into the 1 month trial, and already I've decided I won't be purchasing this. Most of the items I buy off of Amazon end up being 3rd party which don't participate in Prime, and their online streaming selection sucks (at least the prime eligible selections).

 

[Aikouka]

I didn't think it warranted a new thread, but I noticed something when placing an order on Amazon a few minutes ago. Before, when you used one-day shipping on a Friday, you would get the product on Saturday for the standard $3.99 rate. I guess Amazon didn't like paying the cost of Saturday delivery, because now there seems to be a separate Saturday Delivery option, which is $8.99.

Interesting. :hmm:

 

[alkemyst]

I didn't think it warranted a new thread, but I noticed something when placing an order on Amazon a few minutes ago. Before, when you used one-day shipping on a Friday, you would get the product on Saturday for the standard $3.99 rate. I guess Amazon didn't like paying the cost of Saturday delivery, because now there seems to be a separate Saturday Delivery option, which is $8.99.

Interesting. :hmm:

Their items usually ship USPS, there is no saturday delivery fee.

 

[Destiny]

also, if you have a Kindle, you get to "borrow" one book a month for free.

How about if I just have a Kindle App on my Smart phone?

 

[SirStev0]

still awesome.

 

[AyashiKaibutsu]

How about if I just have a Kindle App on my Smart phone?

Doesn't work unfortunately. Need a kindle to access the book your borrowing. I have a thunderbolt and a kindle fire, and it's a no go on the thunderbolt.

 

[Destiny]

Doesn't work unfortunately. Need a kindle to access the book your borrowing. I have a thunderbolt and a kindle fire, and it's a no go on the thunderbolt.

Damnit Jim... I'll just read the "Brief ones" on wikipedia then...

 

[alkemyst]

pretty much all the 'premium' kindle content is true kindle only...IMHO the Kindle Reader apps are a real misnomer. I get alot of friends and family calling thinking they now have a 'kindle' on their phone

Fortunately though the basic Kindles are getting really cheap now.

 

[fatpat268]

I didn't think it warranted a new thread, but I noticed something when placing an order on Amazon a few minutes ago. Before, when you used one-day shipping on a Friday, you would get the product on Saturday for the standard $3.99 rate. I guess Amazon didn't like paying the cost of Saturday delivery, because now there seems to be a separate Saturday Delivery option, which is $8.99.

Interesting. :hmm:

That's nothing new. There's been a couple of times over the past few years where I ordered something critical on friday, and overnighted it for $9 on saturday. Usually arrives via fedex, whereas the standard prime 2 day shipments arrive via UPS.