Are they kidding?
£49 for free delivery on most books, DVDs and games? I must spend three times that a year on Amazon deliveries... Crikey.
I do like Amazon, I have to say (as opposed to MS and their bloomin' Hotmail... grrr). If you phone them because they've messed up a delivery, they never seem to think twice about refunding you the delivery fee. But now I won't have any delivery fees... Brilliant!
Keith
Amazon Prime
9 posts
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KB wrote:£49 for free delivery on most books, DVDs and games? I must spend three times that a year on Amazon deliveries...
Are they just getting Prime up in the UK? They started over here about a year ago. As a long-time customer, they gave me a free six month Prime membership, and while it was nice, I didn't renew. Don't know about the UK, but in the US you can get free delivery for orders over $25.
Prime over here is $75 a year. Looks like the exchange rate and the mail rates had a collision.
I seem to buy from play.com a lot these days - delivery included in the price! Couldn't bear to part with the money for Amazon Prime (or maybe to admit to myself how much money I waste on postage, or on books, which would explain why I can't move around my house because of the many stacks of books everywhere...)
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KB
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Yeah, Amazon Prime has only just been introduced in the UK. Free delivery is available for orders over a certain amount, but that's "Super Saver" and takes longer to arrive - and I'm a sucker for wanting things NOW.
As far as Play.com - I find them really unreliable. Like Blackwell's website, it seems that they will claim that something is in stock and then deliver it weeks later. This has happened several times; it pretty much never happens with Amazon. Also, I never really forgave them for the fact that they used to sell Region 1 DVDs then stopped. I daresay they were made to stop by the Powers That Be, but it still left a bad taste in my mouth.
Best,
Keith
As far as Play.com - I find them really unreliable. Like Blackwell's website, it seems that they will claim that something is in stock and then deliver it weeks later. This has happened several times; it pretty much never happens with Amazon. Also, I never really forgave them for the fact that they used to sell Region 1 DVDs then stopped. I daresay they were made to stop by the Powers That Be, but it still left a bad taste in my mouth.
Best,
Keith
£49 for free delivery on most books, DVDs and games? I must spend three times that a year on Amazon deliveries... Crikey.
How much do you spend on deliveries?
I don't know about UK prices, but at amazon.de you always get free delivery for books (no minimum price) and for all other stuff - DVDs, software etc - if the sum total of your order is over €20. Overnight delivery costs extra, but normal delivery never takes longer than one or two days if the items are in stock. I spend ridiculous amounts of money on Amazon orders every year, but the total sum I paid for delivery rates over the last five or six years amounts to about 20 bucks.
Are delivery rates really so much higher in the UK? Sounds like you're paying £50 for the privilege of not getting ass-raped by Jeff Bezos ...
EDIT: Just checked Amazon's UK delivery rates -- ouch! That "Free delivery" deal is starting to make sense ..
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KB
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Yeah, UK delivery charges do make the £49 deal worth it. You get free delivery on orders over £15, but that means buying two or more books or, sometimes, more than one DVD, which is often a false economy. So, there are times when I just want to order one book or DVD and I'm thinking, "Well, I just need to find something else to buy to get free delivery." Suddenly I end up buying something I'm not that bothered about and it's cost me more. Without Super Saver Delivery, Express Delivery (the next option) is £2.50 - so 20 orders earn my Amazon Prime money back. Besides which, I have added my partner as a guest on my Prime account, meaning that she gets free delivery too. It will easily pay for itself over the course of the year, the number of things we order that either a) aren't eligible for Super Saver delivery or b) we have been late sorting out for a birthday or whatever and need to get quickly.
Best,
Keith
Best,
Keith
I was sorely tempted by Amazon Prime until I saw that it didn't apply to Amazon Marketplace purchases. I understand why not, but it was a deal-breaker for me. Probably 75% of all my purchases are from Marketplace sellers 
Antony Johnston
antonyjohnston.com
antonyjohnston.com
I've had Prime here in the US since it was intro'd almost a couple of years ago and use it a lot. While there is often a 'free shipping if over $25' offer on Amazon, before Prime I'd end up buying extra stuff just to save on shipping costs. With Prime, I'm not tempted to do that, but instead can order individual books and not pay that shipping, which for paperbacks could double the cost.
And while true that Prime doesn't cover shipping for Marketplace purchases, it does cover shipping to other addresses. I often send my folks coffee from Amazon grocery, for example.
Only thing - I just discovered that Prime only applies to your own country. I wanted to buy a book off Amazon UK but the Prime wouldn't kick in even after I'd signed in. Ahh, well.
And while true that Prime doesn't cover shipping for Marketplace purchases, it does cover shipping to other addresses. I often send my folks coffee from Amazon grocery, for example.
Only thing - I just discovered that Prime only applies to your own country. I wanted to buy a book off Amazon UK but the Prime wouldn't kick in even after I'd signed in.
Ahh, well.
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